Gimme the Good Stuff

Safe Baby Formula Guide

Maia James — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 09:44:42 +0000

1. Loulouka (both cow and goat) / 2. Happy Baby / 3. Kabrita / 4. Bobbie / 5. Lebenswert / 6. Serenity / 7. Holle / 8. HiPP / 9. Baby’s Only / 10. Kendamil

UPDATED: November 2021

I wrote this guide on how to choose organic baby formula in 2012, and have updated it more than ten times since! The great news is that overall, things have moved in a positive direction on the formula front. Many new organic baby formula brands have come to market–while others have been discontinued.

This guide will review the current organic baby formula options, including European baby formulas, goat milk formulas, and which brands I consider the Best Stuff. (Speaking of goat milk formulas–this post goes into details about why you should consider it if you’re formula-freeding, but it needs to be updated from the 2018 version, mostly to include our new favorite goat milk brand, Loulouka.)

Bottom Line: Best Organic Baby Formula

If I were formula-feeding my infant, I would choose Loulouka. Loulouka Stage 1 is free of palm oil and maltodextrin. You can read more about why I think Loulouka is a superior formula below, under “The Good Stuff.”

As always, my goal with this updated guide is to make choosing the safest product easy. We’ve researched dozens of brands of organic baby formula, and I hope this guide will save you time and anxiety.

Here are two ways the industry has changed for the better over the last decade:

Many companies have ditched corn sugars in favor of lactose. Lactose occurs naturally in cow (and goat) milk and much more closely mimics human milk.
Many organic baby formula brands are using lower quantities of cheap, problematic oils (such as soy and canola). They’ve increased the amount of healthier oils (such as coconut and olive).

The bottom line: infants born today will almost certainly enjoy a healthier formula than did their siblings born even a few years ago.

What About the Baby Bottle?

Here is a cheat sheet to help you choose the safest bottle for your baby, whether you are breast- or formula-feeding! My top pick is this one.

Two important disclaimers before I jump in:

I am not a medical professional or a nutritionist. I’m just a label-reading mom like the rest of you, here to share what I’ve learned and which organic baby formula I would choose if I were shopping for my own baby.
If I recommend vendors from whom you can purchase European organic baby formulas, I am not guaranteeing that you’ll have a satisfactory experience shopping with them. I’m simply telling you the companies with whom I would feel comfortable were I looking to buy formula myself. I’m also an affiliate partner with some of them, so please read my disclosure page.

P.S. Breastmilk is Better Than Any Organic Baby Formula

Needless to say, I’m pro-breastfeeding. I have only two kids, but I breastfed for a total of 7 years, so you can do the math.

The reality is that many of my readers and clients— amazing moms with beautiful, healthy children– formula feed at least some of the time. And one thing that all formula-feeding moms want to know is, what is the safest, healthiest organic baby formula I can give my child? I hope this updated guide helps answer that question.

Best American Organic Baby Formula

If you aren’t comfortable getting a European formula, you should consider Bobbie. You’ll read more below about why I love this brand below.

What to Avoid in Baby Formula

When it comes to choosing a safe infant formula, it’s as much about avoiding the bad stuff as it is about finding the good stuff. What follows are some of the controversial ingredients and additives that you will find in most baby formula.

Even a few brands that I have deemed Good Stuff contain some of these ingredients–it’s impossible to avoid them all! Some of them are worse than others, but I mention them all here because these are at least worth considering when you are choosing baby formula.

Non-organic ingredients

An organic label alone doesn’t make a formula healthy, but avoiding any non-organic formula is a good start. Conventional formula likely contains traces of pesticides, milk contaminated with antibiotics or growth hormones, and oils extracted with hexane. Organic baby formula is almost always superior to anything conventional.

Organic baby formula cannot contain GMOs or artificial colors/flavors. Organic baby formula from Europe is even better: it must be free of sugar, corn syrup solids, and chemically-extracted synthetic nutrients. In addition, 30% of the calories in organic European formulas must come from lactose.

Soy

Soy formula is usually only recommended if a baby suffers from dairy intolerance.

If you’re buying non-organic formula, the soy is likely genetically modified. Synthetic l-methionine is added to soy formula to meet nutrition requirements. Because it is produced with things like hydrogen cyanide and other air pollutants, it is prohibited in European organic foods. This means that there is no such thing as organic soy-based infant formula in Europe.

Soy-based formula contains soy protein isolates, which my mother the health coach describes this way: “highly processed soybeans that have been chemically altered to no longer resemble a whole food.”

Soy formulas tend to have higher levels of aluminum contamination since soy sucks up aluminum from the soil.

Soy formula also contains high levels of plant-derived estrogens (phytoestrogens). In fact, the concentrations of phytoestrogens detected in the blood of infants fed soy formula were shown to be 13,000 to 22,000 times greater than the concentrations of natural estrogens. The effects of this are simply unknown.

Unfortunately, even most dairy-based formulas contain soy oils or lecithin, but it makes sense to avoid soy-based formulas unless a baby has a true dairy allergy. If that IS the case for your child, you can ask your pediatrician about Baby’s Only’s newer Pea Protein formula. Earth’s Best soy fomula contains corn syrup (as the FIRST ingredient), so this is a hard one for me to recommend even for lactose-intolerant infants.

Palm oil and palm olein

These are commonly added to formula to help replicate the high palmitic acid content of breastmilk. But the structure of the fat molecules in palm oil (and other vegetable oils) is different from that found in breast milk, and the fats are digested differently.

Palm oil and palm olein have been shown to inhibit the absorption of calcium and fat. On the other hand, plant-derived fats that match the structure of the most common fat molecules in breast milk have been shown to promote more healthy bacteria in the gut, reduce colic, gas, and constipation, and allow for fat and calcium to be absorbed better.

From what we know, only one company—Kabrita, which makes a goat milk formula—uses these more beneficial fats (high SN-2 palmitate, a.k.a. “OPO fats,” a.k.a. “structured truglycerides”), which are produced by an enzymatic reaction on a mixture of vegetable oils.

If you want to avoid palm oil, Loulouka doesn’t contain it.

DHA/ARA

Most formulas now boast the addition of essential fatty acids DHA and ARA. DHA and ARA are long chain fatty acids found naturally in human breast milk, which make up the major long chain fats in baby’s brain and nerve tissue.

We know that naturally occurring oils from food, food-based oils, and mom’s diet (in breast milk) is highly beneficial, but some studies have shown no benefits when DHA and ARA are added to formula.

The most common types of DHA and ARA extracted by the solvent hexane, a known neurotoxin, although the hexane is removed from the formula after it’s been processed. There are other methods for extraction, but these are relatively new and the jury is out on whether they are harmful, beneficial, or of no consequence at all.

Note that any organic oils in European formula cannot be hexane-extracted.

If you want to avoid DHA/ARA, avoid formulas with these ingredients:

DHA oil
algal oil
cohni oil (DHA)
alpina oil (ARA)

If you choose a formula without DHA added, but want to supplement on your own, this is the brand we like.

Note that since February of 2020, all European formulas are required to contain DHA.

Carrageenan

You will find this additive in tons of stuff in your health food store, and infant formula is no exception.

Derived from seaweed, carrageenan helps stabilize liquid formula, but numerous animal studies suggest that it leads to intestinal inflammation and colon tumors. The European Union has outlawed the use of carrageenan in all infant formula, but in the United States it appears in both conventional and organic baby formula–typically the ready-made varieties since it functions as a stabilizer to ensure the nutrients are well-mixed.

Preservatives

Synthetic preservatives are sometimes added to prevent the oils in formula from spoiling. Two that have snuck into even organic baby formula: beta carotene and ascorbic palmitate.

Synthetic nutrients

There are several synthetic nutrients that you will find in many organic baby formulas.

Look out for the following:

Lutein is hexane-extracted from marigolds.
Lycopene is produced with toluene, a neurotoxic benzene derivative.
Nucleotides are produced from chemically-treated yeast.
Taurine is processed with carcinogenic sulfuric acid.
L-carnitine was banned by the National Organic Standards Board because of concerns over carcinogenic properties. As of February 2020, the European Union requires infant formula to contain this nutrient. (The reasoning: the nutrient is present in breast milk and infants with this deficiency can develop a variety of disorders.)

Certain sugars

Breast milk is naturally very sweet, so formulas invariably contain added sugars.

The sweetener that most closely mimics that found in human milk is lactose, but this cow’s milk-based sweetener is expensive. As a result, many manufacturers instead use plant-based sucrose, which was banned by The European Union in 2009 (except for babies with allergies), because of concerns of over-feeding and subsequent obesity. The FDA provides no such regulation on what kind of sugars can be used.

Other sweeteners include maltodextrin (made from rice, corn, or potatoes), and “glucose syrup solids,” which is just a clever name for corn syrup solids.

In 2012, concerns were raised about formulas sweetened with brown rice syrup when Dartmouth researchers found that organic baby formula made with organic brown rice syrup contained six times the EPA’s safe limit for arsenic. (More on arsenic in baby food here.)

Most organic baby formula these days, even the superior European brands, seem to choose maltodextrin as a sweetener, since it’s cheaper than lactose and helps powdered formula dissolve quickly.

My two cents on sugar: I’m not a big fan of maltodextrin, but I do feel that it’s better than white sugar or corn syrup. The best organic baby formula will contain only lactose as a sweetener.

Best Toddler Formula

If I were looking for a formula for a baby older than 12 months, I would consider Kabrita. There is strong evidence that goat milk more closely mimics human breast milk, and Kabrita is the only formula I know of that contains the beneficial type of palm oil (see more on this above).

Kabrita has generously offered 10% off for my readers with code GIMMEKABRITA.

Buy now from Kabrita

“Sensitive” and Hypoallergenic Organic Baby Formula

For those babies who need a hypoallergenic formula, many pediatricians recommend Pregestimil or Nutramigen (both by Enfamil) or Allimentum (by Similac).

If forced to choose between these, I would go for the Allimentum since it skips the carrageenan and corn syrup. But I can’t call any of these Good Stuff since all three contain ingredients of concern and none is organic. Nutramigen is probably the very worst of these, comprised of 48% corn syrup solids!

If it were my baby, I would choose HiPP HA organic baby formula, which contains no sugar, corn syrup, or maltodextrin, and is full of good prebiotics. You also might want to try HiPP Anti-Reflux formula if your baby has a sensitive stomach. It’s made with 100% whey and no casein to prevent reflux. This site carries these versions of HiPP.

Please check with your pediatrician first if you suspect an intolerance or allergy.

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Other Things to Consider When Choosing Baby Formula

When you’re shopping for an organic baby formula, you’ll also want to be cognizent of the whey/casein ratio, the addition of prebiotics and probiotics, A1 versus A2 milk, and potential aluminum or BPA contamination. Let’s look at these one by one.

Whey/Casein Ratio

In an attempt to mimic real breast milk as closely as possible, formula manufacturers engineer their products to have a specific whey/casein ratio. Not sure what whey and protein are? Here’s the deal:

Whey proteins stay in liquid form in the stomach (when exposed to stomach acid)—think the watery whey that separates in a container of natural yogurt–and exit the stomach more quickly. Whey proteins are therefore easier to digest and are rarely a source of allergies.
Casein proteins form solids in the stomach (like cheese curds) and empty at a slower rate. They are more likely to cause digestive issues and be a source of allergies.

There is controversy over the optimal whey/casein ratio for a baby formula because the ratios found in breast milk change over time: whey content is high in early lactation (with a ratio of about 90:10), and by late lactation, whey and casein protein amounts are roughly equal.

Goat milk and cow milk both have a whey to casein ratio of about 20:80. Whey protein is added to formulas to adjust this ratio.

So what is the optimal whey/casein ratio? This depends on factors such as how old your baby is (in other words, how developed his/her digestion is), whether your baby has any digestive issues (like reflux, which may be a reaction to too much casein), and whether your baby is sensitive or allergic to casein.

We also don’t really know how much of the whey and casein added to formula actually ends up being assimilated. It’s definitely worth having a conversation with your pediatrician about which formula has the right ratio for your baby, although in many instances the whey/casein ratio isn’t an issue you need to worry about. Most babies do fine on standard formulas.

Prebiotics & Probiotics

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria, and prebiotics are food for probiotics. You probably already know that good gut bacteria is key to healthy immune function.

Breast milk has natural prebiotic properties, such as its oligosaccharide content, and breastfeeding introduces lots of healthy bacteria to the breastfed infant’s microbiome. In an attempt to mimic human milk (and ride the wave of current health trend!), many formula manufacturers now add prebiotics and probiotics to their products.

There’s little research to suggest that this offers any real benefits, and the American Association of Pediatrics doesn’t officially recommend it, but they are probably also not harmful to healthy babies.

My two cents: I probably wouldn’t rely on what’s in formulas as an effective probiotic/prebiotic supplement (mostly because of dosage and quality/viability of the organisms). Parents who are really interested in supplementing with probiotics should choose a high-quality product like Klaire Labs Ther-Biotic.

Aluminum in Infant Formulas

Unfortunately, it seems like high aluminum content in formulas is pretty much ubiquitous (studies confirm this in UK and Canadian markets, and there is no research done yet on formulas in U.S. market).

It’s not clear exactly why this is, but there are a variety of modes of potential contamination: raw materials (powdered milk may have aluminum added to prevent clumpiness, for instance), additives (like phosphorous), and manufacturing processes.

It’s important to note that a lot of healthful foods we eat contain more aluminum than even that found in the most contaminated formula (which was HiPP in this study)–including fish, spinach, and many types of tea. I’m not convinced tha the amount in formula is something we need to be overly concerned about.

We also don’t know is how much of the aluminum that’s ingested ends up accumulating in the body of infants and toddlers. In adults, most aluminum is excreted, but what remains does accumulate and can cause problems in the long term.

There’s little that consumers can do about aluminum in formula, except for:

Choosing breast milk if possible.
Avoiding soy-based formulas, as these tend to be highest in aluminum.
Preparing powder formula with a silicon-rich mineral water—in the U.S., Volvic and Fiji water fit the bill. Experts believe that this could reduce the absorption of aluminum across the gut of the child and also potentially help the child to excrete aluminum in the body via the urine. However, these are areas which are also being researched.

A2 Milk

You will see that some of the Good Stuff formula listed below contains “A2 milk.” Cow milk has two primary types of proteins–A1 and A2 beta-casein. More studies are needed, but there is some evidence to suggeste that A2 milk is easier to digest and less likely to cause inflammation than is A1 milk. The strongest evidence is around lactose intolerance–studies suggests that milk with A1 protein is much less likely to cause gastrointestional distress.

BPA in Formula Cans

Good news: there is one thing you no longer have to worry about when buying formula, and it’s BPA. The FDA has finally gotten with the program and banned BPA from formula container linings. Of course, I worry about what’s being used in place of BPA, but still this is a small victory!

One Important Way to Make Formula-Feeding Safer: Filter Your Water!

Tap water may be contaminated with chlorine byproducts, weed killers, insecticides, solvents, lead, BPA, phthalates…the list goes on. Fluoride is present in infant formula, and when combined with fluoridated tap water, infant exposure levels can exceed safe amounts. I think everyone should Invest in a good carbon water filter, but especiaily if you have a foirmula-fed baby in your home.

The Good Stuff

Baby’s Only Dairy Toddler Formula

While it’s not perfect, Baby’s Only, in particular the Gentle variety, is one of the best formulas available in the United States. Here’s why:

Baby’s Only makes an organic baby formula with no added DHA. Their other formulas include DHA and ARA extracted from egg lecithin, which may or may not be problematic for babies who react to hexane-extracted DHA.
Baby’s Only organic baby formula is made in the USA by a family-owned business that is not publicly traded.
Baby’s Only does not contain palm oil.
As of 2021, Baby’s Only is using A2 milk, making it an even better choice.

Here are all of the ingredients in the Gentle formula: Organic lactose, organic whey powder, organic nonfat milk. organic canola oil, organic high oleic oil (organic high oleic sunflower and/or organic high oleic safflower oils), organic linoleic sunflower oil, organic whey protein concentrate, organic coconut oil, less than 2% of: organic sunflower lecithin, calcium ascorbate, calcium phosphate, inositol, magnesium oxide, ferrous sulfate, niacinamide, d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, zinc sulfate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine hydrochloride, vitamin A, copper sulfate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, manganese sulfate, phylloquinone, biotin, vitamin D3, sodium selenate, vitamin B12.

Some concerns I have with Baby’s Only:

Baby’s Only regular dairy formula contains brown rice syrup–it’s actually the first ingredient. In response to concerns about high arsenic levels, they created a high-tech filter that removes inorganic arsenic from brown rice syrup, reducing it to undetectable levels, as confirmed by the Consumers Union. Still, I recommend Baby’s Only Gentle formula because this one is sweetened with just lactose.
Baby’s Only formulas are technically “toddler” formula, because in order to have FDA approval as an infant formula, a company must conduct clinical trials and undergo extensive testing. Many people choose Baby’s Only even for infants, but you should check with your pediatrician before doing so.
Baby’s Only contains canola oil (hard to avoid!).

Bellamy’s Organic Baby Formula

This Australian formula is very similar to to the European brands. It doesn’t have DHA/ARA or corn ingredients, but it does contain soy and palm oil. It contains 97% organic ingredients, but unlike Lebenswert, the dairy in this formula doesn’t come from biodynamic farms. Unfortunately, we haven’t found a way to get Bellamy in the United States.

Bimbosan Organic Baby Formula

This Swiss brand of organic baby formula looks similar to the other European brands. I love the lack of maltodextrin, palm oil, corn syrup, and sugar! Bimbosan doesn’t include DHA/ARA. Unfortunately, I can’t find any vendors selling this formula.

Bobbie Organic Baby Formula

Finally someone is producing a European-style formula that meets all FDA requirements and is now available in the U.S.

Here’s why Bobbie is Good Stuff:

The milk used in Bobbie’s formula comes from pasture-raised cows from Organic Valley Farms.
Bobbie sweetens their formula with lactose, not sugar or maltodextrin.
Bobbie meets the EU levels for iron and is the only US formula to meet EU DHA standards.
Bobbie’s formula does not contain palm oil.

Bobbie includes DHA and ARA, and while hexane is used to retrieve the ARA, it is removed and undetectable in the final product. Bobbie formula does not contain prebiotics or probiotics. Bobbie contains some healthier oils (like coconut), but does still contain soy.

Here are all the ingredients in Bobbie: ORGANIC LACTOSE, ORGANIC NONFAT MILK, ORGANIC HIGH OLEIC (SAFFLOWER OR SUNFLOWER) OIL, ORGANIC SOYBEAN OIL, ORGANIC WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC COCONUT OIL, LESS THAN 1%: ORGANIC SOY LECITHIN, SCHIZOCHYTRIUM SP. OIL, MORTIERELLA ALPINA OIL, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM CITRATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE, POTASSIUM BICARBONATE, FERROUS SULFATE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, ZINC SULFATE, CUPRIC SULFATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, POTASSIUM IODIDE, SODIUM SELENITE, CHOLINE BITARTRATE, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), ASCORBYL PALMITATE, INOSITOL, MIXED TOCOPHEROL CONCENTRATE, dl-ALPHA TOCOPHERYL ACETATE (VITAMIN E), NIACINAMIDE (VITAMIN B3), CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), FOLIC ACID, PHYTONADIONE (VITAMIN K), BIOTIN, CHOLECALCIFEROL (VITAMIN D3), CYANOCOBALAMIN (VITAMIN B12)

Buy now from Bobbie

Happy Baby Organic Baby Formula

Happy Baby’s organic baby formula is a great option for parents who want to avoid corn syrup and maltodextrin, but don’t want to order European formulas. I put this brand as a close second to Bobbie when it comes to formulas you can buy in this country.

I love that lactose is the first ingredient in Happy Baby’s formula, and that it skips synthetic taurine.

I also like that this formula contains a nice prebiotic blend; in fact it contains nearly four times the prebiotics found in an other organic baby formula in the U.S. market.

The only negatives of this formula are that it contains soy oil and algae-derived DHA.

The complete ingredients of Happy Baby formula stage 1: Organic Lactose, Organic Nonfat Milk, Organic Palm Olein Or Palm Oil, Organic Soy Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic High Oleic (Safflower Or Sunflower) Oil, Organic Galactooligosaccharides (GOS), Organic Whey Protein Concentrate, <1% of: Fructooligosaccharide (FOS), Choline Bitartrate, Potassium Chloride, Organic Soy Lecithin, Calcium Hydroxide, Mortierella Alpina Oil, Calcium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Ascorbic Acid, Magnesium Chloride, DHA Algal Oil (Schizochytrium), Potassium Bicarbonate, Inositol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Mixed Tocopherol Concentrate, Vitamin E (Dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Cupric Sulfate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Riboflavin, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganese Sulfate, Beta-Carotene, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Vitamin K (Phytonadione), Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol), Cyanocobalamin

Note: Happy Baby makes a stage 1 and a stage 2 formula, both of which are Good Stuff. Happy’s Sensitive Formula is Sneaky Stuff–you’ll see more on this below.

HiPP Organic Baby Formula

The major upside to HiPP is the lack of plant-based sweeteners (it uses lactose instead). HiPP also contains beneficial probiotics. Hexane is used to extract the DHA and ARA, but it is removed and undetectable in their formula.

There are actually three versions of HiPP–one from the UK, one from Holland, and one from Germany. They are so similar that I wouldn’t worry about which one you get. The only distinction worth noting is that the HiPP UK does not contain probiotics, only prebiotics. You can read more about my thoughts on pre/probiotics above.

If your baby needs a hypoallergenic formula, I recommend HiPP HA (more on that above, too!).

Complete ingredients in Stage 1 HiPP: Skim milk, Whey powder, Vegetable Oils (palm, rapeseed, sunflower), Lactose, Galactooligosaccharies from Lactose, Whey Protein, Fish Oil, Calcium Chloride, Potassium Citrate, Choline Oil, from M. Alpina, Sodium Citrate, L-Phenylalanine, Calciumorthophosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, L-Tryptophan, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Stabilizer Lactic Acid, Vitamin C, Natural Lactic Acid Culture (Lactobacillus Fermentum Hereditum3), Vitamin E, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Potassium Iodate, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenate, Vitamin K, Maganese Sulfate, Vitamin D, Biotin, Vitamin B12

As with Holle, HiPP can be hard to purchase in the U.S. and expensive to have shipped from Europe. At the moment, these two retailers have HiPP in stock: Organic Baby Food 24 and My Organic Company (for 5% off everything at My Organic Company, use code GIMME5 at checkout).

Holle Organic Baby Formula (with Cow Milk)

This European brand of formula comes from grass-fed, organic, and biodynamic milk. It doesn’t contain a host of the synthetic ingredients that you’ll find in American formulas. It also doesn’t contain soy or corn ingredients.

I love that Holle formulas are made from milk from Demeter-certified farms. This means that the cows are pastured in organic farms, but goes beyond organic to ensrure biodiversity and sustainability.

Holle’s Bio Pre formula contains no maltodextrin, and is only sweetened with lactose. I like that the Bio Pre line has more milk fat than other formulas. This means it contains fewer vegetable oils. Stage 1, 2, and 3 contains skimmed milk and maltodextrin. (Holle Bio Pre has basically the same ingredients as Lebenswert–more on that brand in a moment!).

The ingredients in Holle Bio Pre: Whole milk**, whey powder* (partly demineralised), vegetable oils* (palm oil*, rapeseed oil*, sunflower oil*), lactose*, skimmed milk powder**, calcium carbonate, vitamin C, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, vitamin E, ferrous lactate, zinc sulphate, niacin, calcium-Dpantothenate, copper sulphate, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, manganese sulphate, potassium iodate, folic acid, vitamin K, sodium selenate, vitamin D

Unfortunately, Holle has not been approved by the FDA, so it’s difficult and expensive to obtain in the U.S. Here are three companies with whom I have affiliate relationships:

BabyKind Market
Organic Baby Food 24 (based in Germany)
My Organic Company (for 5% off everything at My Organic Company, use code GIMME5 at checkout).

Holle Organic Infant Goat Milk Formula

This formula forgoes the most concerning preservatives and the most problematic synthetic nutrients. (Formula 1 does have L-methionine).

I don’t like that maltodextrin is the primary added carbohydrate here, but I appreciate that it is organic. I gave Holle a few points for including lactose. I’m also not a fan of the palm, sunflower, and grapeseed oils, but they are organic in this case.

If you’re debating between Kabrita and Holle goat milk formulas, keep in mind that Holle goat milk does not contain whey. Because of this, Holle goat might be constipating for some infants.

Holle Goat Organic Baby Formula ingredients: Organic Goat Milk Powder, Organic Maltodextrin, Organic Lactose, Organic Vegetable Oils [Organic Rapeseed Oil, Organic Sunflower Oil], L-Choline, Calcium Hydroxide, Algae Oil (DHA), L-cystine, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Chloride, Vitamin C, L-tryptophan, L-Tyrosine, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Iron Lactate, Inositol, Vitamin E, Zinc Sulfate, L-Carnitine, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin B2, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin K, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D3, Biotin, Vitamin B12

Holle isn’t imported to the U.S. so can be hard to purchase. Here are three places with whom I have affiliate relationships:

BabyKind Market
Organic Baby Food 24
My Organic Company (for 5% off everything at My Organic Company, use code GIMME5 at checkout).

Kabrita Goat Milk Formula

For now, Kabrita is approved for 12+ months (although people do use it for infants). The whey/casein ratio is 50:50, making this an ideal option for babies 12 months and older. (Kabrita hopes to debut an infant formula in the U.S. market later this year.)

I like that Kabrita uses non-GMO goat milk (from Missouri and the Netherlands) and has lactose as the primary added carbohydrate.

What really makes Kabrita stand out, however, is the fat blend that they use. From what we know, Kabrita is the only brand that uses plant-derived fats that match the structure of the most common fat molecules in breast milk. These fats (high SN-2 palmitate, a.k.a. “OPO fats”), which are produced by an enzymatic reaction on a mixture of vegetable oils, have been shown to promote more healthy bacteria in the gut, reduce colic and gas, reduce constipation, and allow for fat and calcium to be absorbed better.

For parents with children with coconut allergies, Kabrita doesn’t contain coconut oil (of course, this could change at any time, so always read the label!).

Ingredients in Kabrita formula: Lactose (Milk), Nonfat Dry Goat Milk, Goat Whey Protein Concentrate Powder (Milk), High sn2-Palmitic Acid Oil, Soybean Oil*, Galacto-oligosaccharides (Milk), Palm Kernel Oil, Sunflower Oil, and less than 1%: Tri Calcium Citrate, Mortierella Alpina Oil, Tri Sodium Citrate, Crypthecodinium Cohnii Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Hydroxide, Choline Bitartrate, Sodium L-ascorbate, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulphate, L-ascorbic Acid, Zinc Sulphate, Vitamin E Acetate, Inositol, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Cupric Sulphate, Retinyl Acetate, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Vitamin B6 Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Manganese Sulphate, Folic Acid, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin K1, D-biotin, Sodium Selenate, Vitamin D3, Cyanocobalamin.

Kabrita has generously offered 10% off for my readers with code GIMMEKABRITA.

Buy now from Kabrita

Kendamil Organic Baby Formula

Kendamil is another great European formula, and has been made organically in the UK since 2018. Kendamil uses whole milk from grass-fed cows and doesn’t contain soy or palm oil.

Kendamil formula comes from the milk of English Jersey cows, whose milk is richer in good fats, protein, and calcium. Furthermore, Jersey cows produce mainly A2 milk.

This formula does not contain probiotics, but it does have prebiotics and its DHA and ARA are not extracted with hexane. Kendamil contains taurine, l-carnitine, and nucleotides.

The complete ingredients in the stage 1 Kendamil are: Organic whole milk, Organic demineralized milk whey protein powder, Organic skimmed milk, Organic vegetable oils (sunflower, coconut, rapeseed), Organic galacto-oligosaccharides (from milk), Calcium citrate, Sodium citrate, Potassium chloride, Calcium lactate, Magnesium chloride, Docosahexaenoic acid, Arachidonic acid, Vitamin C, Potassium hydroxide, Choline bitartrate, Inositol, Taurine, Nucleotides (cytidine-5’-monophosphate, disodium uridine-5’-monophosphate, adenosine-5’-monophosphate, disodium inosine-5’monophosphate, disodium guanosine-5’ monophosphate), Iron pyrophosphate, Zinc sulphate, Vitamin E, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Copper sulphate, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Manganese sulphate, Folic acid, Potassium iodide, Sodium selenite, Vitamin K, Vitamin D3, Biotin, Vitamin B12

One thing that makes Kendamil special is that even their Stage 2 and Stage 3 formulas do not contain maltodextrin—almost every other formula adds this carb beyond Stage 1.

Kendamil also makes a goat milk formula that is Good Stuff.

You can buy all Kendamil varieties at My Organic Company.

Loulouka Organic Baby Formula (Cow)

As I mentioned above, this newer Swiss formula is the very Best Stuff. Loulouka Stage 1 is free of palm oil, soy, corn syrup, sucrose, carrageenan, and maltodextrin, contains lactose, and is certified organic with milk from grass-fed cows.

Loulouka contains DHA and prebiotics, but does not contain ARA or probiotics.

Please note that the stage 2 and 3 Loulouka do contain maltodextrin. Some parents choose to keep their older babies on the stage 1–this is a decision you should make with the help of your pediatrician, but we do still consider Stage 2 and Stage 3 Loulouka to be Good Stuff.

Loulouka Stage 1 ingredients: Organic Skimmed Milk, Organic Demineralized Whey Powder, Organic Vegetable Oils [Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Rapeseed Oil], Organic Lactose, Galactooligosaccharides (GOS from lactose), Minerals (Calcium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Magnesium Chloride, Calcium Phosphate, Calcium Citrate, Zinc Sulphate, Sodium Selenate, Manganese Sulphate, Potassium Iodate, Potassium Hydroxide, Copper Sulphate, Iron Sulphate), Emulsifier (organic sunflower lecithin), Refined Fish Oil, Choline Bitartrate, Vitamins (C, E, A, D, B3, B5, B7, B12, K, Folic Acid, B1, B6, B2), L-tyrosine, L-tryptophan, Inositol, Antioxidants (tocopherol-rich extract), L-cysteine, L-carnitine

$45.00 — or subscribe and save up to 8%Buy Now

Loulouka Goat Milk Formula

Goat’s milk formula is worth considering if you have a baby with sensitivities to cow’s milk (or maybe even if you don’t). If you’d like to consider a goat milk formula for your baby, our top choice is Loulouka. I like that the primary ingredients in Loulouka’s goat milk formula—goat milk, carbohydrates, and oils—meet a very high, European organic standard. Goat milk formula is not usually organic, so that makes this one special.

It is superior to Holle’s goat milk formula because it does not contain maltodextrin.

The ingredients in this formula are: whole goat milk*, lactose*, vegetable oils* (sunflower, rapeseed), calcium carbonate, trisodium citrate, microalgae oil (MILK), magnesium chloride, L-cysteine, calcium hydroxide, vitamin C, L-tryptophan, L-tyrosin, sodium chloride, iron lactate, vitamin E, zinc sulfate, niacinamide, calcium D-pantothenate, retinyl acetate, copper sulfate, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, riboflavin, mangenese sulfate, potassium iodide, vitamin K1, sodium selenite, cholecalciferol, biotin, cyanocobalamin

Lebenswert Organic Baby Formula (Stage 1)

Lebenswert formula is produced by Holle, and is even better.

One of the the biggest problems with Holle’s original formula is that it contains maltodextrin. Lebenswert’s stage 1 formula is free of maltodextrin, relying instead upon lactose to lend sweetness to the formula.

Moreover, Lebenswert adheres to Bioland organic guidelines for farmers and manufacturers. These guidelines are even more stringent than the European Union’s Eco-Regulation; you can read more about them here.

Lebenswert also skips soy and a bunch of the synthetic nutrients found in most of the organic formulas in America, but does still contain palm oil and canola oil (called “rapeseed oil”).

Here’s a complete ingredients list of the stage 1 formula: Organic skimmed milk, organic whey powder (partly demineralised), organic vegetable oils (palm, rapeseed, sunflower oil), lactose, potassium chloride, calcium, vitamin C, sodium chloride, ferrous gluconate, vitamin E, zinc sulfate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, copper sulphate , Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6 , Vitamin A, manganese sulfate, folic acid, potassium iodate, vitamin K1, sodium selenate, vitamin D.

Because it’s from Germany, Lebenswert is not FDA approved, so it can be challenging to obtain here in the U.S.

I’ve vetted the several places to purchase this formula, and am happy to have established affiliate relationships with the following sellers (this list continues to be updated as the market changes):

Organic Baby Food 24
BabyKind Market
My Organic Company (for 5% off everything at My Organic Company, use code GIMME5 at checkout).

PLEASE NOTE: Lebenswert organic baby formula in stages above 1 do contain maltodextrin. While these are still “Good Stuff” and on par with original Holle, Lebenswert stage 1 is superior.

Serenity Kids Toddler Formula

Serenity’s new toddler formula uses milk that is not only grassfed and organic but also A2. It contains a lot of the Good Stuff we look for–lactose to sweeten, prebiotics, olive and coconut oils, and non-hexane extracted omega acids. It’s free of corn, rice, and soy.

You should ask your pediatrician about giving this formula to an infant.

These are all the ingredients in this Serenity Formula: Organic Lactose, Organic A2 Whole Milk Powder, Organic Galactooligosaccharides, Organic Whey Protein Concentrate, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Palm Oil, Organic Cocoa Butter, Less than 2% of: Human Milk Oligosaccharides (2′-fucosyllactose, Lacto-N-neotetraose), Organic Inulin, Algal Oil, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Organic Egg Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Nucleotides (Adenosine-5-Monophosphate, Cytidine-5-Monophosphate, Disodium Guanosine-5-Monophosphate, Disodium Inosine-5-Monophosphate, Disodium Uridine-5-Monophosphate), Choline Bitartrate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphate, Inositol, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Methylcobalamin, d-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacinamide, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Copper Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid, L-Methylfolate, Kelp Powder, Manganese Glycinate, Phylloquinone, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin D3, Vitamin D2.

Use code GIMME15 for 15% off anything at Serenity.

The Okay Stuff

Earth’s Best Organic Baby Formula

I am so happy to see that Earth’s Best has gotten rid of the corn syrup in their formula! The only sweetener is now organic lactose, making this formula almost Good Stuff. I’m still only calling it Okay Stuff because of the sheer number of synthetic nutrients. It also contains several soy ingredients. Earth Best’s sensitive organic baby formula as well as their dairy-free version both have corn syrup solids as the very first ingredients, so those two are Sneaky Stuff.

The complete list of ingredients in the basic dairy infant formula is: Organic Lactose, Organic Nonfat Milk, Organic Oils (Organic Palm or Palm Olein, Organic Soy, Organic Coconut, Organic High Oleic Safflower or Sunflower Oil), Organic Whey Protein Concentrate, Less Than 1: Mortierella Alpina Oil*, Crypthecodinium Cohnii Oil**, Fructooligosaccharide, Lutein, L-Carnitine, Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol), Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Mixed Tocopherol Concentrate, Vitamin K (Phytonadione), Ascorbyl Palmitate, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cyanocobalamin, Niacinamide, Folic Acid, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid, Choline Bitartrate, Inositol, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Chloride, Calcium Hydroxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Cupric Sulfate, Magnesium Phosphate, Potassium Bicarbonate, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Iodide, Potassium Hydroxide, Potassium Phosphate, Sodium Selenite, Sodium Citrate, Taurine, Organic Soy Lecithin, Nucleotides (Cytidine-5-Monophosphate, Adenosine-5-Monophosphate, Disodium Uridine-5-Monophosphate, Disodium Guanosine-5-Monophosphate, Disodium Inosine-5-Monophosphate)

Topfer Lacatana Bio

A lot of you have inquired about Topfer, and I like that it’s the very oldest of the German formulas! Still, when I drilled down on the ingredients, I don’t think it’s as good as the other European options. This is really just because it isn’t biodynamic, contains canola and palm oils, and uses maltodextrin as a sweetener.

The ingredients in Topfer are as follows: Skimmed milk, whey powder partly demineralized, vegetable oils (Organic Palmoil, Rapeseedoil, Sunfloweroil), maltodextrine, skimmed milk powderˡ, starch, oil of Mortierella alpina, fish oil, calcium carbonate, sodium citrate, potassium chloride, vitamin C, calcium phosphate, iron lactate, vitamin E, bifidobacteria cultures (B.breve, B.bifidum, B.infantis, B.longum), zinc sulphate, niacin, calcium-Dpantothenate, copper sulfate, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, manganese sulphate, potassium iodate, folic acid, vitamin K, sodium selenate, vitamin D.

(Note: Topfer’s Stage Pre does not contain any sweeteners at all, making it Good Stuff!).

The Bad Stuff

Avoid any infant formulas that are not organic, for all of the reasons listed above.

Aptamil Nutura is a British brand about which many of you have inquired. Because it isn’t organic and contains corn syrup, I can’t recommend it.

Gerber’s BabyNes is admittedly super convenient, but there are lots of problems with these pods. For one, they are plastic-heavy, with lots of surface area exposure (as opposed to bigger traditional containers.) They also involve warm water running through plastic tubing and other parts in the machine. You probably know that warmth and plastic equals increased chemical leaching. Plus the pods are super wasteful from an environmental standpoint. And what’s in the pods isn’t Good Stuff anyway, with corn sweeteners and no organic ingredients.

Nan formula is perhaps the best of the Bad Stuff, since it does contain lactose as a sweetener. But this formula, made by Nestle, isn’t organic. And if you read all the way down the ingredients list, you will eventually find the corn syrup!

Two other definite Bad Stuff brands who don’t even make an organic variety of their formula:

Gerber Good Start. This should come as no surprise. Their jarred baby food is also Bad Stuff.
Enfamil. For some horrible reason this is the brand I chose for Felix when I needed a nursing break due to bleeding nipples and ran out of pumped milk. Wah! Enamel’s Pregestimil and Nutramigen lines (for sensitive or allergic babies) are made up almost entirely of corn syrup and vegetable oils.

The Sneaky Stuff

Bright Beginnings Organic Baby Formula, owned by pharma giant PMB, contains corn syrup, rather than dairy-based lactose, as well as lots of vegetable oils.

Enfamil Enspire doesn’t have a terrible list of ingredients (it’s sweetened with just lactose rather than corn syrup or white sugar), but nothing is organic and it has a ton of synthetic nutrients and some questionable preservatives.

Happy Baby Sensitive contains corn syrup and maltodextrin. Note that Happy’s regular formula is Good Stuff (see above).

Parent’s ChoiceOrganic Baby Formula contains maltodextrin, as well as all the other bad stuff.

Similac Organic Baby Formula is the only organic formula to contain actual cane sugar, and lots of it. Their ready-to-use formula also contains carrageenan. The only upside? Similac is free of palm oil.

Similac Advance Non-GMO Baby Formula. This marketing ploy really annoys me. GMOs are the least of the problem with conventional infant formula.

Still, I was surprised to see that there isn’t sugar or corn syrup in this formula. If you’re going for a conventional formula, this is the one to get.

This version of Similac contain galactooligosaccharides, which are prebiotics. It isn’t unlike the Baby’s Only Whey in fact, except it isn’t organic (and btw, organic by definition means non-GMO).

This version is actually better than Similac Organic, but it still contains a significant number of synthetic ingredients.

Similac Pure Bliss is yet another version from this pharma giant. This one uses dairy from grass-fed, antibiotic-free cows, but it’s not organic, and is still loaded with synthetic nutrients.

Vermont Organics Baby Formula, also owned by PMB Nutritionals, contains palm oil, hexane-extracted DHA/ARA, and organic glucose syrup solids (corn), and maltodextrin.

Whole Foods 365 Organic Baby Formula, also produced by PMB, contains palm oil and corn-based sugars.

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The post Safe Baby Formula Guide appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

Complete Non-Toxic Baby Registry Checklist

Maia James — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 14:02:01 +0000

1. Safest stroller / 2. Pocket bib / 3. Rash protection / 4. Non-toxic car seat / 5. Better cloth diapers / 6. Plastic-free breast milk storage / 7. Silicone spoons / 8. Nursery air filter

Pulling together this list of all the non-toxic baby registry items a conscious parent could possible want was fun! Mostly, I’m struck by how much has changed since my last pregnancy–then again, it WAS 8 years ago! It almost makes me want to have another baby–almost.

To make sure I wasn’t missing any great new inventions (turns out, I totally was), I called upon my friend Stefanie Koenig, who is a conscious mom to Marlowe, 5, and Greta, 2.

Stef and I agreed on the following list of essential earth-friendly and toxin-free Good Stuff. We hope this helps you build a baby shower registry or just make sure you have everything you need for the final stage of pregnancy and early days of parenthood.

Stefanie with Marlowe and Greta

Some of the items below are available in our store (and I’m working on getting more there!), and otherwise I will include a link to where you can find them. In a few cases, if you purchase an item from our link we may earn a commission from Amazon or elsewhere.

By the way, if you’re creating a registry, we love MyRegistry.com, which makes it super easy to register from multiple stores rather than just one place.

So, without further ado, here’s what we think you need! I look forward to your comments and suggestions of other amazing Good Stuff for a new baby.

FEEDING

Bottles

The big rule here is avoiding plastic, which can leach chemicals. Glass and stainless steel are our top choices, but silicone is also okay. We like the following three brands the best.

Hevea Baby Glass Bottles

Pura Kiki Stainless Steel Infant Bottle (We recommend the insulated ones so you can take them on the go and know that the milk will stay fresh!)

Como Tomo Silicone Baby Bottle Bundle

How many bottles do you need?

I barely used bottles because I exclusively breastfed and worked from home, so I asked Stef to weigh in to answer this. My key takeaways from our conversation are as follows:

Newborns only drink 1-2 oz of breast milk/formula at a time so you want smaller bottles and the slowest flow nipple so they don’t choke while they eat.

If you are exclusively formula-feeding, 5 or 6 small bottles would work, as long as you’re okay with washing some bottles throughout the day.

If you are only supplementing with formula, 3 or 4 small bottles would be fine. (Having backsups is always nice.)

When the baby starts drinking larger quantities, you need the bigger bottles that hold up to 8 oz and also need to switch your nipple to a higher level one, so they can get more liquid and won’t get frustrated. Again, you need 5 or 6 bottles for an exclusively bottle-fed baby, and 3 or 4 for a baby that’s also on the breast.

Formula

If you won’t be exclusively breastfeeding, you can use our guide to figure out which is the best formula for your situation. My top pick is Loulouka for almost everyone. Because you can’t know for sure which formula will best agree with your newborn’s stomach, I recommend starting with no more than 7 or 8 boxes.

Loulouka Organic Stage 1

Burp Cloths

Depending on how much your baby spits up (I had one prolific spitter and one who almost never did), you’ll probably go through between one and five burp cloths a day. If you want to do laundry twice a week, I’d have ten on hand to be safe. (You’ll find that you use them for many other messes, too.)

Blaynk Organic Burp Cloths

Monica & Andy Organic Burp Cloth

Bibs

We recommend having 5-10 cloth bibs (sometimes I would put my babies in bibs just because of all the drool!), and two silicone bibs for when they start to eat solid foods.

Blaynk Organic Bibs

Milkbarn Organic Cotton Kerchief Bib

Baby Bar & Co Silicone Baby Bibs

Breastmilk Storage

Back when I was breastfeeding and pumping, the only option for storing pumped breast milk was in plastic bags. Now, you can avoid plastic entirely with these silicone solutions. (Depending on how much milk you want to store in your freezer, you’ll probably want between 6 and 10 bags of either.)

ZipTop Silicone Breast Milk Storage Bags

Stasher Reusable Silicone Bags

Snack-size is the best bet for breastmilk storage.

Pacifiers

My babies never took to the pacifier, but I am not against them. Just make sure to choose paci is made of natural rubber like the one below.

Hevea Colored Pacifier

Loulou Lollipop Pacifier Clip

Plates, Bowls, and Spoons

When choosing dishes, plastic should again be avoided, but you clearly won’t be handing a toddler a glass bowl, either. For that reason, stainless steel and non-leaching silicone are two of my favorite materials for plates, bowls, and cutlery.

GoSili Silicone Bowl with Lid

Thinksport Stainless Steel Bowl

ECOlunchbox Tray

Baby Bar & Co Silitensils for Infants

GoSili Silicone Toddler Spoons

Sippy Cups

You won’t believe how quickly your baby switches from bottles to sippy cups (sometimes by 6 months!), and you’ll want to avoid sippies where liquid sits in–or baby sucks from–plastic. One plus to choosing a Pura baby bottle is that when it comes time to transition, you simply swap out the nipple top for the sippy or straw top, rather than buying an entirely new cup and tossing the old bottles. We also like the following sippy cups.

ThinkBaby Thinkster of Steel Sippy Cup

GoSili OH! 360 Silicone Sippy Cup

High Chairs

The safest high chairs are made of solid wood, and any plastic components should be free of BPA, phthalates, and polyurethane.

Stokke TrippTrapp Solid Wood High Chair

Stokke Steps Chair Cushion

GEAR

You’ll want to make sure that strollers and car seats contain no flame retardants or other problematic chemicals. (Our Car Seat Guide provides a review of many popular brands, and the following model from Clek is our favorite.)

Car Seat

Clek Liing Infant Car Seat, Mammoth

Milk Snob GOTS Certified Carseat Cover

Stroller

Joolz Hub Non-Toxic Stroller with optional Bassinet

Newborn Wrap Carrier

Moby Evolution Wrap

Baby Carrier

Beco Organic Gemini baby carrier

Infant Lounger

Snuggle Me Baby Lounger

Snuggle Me Baby Lounger Cover

Bouncer

BabyBjorn Bouncer Bliss

NURSERY & DECOR

Crib

Choose a crib and nursery furniture made of solid wood if possible, ideally with a no-VOC, nontoxic finish. Any of the dressers or changing tables from the following brands are also toxin-free, with the exception of the Ikea one.

Kalon Studios Caravan Crib

Romina Furniture New York Crib

Green Cradle Gratitude Slat Baby Crib

Ikea Sniglar Crib

Crib Mattress

Choosing a toxin-free mattress, whether for a crib or a King-sized bed, can be a confusing process, and our Safe Mattress Guide endeavors to make it simpler. Naturepedic is our top-pick for a comfortable, safe crib mattress.

Naturepedic Organic Cotton Lightweight Crib Mattress Mattress

Blaynk Baby Organic Crib Sheet

Travel Crib

Lotus Travel Crib

Changing Table Pad

Once again, Naturepedic is our top choice for a flame-retardant free changing pad.

Naturepedic Changing Pad

Naturepedic Contoured Changing Pad Covers

Monica & Andy Changing Pad Cover

Playmat

Most mats for babies contain polyurethane foam. We chose CorkiMat as our top pick because it contains no polyurethane or flame retardants and comes encased in organic cotton.

CorkiMat Comfy Non-Toxic Playmat

Nursery Rug

Rugs are another place where you’ll often find flame retardant chemicals. Lorena Canals offers a large selection of machine-washable cotton rugs free of toxins. Below are a few of our favorite. (Make sure that the pad you put under the rug is made of 100% natural rubber rather than vinyl, which contains phthalates.)

Hippy Stars

Happy Llama

Azteca

Earth Weave Rubber Rug Gripper

Air Filter

Austin Air Healthmate Plus Junior Filter

CLOTHING & ACCESORIES

Ideally, your baby will be clothed in only organic cotton. If you can’t find certified organic, then look for an Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certifictaion, which prohibits the use of dangerous dyes and other toxins. Castleware is a brand we trust across the board.

Complete Organic Layette

Monica & Andy Newborn Layette Cuddle Box

Onesies & Sleepers

Burt’s Bee’s Organic Bodysuits

Primary Short-Sleeve Babysuit

Pact Long-Sleeve Bodysuit

Primary Organic Zip Footie

Pants

Primary Baby Pants

Under the Nile Footed Pant

Mittens

Oeuf Newborn Mittens

Swaddles & Blankets

You’ll want to have at least three swaddles on hand, because your baby will inevitably pee through at least one each day. And you’ll find that you can never have enough cute organic blankets.

Blaynk Baby Organic Swaddle

Monica & Andy Organic Coming Home Blanket

Sleep Sack

You’ll probably want a to stock a few sleep sacks, since babies will pee (or worse) through these, too!

Castlewear Sleeper Bag

Socks

Touched by Nature Organic Baby Socks

Monica & Andy Baby Tube Socks

Hats

Pehr Knot Hat

Spearmint Love Organic Cotton Beanie

Under the Nile Cold Weather Hat

Laundry Detergent

Any of the laundry soaps in our Detergent Guide are toxin-free and safe for baby clothes. The following two brands are customer favorites.

Eco-Me Laundry Detergent

Pure Natural Baby Laundry Detergent

DIAPERING

I was certainly not a full-time cloth-diapering momma, but things have come a long way—if I had to do it again, I would absolutely give it a try!

Cloth Diapers

If you’ll be a full-time, cloth-diapering mom, we recommend 24 inners and 6 outters. If you’ll be a part-time cloth diaperer, go with 12 inners and 4 outters. (Your baby will need to move up to Size 2 when she hits 18 pounds)

Esembly Inner Diaper

Use code GOODSTUFF*10* at checkout for 10% off everything at Esembly.

Esembly Outer Diaper Cover

Esembly Overnight Insert

MamaSuds Cloth-Diaper Safe Liquid Laundry

ImseVimse Wet Bags

While this is designed for cloth diapers on the go, the large one could also used to line a diaper pail and reduce waste.

Esembly Day Bag

Use code GOODSTUFF*10* at checkout for 10% off everything at Esembly.

Disposable Diapers

If you decide to use disposable diapers (even part time), our Diaper Guide can help you choose the most eco-friendly brands. Nest is a reader favorite.

Nest Baby Diapers

Diaper Wipes

We hope you’ll get addicted to the reusable variety, but you can register for several kinds and see which ones you like best.

Jackson Reece Baby Wipes

Noleo Duo Baby Wipes System

ImseVimse Washable & Reusable Cloth Wipes

Diaper Creams & Powder

Our Diaper Cream Guide will help you choose a toxin-free product for diaper rash relief. The following are our favorites.

Green Goo Baby Balm

Babo Botanicals Oatmilk Calendula Soothing Diaper Cream

Ora’s Amazing Herbal Unscented All Natural Baby Powder

Diaper Pail

Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail

Esembly Diaper Pail Powder Deodorant

BATHTIME

Less is more when it comes to using skin or hair products on your baby. A simple bar of soap is the most eco-friendly choice, and lotion is really only necessary if your baby has dry skin. Organic coconut oil is multi-purpose essential.

Baby Shampoo & Wash

Tandi’s Naturals Gentle Herb Soap

Babo Botanicals Sensitive Baby Newborn Foam Wash

Baby Lotion

Babo Botanicals Sensitive Baby Fragrance Free Daily Hydra Lotion

Beautycounter Baby Daily Protective Balm

Baby Bathtub

Stokke Fle xi Bathtub

Organic Towels

Under the Nile Spa Gift Bag Set

Under the Nile Ne wborn Hooded Towel

Organic Wash Cloths

Under the Nile Sherpa Wash Cloths

Under the Nile Wash Mitt Set

ON THE GO

Diaper Bag

Dera Design Organic Canvas Diaper Bag

Esembly Petite Pouch

Use code GOODSTUFF*10* at checkout for 10% off everything at Esembly.

Face/Hand Wipes

Babo Botanicals 3-in-1 Sensitive Baby Wipes

Hand Sanitizer

All Good Organic Peppermint Hand Sanitizer Spray

BOOKS

You’ll almost certainly be gifted many books, including multiple copies of Good Night Moon. Here are a few other wonderful first book ideas.

You Are Light

Here We Are

The Skin You Live In

A is for Activist

PLAY

Our Safe Toy Guide offers some guidelines for choosing toxin-free toys for children of all ages. What follows are some of our favorite toys and teethers for the youngest set.

Gym

Lovevery Play Gym

Soft Toy

Petit Collage Organic Bunny Soft Chime Ball

Teethers

Three Hearts VW Bus Silicone Teether

Under the Nile Carrot Organic Veggie Toy Teether

Rattles

Haba Rattling Max

Kleynimals Stainless Steel Keys

Doll

Under the Nile Sasha Dress Up Doll

Versatile Toy

Rainbow Toy

Lovey

Under the Nile Sleeping Lovey Doll

Play Kits

Lovevery Play Kits

FOR MAMA

Nipple Cream

My own breastfeeding experience was really tough, and I hope not one woman reading this goes through the same. If you have even a little discomfort, you’ll want a safe, soothing, toxin-free balm like my favorite from Green Goo.

Green Goo Nursing Cream

Stretch Mark Balm

Green Goo Belly Balm

Sitz Bath

Green Goo Herbal Sitz Bath

Radiation Protection

DefenderShield EMF Radiation Protection Baby Belly Band

Reusable Nursing Pads

Bamboobies Washable Nursing Pads

Nursing Pillow

Holy Lamb Nursing Pillow

Nursing-Friendly PJs

Hatch Collection Organic Pointelle Set

Coyuchi Cloud Brushed Organic Sleep Shirt

Nursing Bras & Tanks

Kindred Bravely Nursing/Pumping Tank

Kindred/Bravely Organic Nursing/Sleep Bra

Maternity/Nursing Poncho

Comfy Underwear

Knickey Organic Cotton Undies

Leggings

Cinnamon – New Mom Wear Leggings by DynaTot

Milestone Block Set

Modern Blocks Milestone Block Set

New Pregnancy Resource

Unique Footprints is an online pregnancy program that teaches you everything you need to know for your entire pregnancy and early days of motherhood. It includes pregnancy meal planning, prenatal yoga, birth and postpartum prep, fetal brain development, breastfeeding, baby care, infant sleep and safety, and much more. Unique Footprints is made up of a team of nurses, dietitians, counselors, infant sleep coaches, lactation consultants, and yoga therapists. Use code GIMME THE GOOD STUFF at checkout for a 10% discount.

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The post Complete Non-Toxic Baby Registry Checklist appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

Prenatal Vitamin Guide

Maia James — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 19:01:53 +0000

By Maia James, with research and recommendations by Michael Hopkins, PhD

Important CYA Statement
With this guide in particular, I feel like it’s SUPER important to stress that we aren’t doctors. (Well, Michael is actually a doctor—he has his PhD—just not THAT kind of doctor). Please consult with yours before taking our advice!

I’ve been trying to write this guide to help my pregnant or TTC readers choose the best organic prenatal vitamins for literally five years.

Every time I began researching, I quickly became intimidated by, well, the science of it all. Luckily, my best friend is a brilliant scientist, so he joined me in this effort and I am thrilled to finally present you with our Healthy Prenatal Vitamin Guide!

Best Overall Prenatal

Ritual Essential Prenatal

Are Prenatal Vitamins Even Necessary?

There is widespread consensus that the most essential prenatal nutrients are:

Folate (for neural tube closure)
Calcium (for bone development)
Iron (for oxygenation of blood)
Vitamin D (for healthy bones, teeth, skin, and vision)

In addition, there is emerging data to support a growing list of other nutrients that are also particularly important during gestation and should therefore be taken into account as well. These include choline, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin A.

You can learn more about all of these nutrients, and whether or not you may be deficient in some of them, in this post.

(You will of course find plenty of data to support the importance of ALL essential nutrients during pregnancy, but our goal with this guide was to identify the most important items to be added in supplement form to ensure proper fetal development.)

This will come as a surprise to no one, but the best way for all of us to receive our nutrients is from our food, period, and prenatal vitamins should not be viewed as a replacement for a healthy pregnancy diet.

Women should familiarize themselves with which foods are the best sources of the essential nutrients that are most important during pregnancy. You can do that here.

That said, the recommended daily intake for several vitamins and minerals is elevated for pregnant and lactating women, and even with a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet, it can still be difficult for some women to ensure that they are meeting optimal levels.

For that reason, prenatal supplementation is recommended, and after writing this guide, I am on board with taking an organic prenatal supplement while trying to conceive and during pregnancy and lactation.

Vitamins While Breastfeeding

There are sometimes significant differences in nutritional guidelines between gestating and lactating women. For non-pregnant women, the RDI of iron, for instance, is 18 milligrams. For pregnant women, that goes up by 50% to 27 milligrams, and for lactating women it goes down by 50% to 9-10 milligrams (depending on age).

These are really significant differences, so it’s worth familiarizing yourself with the recommended daily allowances for all of life’s stages. We love this chart (just scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page).

How to Choose the Best Organic Prenatal Vitamin

Okay, so you know you want to take a prenatal supplement. Now, how do you choose which one?

The first step is to assess your own eating habits to determine specific areas where a supplement might be particularly beneficial.

Next, you’ll want to consider the source material of the vitamin you’re going to buy, as well as the combination of nutrients in your supplement. (This is especially important because of known nutrient interactions that can influence the bio-availability of the ingredients in your prenatal.)

With these issues in mind, the next step is to know whether your prenatal has been tested by a third-party lab to determine whether the items in the ingredient label actually match the contents. Unfortunately, this is not something you can take for granted.

You also should be aware of fillers or other “sneaky stuff” in some supplements that may actually have negative impact on your or your baby’s health.

Lastly, it is important to know which nutrients actually pose toxicity risks if taken in doses that exceed recommended guidelines to avoid possible overdose.

Overwhelmed yet? Yeah, I was, too. This is where Michael stepped in and came up with specific criteria, questions to ask manufacturers, and an organized vetting process for prenatal supplements.

The Best More Affordable Prenatal
Deva

How We Came Up with the List of Best Organic Prenatal Vitamins

This review is mostly going to focus on only the best organic prenatal vitamins because I assume if you’re a reader of mind you aren’t going to want anything that might contain pesticide residue.

This knocks out about half the prenatals on the market right away.

You’ll see a long list of sources at the bottom of this post with links to peer-reviewed primary source data. We also checked recommendation guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Mayo Clinic, and the Institutes of Medicine’s (IOM; aka Federal Guidelines) Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL) for safety.

There are some confusing aspects regarding recommendations from these various bodies. This can lead to variations in how the guidelines are interpreted and how much of each nutrient is recommended in a prenatal supplement. Once again, Michael’s scientific background was immensely helpful in making sense of the data and coming up with solid recommendations for you guys.

What to Look for in Organic Prenatal Vitamins

Here’s what we considered when reviewing popular organic prenatal vitamins:

1) Food-Based versus Synthetic Vitamins

Many essential nutrients can been isolated into their pure form in a laboratory. These isolates are commonly used in over-the-counter vitamins and supplements of all varieties.

Of course, food-based nutrients contain co-factors like phytonutrients that help your body absorb or utilize the vitamins, making them nutritionally
superior.

Moreover, there is evidence that certain synthetic vitamins can actually lead to toxicity-related health concerns (synthetic calcium, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, for example).

The only downside to getting food-based nutrients in your supplement is that they tend to be bulkier, and so there is usually a smaller amount of any given nutrient in a food-based versus a synthetic supplement.

Bottom Line: While we aren’t convinced that synthetic nutrients are always inferior to natural, we looked favorably upon those brands using truly food-based nutrients in their formulas.

2) Inclusion of Lesser-Known (But Important) Nutrients

We mentioned seven nutrients that are critical for a healthy pregnancy (you can read more about all of them here), so obviously these are what you want to find in a prenatal vitamin.

Keep in mind, though, that some of these nutrients are really easy to get from food. Some are better absorbed when combined with other specific nutrients (more on this in a minute). We took all of this into account when reading the labels of some of the most popular organic prenatal vitamins on the market.

Broccoli is rich in choline.

For instance, choline, which supports healthy brain and spinal cord development, is actually very important during pregnancy but not found in many prenatals. (Gestational supplementation of choline has been linked with decreased risk of neural tube closure pathology and improved cognitive function in babies.)

Given the high rates of choline deficiency in the U.S., we gave bonus points to the brands of prenatals that included a food-based version of this nutrient.

Best Prenatal If You Have the MTHFR Gene Mutation

Women who carry this mutation have a harder time absorbing folate, especially in the form of folic acid. If you happen to know that you carry this mutation, look for a supplement containing methylated folate (L-methylfolate).

Ritual Essential Prenatal

3) Vitamin D2 versus D3

D2 (ergocalciferol) is plant-derived and D3 (cholecalciferol) is animal-derived.

Studies have shown that D3 supplementation is more effective at raising vitamin D blood levels. However, our skin produces D3 in the sun, so if you have regular access to sunshine, this is probably not such a big deal.

Bottom Line: If you are not vegetarian, you should try to find a supplement with D3 rather than D2. If you are vegetarian, try to make sure you get some sunshine, and don’t worry about the D2 in your vitamin being harmful.

4) Interactions Between Essential Nutrients

Many different factors influence bioavailability, which refers to how much of a given nutrient is actually absorbed and metabolized by our bodies.

Determining bioavailability is complicated. The source of the nutrient, how it is cooked or prepared, and the other foods or nutrients that are consumed at the same time all influence bioavailability.

We’ve already covered food-based supplements and why they are generally superior to synthetic (basically, co-factors like phytonutrients help you utilize vitamins).

Bottom Line: It’s impossible to predict the ways that different foods in different combinations will interact to affect the bioavailabilty of one nutrient versus another. This is just another reminder to get nutrients from food as much as you can!

There are a few combos of nutrients that deserve special mention.

Iron versus Calcium

Calcium inhibits the absorption of iron, and both are important essential nutrients for pregnant women. For that reason, many prenatal vitamins contain very little calcium.

The strategy we recommend is to find a prenatal supplement high in iron and try to avoid eating a calcium-rich meal (i.e. high in dairy) when you take the prenatal. Instead, eat calcium-rich foods (or take your calcium pill if you choose to supplement) a few hours apart from when you take your prenatal.

Vitamin C with Iron

The type of iron (non-heme) that you get from supplements and fortified foods should be taken with vitamin C when possible.

Vitamin C helps aid the absorption of non-heme iron, so another way to help combat anemia during gestation is to consume vitamin C rich foods with your prenatal. (You can read a bit more about iron below under “Possible Nutrient Toxicity Risks.”)

Vitamin D with Calcium

Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium. You can help ensure that you’re getting enough calcium by consuming calcium-rich foods with foods high in Vitamin D, such as egg yolks and fortified milk.

If you are vegan or lactose intolerant you may consider taking a calcium supplement during pregnancy, and while there are several different forms/sources of calcium such as calcium carbonate and calcium citrate, it appears that all of these are absorbed equally by the body.

Keep in mind that the amount of calcium your body absorbs is inversely correlated with amount of calcium ingested (above 500 milligram). For instance, it’s better to take two 500 milligrams doses of calcium twice a day that one 1,000 milligram dose.

5) Enteric Coating

Stomach acid can affect bioavailability by breaking down nutrients in supplements before they arrive in the intestines where they can be absorbed.

Supplement tablets can be coated with enteric polymers to increase the bioavailability of nutrients. The coating won’t dissolve at the very low pH
levels found in the stomach, and instead dissolve once the pH becomes more neutral.

Unfortunately, enteric coating can be made from methacrylic acid copolymer, which is absolutely not “Good Stuff,” but it can also be made from a plant-derived cellulose coating derived from algae.

Bottom Line: If you have a sensitive stomach you may want to look for a prenatal with a plant-cellulose enteric coating.

6) Third-Party Testing

You’ll want to make sure that whatever organic prenatal vitamin you choose is third-party tested.

This is not the same as having “seal-of-approval” labels—even if these are from the NIH, or they proclaim that a supplement is “Non-GMO verified.”

True third-party testing means that a laboratory measures the actual contents of the formula against the label claim to see if they match.

For example, with regard to folate, the amount in the pill is often more than the claim on the label. This matters because folic acid has about 70% higher absorption rating than food-based folate or methylfolate. This means that a folic acid content of 800 micrograms is actually the equivalent 1360 micrograms of folate—not to mention whatever you’re getting from your diet.

Unfortunately, third-party testing is only useful if the specific formula ingredient list is still current. For example, we used LabDoor.com at the beginning of this investigation to start compiling and ranking various organic prenatal brands. Then we learned that the last LabDoor report was completed in 2016, and since then, several of the supplements have radically changed their formulations.

To further complicate matters, you really can’t trust a lot of information on websites that have ranked prenatals because often these websites are using outdated or misinformation.

For example, we found that Reviews.com has a lot of misinformation about which prenatals have been third-party tested. After doing some fact-checking, we found that several vitamins that were listed as having not been third-party tested actually were tested. Perhaps this is because the information on Reviews.com was outdated, or perhaps it was just wrong.

Either way, you can’t simply trust what you see posted online in the vast and complicated world of prenatal supplements!

Bottom Line: The best supplement choices will be those that have been third-party tested. Once you decide on a particular brand, you should double check to ensure that the formulation you are buying–and not some previous recipe–was tested.

Best Prenatal for Raw Foodists

Garden Of Life Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal

7) Inclusion of Questionable Ingredients (Sneaky Stuff)

Ideally, you’ll avoid any organic prenatal that contains food colorings, fillers, and additives.

According to LabDoor’s report (2016), four of twenty-two products contained at least one artificial coloring agent (Blue 2, Yellow 6, and/or Red 40).

Other “watchlist” or questionable ingredients identified by LabDoor are: cornstarch, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, sodium benzoate, sodium selenate, sucrose and corn syrup solids, carmine, caramel color, titanium dioxide, butylated hydroxytoluene, and benzoic acid.

One particularly sneaky move involves culturing cheap synthetic vitamins in yeast and then using the yeast culture as if it’s a “food-based” form.

It’s unclear if these yeast cultured vitamins are less effective than truly food-based ones, but either way, it’s not the type of transparency we like to see in our Good Stuff Brands! (Garden of Life does this, but we give them a nod as the only raw organic prenatal vitamin we could find.)

Best Prenatal for Those Keeping Kosher

Megafood Baby and Me 2

8) Possible Nutrient Toxicity Risks

It’s important to know that amount of a given nutrient that your body actually needs will also determine how much is absorbed. Fortunately, for most nutrients, any excess that is not needed by the body will be excreted in the urine.

But there’s a caveat, and to understand it you need to understand the difference between fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins.

Just as the name implies, water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water, making them more readily available for use in various tissues and also easily excreted when there are excess amounts in the body.

Vitamins in the B-complex and vitamin C are water-soluble. Although it is possible that ingesting these vitamins in excessive amounts for prolonged periods of time can cause some gastrointestinal discomfort, there is very little real risk of “vitamin overdose” (hypervitaminosis).

Fat-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, are dissolved in lipids where they enter through the small intestine and are generally stored for later use.

Because they are stored in tissue, fat-soluble vitamins are not as easily excreted and prolonged excessive intake can lead to hypervitaminosis.

The fat-soluble vitamins include A, D, E, and K, but please note that it is basically impossible to overdose on any of these vitamins from your diet. Only ingesting excess vitamins in the form of supplements can pose any vitamin toxicity risks.

A few nutrients do merit mention when it comes to potential toxicity:

Preformed Vitamin A

Two forms of vitamin A are available in our diet: preformed vitamin A (retinol and retinyl ester) comes from animal sources, and provitamin A carotenoids (beta-carotene being the most important) are plant-derived.

Preformed vitamin A (retinol) can build up in the liver and become toxic at high doses. This condition is called hypervitaminosis A.

The important point here is that the toxic effects of vitamin A are ONLY associated with animal-derived and synthetic retinol, rather than plant- derived or synthetic beta-carotene. So, don’t worry about vitamin A toxicity from beta-carotene, even if it’s synthetic. Do worry about excessive vitamin A intake from animal sources or supplements with synthetic retinol.

Bottom Line: Readers of this website are very unlikely to be vitamin A deficient. Still, supplemental vitamin A in the form of food-derived beta-carotene can provide peace of mind without risking hypervitaminosis A. We looked for organic prenatal supplements that contain vitamin A in the form of food-based beta-carotene.

Synthetic Vitamin E

Naturally-occurring vitamin E consists of eight related compounds, the most important of which is alpha-tocopheryl, usually listed as d-alpha tocopheryl on a supplement label. (The synthetic isolate will begin with “dl” instead of “d.”)

Many websites reference the “problematic” and “potentially toxic” concerns about synthetic vitamin E. After doing some digging, we concluded that the only clear problem with synthetic vitamin E is that it is not absorbed well (less than 50%).

There does not appear to be evidence that excessive vitamin E poses any health risks when obtained through food, but supplemental vitamin E can have toxic effects at very high doses (like increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke and congenital heart defects in newborns).

Unlike other vitamins, this toxicity risk appears to hold true whether the dose is natural or synthetic.

Bottom Line: We looked for prenatal supplements that have the recommended daily allowance of vitamin E and not some crazy high percentage.

Iron

Iron needs double when pregnant, and supplementation is sometimes needed for vegetarian women.

Iron overdose is a significant concern for young children, but you’re more likely struggle with anemia during your pregnancy than with excessive iron intake. We looked for supplements that contained for around 18 milligrams of iron.

Folate/Folic Acid

Avocados are a good source of folate.

In view of evidence linking folate intake with neural tube defects in the fetus, it is recommended that all women capable of becoming pregnant consume folate from supplements or fortified foods in addition to intake of food folate from a varied diet.

Despite several websites warning about the risks of excessive folate intake, according to the NIH factsheet, there is no upper limit for food-derived folate.

The upper limit of folic acid, which is synthetic folate, is 1,000 micrograms per day. (See the section on Third-Party Testing for more on the differences in bioavailability of folic acid versus folate).

Note that there IS a risk of excess folate masking a B12 deficiency. This can happen because the folate supplement will prevent the symptoms of anemia that are associated with deficiency of either B12 or folate; it will not prevent the progression of neurological damage that accompanies B12 deficiency.

Bottom Line: The best prenatal supplement will have food-derived folate, rather than folic acid. If a supplement does contain folic acid, there is no reason for it to ever be higher than 600 micrograms.

9) Omega Fatty Acids

Pregnant women should aim for two servings of seafood per week.

You’ve probably heard a lot of buzz around how crucial omega-3s are for the optimal development of a fetus.

While omega-6 fatty acids are abundant and readily available, omega-3 fatty acids make up a much lower proportion of the modern American diet.

Because omega-3 and -6 fatty acids are essential nutrients (cannot be synthesized by the body), they must be consumed in the diet. This means they are transferred via the placenta from the mother to fetus.

There is a general consensus among medical professionals that pregnant women in the United States and Canada do not get enough omega-3 fatty acid, specifically DHA; both the Environmental Protection Agency and The ACOG recommend that pregnant women consume twelve ounces (340 grams) of seafood per week from low-mercury species.

The recommended two servings of marine food per week will provide an average intake per day of 100 to 250 milligrams total of omega-3 fatty acids. Of that, 50 to 100 milligrams will be of DHA. For women following this recommendation, the remaining 200 to 250 milligrams of recommended DHA will have to come in supplement form.

Frustratingly, it looks like the benefits of omega-3/DHA supplementation during pregnancy is really not that well supported. Yes, several studies have linked adequate intake of fish during pregnancy with a variety of benefits, but well-controlled, randomized trials looking at omega-3 supplementation (as opposed to just eating fish), have been largely disappointing. UPDATE: This brand new study suggests that omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy significantly reduces the risk of premature birth.

Bottom Line: We feel that in addition to eating low-mercury fish when pregnant, it makes sense to take a fish oil supplement.

Ranking the Organic Prenatal Vitamins

Once we decided what we wanted to find in prenatals, the next step was looking at the options available and categorizing them into Best, Good, Bad, or Sneaky Stuff.

In terms of which is the best vitamin for YOU, some of that depends on your lifestyle and circumstances—you’ll see that, for example, a few of them are vegan, one of them is raw, and one is significantly less expensive than the others.

All of them except Deva are some version of food-based, or at least isolated/synthetic vitamins mixed with an herbal or fruit/veggie blend to add in the phytochemicals and coenzymes, etc.

Naturelo and Ritual are special because they are vegan but use the good form of vitamin D (D3), which they get from lichen. (All the others get D3 from lanolin (derived from sheep’s wool) or some other animal source, or they use D2, which is veggie-derived but not as well absorbed by the body.)

The Best Stuff

Ritual Essential Prenatal

Ritual is our top pick because:

It contains a vegan form of vitamin D3 rather than D2, which is not as well-absorbed.
It uses folate rather than folic acid (and it’s methylated 4th generation folate, to boot!).
It’s the most transparent of the brands we reviewed, with the best third-party testing.
It’s one of the very few with an enteric coating to improve absorption of nutrients.
It only requires swallowing a couple of pills a day.
It’s fairly affordable at $30 a month.
It’s the only prenatal vitamin on our list to contain (vegan) omega-3 oil, right there in one pill.

Note: Ritual does NOT include calcium, because they feel most women get this from their diets and it can impede the absorption of iron. If you have reason to suspect you’re deficient in calcium, talk to your doctor.

The only downside to Ritual is that it only contains 55 micrograms of choline. We hope this changes soon, but if you choose this brand and have reason to suspect you may be deficient, talk to your doctor about an additional choline supplement.

Buy now from Ritual

Naturelo Prenatal Multivitamin

We like Naturelo’s Prenatal Multivitamin because:

1. It’s food-based, non-GMO, organic, soy-free, and gluten free.
2. It contains no preservatives, colors, or fillers.3. It uses methylated folate. (Note: while Naturelo exceeds the recommend folate dosage significantly (300%!), we don’t believe folate toxicity is a concern.)
4. Like Ritual, Naturelo offers a vegan D3 (rather than D2).
5. It contains some choline.

Naturelo Prenatal Multivitamin CONS (but not deal-breakers):

1. Calcium levels are low at only 27% RDA, which is probably not a big deal for most women.
2. Naturelo requires taking a pill three times a day.
3. Naturelo has limited information on third-party testing sources. They told Michael they’d send his questions to the manufacturer, and then they never got back to him.

Innate Response Baby & Me Multivitamin

This one is made by MegaFoods, which was bought out by Nestle a few years ago. They do test for purity and accuracy, but the accuracy testing is done in-house.

Still, we’ve been satisfied by their answers and this they are transparent and committed to a superior prenatal. A major plus with this one is that it contains 300 milligrams of choline. It’s also one of the more affordable options.

The Good Stuff

New Chapter Perfect Prenatal

We like that New Chapter is organic and food-based and has NSF third-party testing.

One redish flag was when Michael asked them about how they source the vitamins themselves (i.e. whether they are all food-derived of if they use synthetic vitamins as well). The answer: “Starting nutrients come from whatever source will stand up best to their proprietary fermentation process, could be synthetic or food-based isolates.” We think this is a slightly shady response.

On the other hand, their large-batch yeast fermentation process with all isolated vitamins together should, theoretically, make the vitamin more easily digested

It’s also worth noting that a LabDoor test found 60% higher than label claim for folate (960 versus 600 micrograms), and that folic acid was present instead of folate.

Other Cons with New Chapter:

Having to take one tablet three times a day may be turn off for some women.
This brand contains very little calcium (75 milligrams), but this is probably not a problem for most women.
This is non-vegan due to lanolin and lac resin from beetle in coating (to make it more slippery). Obviously, this is only a problem for vegans.

Megafood Baby and Me 2

This popular brand has a lot going for it:

It’s organic, food-based, and kosher.
It’s one of very few prenatals to have a significant level of choline (300 milligrams per day).
It also has the recommended levels of methylated folate, so it’s suitable for those with MTHFR gene-mutation,
It only requires taking two pills a day.
MegaFood uses a proprietary method to isolate individual nutrients from real foods, and they then re-combine the isolated vitamins with a blend of real herbs/fruits/veggies to provide the co-factors.

MegaFood Baby & Me 2 CONS (but not Deal-Breakers):
These prenatal contains no calcium or magnesium, but this is probably not a problem for most women. (Note that the original MegaFood Baby & Me includes a low dose of calcium and magnesium.) The bigger issue is that MegaFood does not have any proof of third-party testing.

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The Okay Stuff

Garden Of Life Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal

Garden of Life calls their prenatal “food-based,” but they use a proprietary method of growing vitamin isolates in yeast to create nutrients that are supposedly as or more complete than what you get from foods. They do individually batch yeast-based nutrient development for each ingredient.

The ingredients are organic and without any fillers or sugars.

This is the only one on our list that is marketed as being “raw,” so that’s probably a plus for some of you.

Garden of Life was bought by Nestle this year, but always were owned by a large parent corporation. The customer service rep tells us they have always operated as an independent entity despite parent company, and there is no change in manufacturing process or formulation.

Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Prenatals CONS (but not Deal-Breakers):

They told us to check PubMed for evidence that their yeast method is legit, but we couldn’t find any studies to back that up.
One pill three times a day may be a turn off for some.
They told us that they conduct both in-house and third-party testing for quality control, but they won’t give a name of the lab they use.

(If you really want to take Garden of Life’s organic prenatal, you might consider buying this book to learn more about their proprietary process: Vitamin Code: The Breakthrough by Massoud Arvanaghi.)

The Honest Co. Prenatal

The big thing to know about Honest’s Prenatal is that it’s only partially food-based. On the other hand, it’s organic, gluten-free, and vegetarian

Other PROS:

It contains methylated folate so is a good choice is you have the MTHFR gene mutation.
Honest’s prenatal is high in iron, so it could be a good option for vegetarians.
It contains a small amount of choline (30 milligrams).
One major benefit is that it only requires taking one pill a day.

In addition to being partially-synethic, there’s one other major red flag here. We haven’t been able to determine whether this product undergoes third-party testing for label claims; both times we’ve called, the wait time was more than 45 minutes, and we eventually hung up.

This one also contains “natural vanilla cream flavor” and guar gum.

Rainbow Light Prenatal One

This is the prenatal I took during both of my pregnancies, before going down this research rabbit hole! I was hoping to discover it is at least Good Stuff, but alas, Rainbow Light is just Okay.

The pros are that Rainbow Light’s prenatal is an organic and contains no artificial colors, preservatives, flavors, or sweeteners. You also only have to take one pill a day.

Rainbow Light Prenatal One CONS:

Prenatal One uses cheaper chelated metals and a synthetic form of several vitamins.
Contains D2 instead of D3 (this makes the vitamin vegan, FYI).
Contains high iron and high calcium in the same pill, which does not make sense from a bioavailability standpoint.
When we called, the customer service rep knew absolutely nothing, took down our phone number and questions, and never got back to us.

NOTE: For now, Rainbow light should be avoided because of this scary news.

Deva

Here is where Michael and I diverged in our opinion. He’s basically more frugal than I am, and this is his take: “If you ask me, Deva is the best choice because its WAAAY cheaper than the other options. Of course, it’s made of entirely synthetic nutrients, so I would just make sure readers know that if they are going to take a synthetic vitamin they should take it with food.”

For me, the fact that Deva is not a food-based supplement and thus you will not be getting the potentially beneficial cofactors and other phytochemicals that come from a whole-food based pill means it’s not Good Stuff. Sorry Mike, my website. 😉

That said, if you can look past it being a non-food-based supplement, Deva stands up very well against other organic prenatal vitamins. The manufacturers have considered the dosages based on fat-soluble versus water-soluble nutrients to prevent any hypervitaminosis concerns.

It’s also high in iron and low in calcium, contains appropriate folate (as folic acid, however, not methylated folate), and has some choline.

You also only have to take one pill a day.

The Bad Stuff

I consider anything that doesn’t specify that it’s organic and food-based to be Bad Stuff. So I’d stay away from all the drug-store brand prenatal vitamins (One-a-Day, Vitafusion, GNC, Centrum, etc.).

What About Gummy Prenatals?

While it’s tempting to take a chewable prenatal that tastes like Sour Patch Kid, we found that gummy prenatals contained no iron and were loaded with sugar and other fillers.

The Sneaky Stuff

Seeking Health Prenatal

A lot of you asked about this brand, but it doesn’t not contain iron, contains a potentially dangerous form of vitamin A (retintyl palmitate), and the dosages grossly exceed RDA for almost everything.

It’s also super expensive ($120 for two months) and it requires swallowing eight pills a day which seems burdensome, especially since most women will also need an iron supplement.

It’s not food-based, and it uses the cheap chelated synthetic vitamins,

Zahler

While these prenatals are kosher, contain D3, and use methylated folate, they aren’t food-based. A bigger issue is that Zahler uses retintyl palmitate for vitamin E. They are also not third-party tested.

Thorne

While this brand is highly ranked by several bloggers, it’s not food-based and appears to use chelated metals for most of its minerals. We tried calling them twice without being to reach anyone.

P.S. I debated posting this, but here’s a little note that Mike wrote to me after he had finished two months of research on this. Do with it what you will! (He definitely didn’t intend for this to be shared with all of you, but we are nothing if not transparent here at Gimme!)

“Maia, I have to say that from my PERSONAL perspective, while I don’t disagree with the basic premise that supplements can help to optimize nutrients during gestational development, I strongly feel that YOUR READERS generally have the means available to eat a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet. Unless they have a particular medical condition that will put them at higher risk for a deficiency during pregnancy, there is absolutely no reason that YOUR READERS can’t go to the beautiful chart provided via HealthBeat and see which foods are good sources for each of the essential nutrients in question and then make a point to eat those foods, as well as perhaps very specific (i.e. one or two nutrients) supplementation for vegans/vegetarians.”

P.P.S. Here’s the most recent pic I have of Michael and me, from Nantucket this summer.

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Sources

1. https://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Nutrition-During-Pregnancy#extra
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/prenatal-vitamins/art-20046945
3. https://ods.od.nih.gov/Health_Information/Dietary_Reference_Intakes.aspx
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6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=15234930 periconceptional choline and decreased neural tube closure defecits.
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4466850/ prenatal choline and schizophrenia review
8. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2015.1080127 2015 study showing 90% of americans don’t get enough
9. https://labdoor.com/rankings/prenatal-vitamins LabDoor’s 2016 ranked list.
10. https://wire.ama-assn.org/ama-news/ama-backs-global-health-experts-calling-infertility-disease AMA votes to support choline in all prenatals
11. https://bodyecology.com/articles/pregnant-how-to-help-prevent-a-dangerous-choline-deficiency 3 rd party prenatal choline review
12. https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Article/2017/06/26/AMA-calls-for-more-choline-in-prenatal-vitamins 3rd party summary of the Choline situation
13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29217669 Choline supplementation up to 930mg/d improves cognitive up to 13 months.
14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2621042/ Omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy.
15. Simopoulos ATP, Leaf A, Salem N. Essentiality of and recommended dietary intakes for omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Ann Nutr Metab. 1999;43:127–130.
16. https://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm393070.htm
17. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/
18. https://www.multivitaminguide.org/best-prenatal-multivitamins.html#comparison-table
19. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-nutrition/art-20045082
20. https://www.epa.gov/fish-tech/2017-epa-fda-advice-about-eating-fish-and-shellfish
21. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/
22. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
23. https://www.plefa.com/article/S0952-3278(16)30065-5/abstract
24. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20959577?dopt=Abstract
25. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25072735
26. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2621042/
27. Sydne J Newberry,et al., Evidence Reports/TechnologyAssessments, No. 224. Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Maternal and Child Health: An Updated Systematic
Review. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality (US); 2016 Oct. Report No.: 16(17)-E003-EF
28. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
29. Food and Drug Administration. Food labeling: Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels. Federal Register 2016;81:33741-999.
30. https://www.dietitians.ca/Downloads/Factsheets/Food-Sources-of-Vitamin-A.aspx
31. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7477116
32. https://www.mamanatural.com/best-prenatal-vitamins/
33. http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/nutrition/article/nutrients-they-are-team-players
34. https://www.alphavit.ru/files/34/calcium_iron_absorption.pdf
36. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/
37. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16596768
38. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21238588
39.http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL/Natural_vs_Synthetic_Vitamin_E.shtml
40. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-HealthProfessional/
41. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19187374
42. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/

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Essential Nutrients During Pregnancy

Maia James — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 14:58:39 +0000

Written by Maia, Founder & President

All medical experts emphasize that humans, including pregnant and lactating women, are best able to obtain our essential nutrients through our diets.

So before even thinking about which prenatal vitamins are the best, women should familiarize themselves with which foods provide the highest levels of the most essential pregnancy nutrients.

I’ve been working on our Healthy Prenatal Vitamin Guide for months, with the help of a brilliant scientist (not my husband, although he’s also a brilliant scientist!).

When said scientist, Michael, submitted a 40-page document of his research and opinions on all prenatal nutrients as well as which vitamin brands are the best, I quickly realized I’d have to break this post into multiple parts.

So consider the primer that follows an introduction to what nutrients are most important during pregnancy. If you’d like to simply trust Michael and me (assuming that you eat a well-rounded diet), you can ignore this post and look for our recommended brands in the Healthy Prenatal Vitamin Guide that will be published next week!

The 7 Most Important Nutrients During Pregnancy

There is overwhelming consensus from the medical community that deficiencies during pregnancy of a specific handful of nutrients are linked with various health complications.

Those who may become pregnant should ensure that they are getting adequate levels of folate, iron, calcium, and vitamin D.

In addition, there is emerging data to support a growing list of other nutrients that are also particularly important during gestation and should therefore be taken into account; these include choline, omega-3 fatty acids, and probably vitamin A.

The seven sections below will look at each of these nutrients in more detail.

(You will of course find plenty of data to support the importance of ALL essential nutrients during pregnancy. That said, our goal when researching for the Healthy Prenatal Vitamin Guide was to identify the most important items to be added in supplement form to ensure proper fetal development.)

#1: Folate

Folate is a type of B vitamin that aids in the production, repair, and functioning of the body’s red blood cells and DNA. It’s also essential for preventing certain types of anemia.

Folate is a vital nutrient during pregnancy in order to prevent birth defects of the brain, spine, and spinal cord. These defects–otherwise known as neural tube defects (NTDs)–threaten the neural tube of the embryo, from which your baby’s spine and brain develop.

One study showed that women who took folic acid for at least a year before getting pregnant cut their chances of delivering early by more than 50 percent.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, NTDs affect about 3,000 pregnancies each year in the United States. Because NTDs occur at such an early stage of fetal development, many women don’t even know they’re pregnant yet by the time the defects have already taken place—which is why you should start thinking about folate as soon as you are ready to try to conceive!

How much folate do you need when pregnant?

Women should start taking 400 micrograms of folate every day for at least a month before they become pregnant, and 600 micrograms every day during pregnancy.

Folate vs. Folic Acid

Folate is naturally found in foods and folic acid is synthetic and added into foods or vitamins. Our bodies need folate more than folic acid because your body naturally absorbs more of the synthetic folic acid than it does of the natural folate found in foods. You’ll learn more about this in our Safe Prenatal Vitamin Guide, but the bottom line that the best supplement will have food-derived folate, rather than folic acid.

What are the best dietary sources of folate?

Legumes, asparagus, eggs, leafy greens, beets, citrus fruits, brussels sprouts, broccoli, nuts and seeds, beef liver, wheat germ, bananas, avocado, fortified grains.

Can pregnant women get sufficient folate via their diets?

In addition to eating a diet full of folate-rich foods, the best way to guarantee you’re getting enough folate during pregnancy is to also take a prenatal vitamin containing around 400 micrograms of folate. (You’ll learn which ones we like best in the upcoming Prenatal Vitamin Guide, but this is my favorite.)

Can too much folate be toxic?

Despite several websites warning us about the risks of excessive folate intake, there’s actually very little risk of toxicity effects from folate, especially folate that’s derived from food.

#2: Calcium

During pregnancy, your growing baby needs calcium for bone density and healthy teeth. The human body also depends on calcium to support muscle movement and nerve-brain interaction.

How much calcium do you need when pregnant?

Pregnant women should aim for around 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day, which is the equivalent of three eight-ounce glasses of milk.

What are the best dietary sources of calcium?

While dairy products are some of the best known carriers of calcium, there are certainly others to consider. Foods like kale, salmon, dried figs, sardines, orange juice, and bok choy are additional options to include in a calcium-rich diet.

Can pregnant women get sufficient calcium via their diets?

During pregnancy, the body becomes even better at absorbing calcium. Because of this, additional supplementations often aren’t necessary, although many doctors will recommend calcium supplements for women who consume few or no dairy products.

Can too much calcium be toxic?

Too much calcium during pregnancy may be bad for both you and your baby. The Food and Nutrition Board recommends a calcium tolerance upper intake level of 2,500 milligrams for pregnant women above the age of 19.

#3: Iron

Iron distributes oxygen from your lungs to the rest of the body via the bloodstream.

There are two forms of dietary iron. Heme iron (which comes from meat and seafood) and non-heme iron (which comes from plant-based sources).Around 50 percent of pregnant women don’t get enough iron while pregnant, and low iron levels can result in low birthweight or premature babies.

How much iron do you need when pregnant?

When pregnant, you need about twice the amount of iron as you did before you were expecting in order to make extra blood for both you and your baby.Pregnant women should get around 27 milligrams of iron per day.

What are the best dietary sources of iron?

Dried beans, dried fruits, eggs (especially egg yolks), iron-fortified cereals, liver, lean red meat (especially beef), dark red meat, oysters, poultry, salmon, tuna, and whole grains.

Can pregnant women get sufficient iron via their diets?

Getting enough iron from food when you’re pregnant can be difficult, especially if you are a vegetarian. Iron supplements can help ensure you get enough iron every day, and you’ll learn more about the best supplements in our upcoming Prenatal Vitamin Guide.

Can too much iron be toxic?

Although accidental iron overdose is a significant concern for young children, it is not much of a risk for adults. It is much more likely that you’ll struggle with anemia during your pregnancy than with excessive iron intake, so look for around 18 milligrams of iron in your supplement.

#4: Vitamin D

Vitamin D works in conjunction with calcium to support healthy bones, cell division, metabolism, and immune function for a growing baby.

The best way to get vitamin D is by exposing your skin to sunlight. How much vitamin D your skin produces produced when exposed to sunlight depends on the where you live, the color of your skin, and how much bare skin is exposed.

How much vitamin D do you need when pregnant?

Pregnant women are recommended an average 600 International Units (IU) of vitamin D intake per day.

What are the best dietary sources of vitamin D?

Fish (tuna, mackerel, sardines, and salmon), orange juice, beef liver, egg yolks, spinach, white beans, kale, and okra, and fortified milk are great sources of vitamin D. Additionally, because vitamin D and calcium work in conjunction, eating foods that are rich in calcium (such as dairy) will also support better absorption of vitamin D.

Can pregnant women get sufficient vitamin D via their diets?

There is well-published concern that most of us suffer from vitamin D deficiencies, particularly those of us in northern latitudes. One glass of fortified milk will only contain somewhere between 50 and 100 IU.

Can too much vitamin D be toxic?

Vitamin D toxicity is extremely rare, and almost always occurs from high amounts of supplements. It is almost impossible to get too much vitamin D from sunlight or food.

Nutrient #5: Choline

This lesser-known vitamin supports healthy brain and spinal cord development. Gestational supplementation of choline has been linked with decreased risk of neural tube closure pathology. In one study, supplementation of more than two times the recommended daily intake during the third trimester of pregnancy was associated with improved cognitive function in babies tested up to thirteen months of age.

How much choline do you need when pregnant?

Pregnant woman need around 450 milligrams a day of choline.

What are the best dietary sources of choline?

Beef and chicken liver, fish (scallop, salmon, cod, and shrimp), egg yolks, wheat germ, peanut butter, brussels sprouts, and broccoli.

Can pregnant women get sufficient choline via their diets?

Choline has recently come under the spotlight because a study published in 2015 found that some 90 percent of Americans are deficient in choline and as few as six percent of adults over age nineteen are meeting recommended guidelines for choline.

Combine this with the fact that as recently as 2016 the vast majority of top-selling prenatals did not contain any (or only contained extremely low) amounts of choline, and you can understand why in 2017 the AMA voted in favor of recommending that all prenatal supplements should contain choline.

Can too much choline be toxic?

The upper limit of choline intake is 3,500 milligrams per day. Excessive intake over time can lead to heart disease or liver damage, but it would be hard to get this much from diet alone.

Nutrient #6: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega fatty acids are crucial for the nervous system development of a fetus, and are important components of the phospholipids that form cell membranes of every cell in the human body. Unfortunately, omega-3 deficiency can lead to a variety of complications, most notably preeclampsia and preterm labor.

Importantly, omega-3 (ALA, EPA, and DHA) and omega-6 fatty acids cannot be synthesized by the body. They are therefore considered “essential nutrients,” because they must ultimately be consumed as part of our diet.

This also means that any and all omega-3 and -6 fatty acids present in the developing fetus must be transferred via the placenta from the mother, which is why it’s crucial that the mother’s diet contains sufficient levels for both herself and her developing baby.

DHA is particularly important because of its extremely high concentration in the brain and retinal cells, comprising 97 percent and 93 percent of the Omega-3 fatty acids in each of these organs, respectively.

How much omega-3 do you need when pregnant?

According to the NIH fact sheet, the adequate intake for total omega-3 fatty acids is 1.4 grams (1,400 mg) for pregnant women.

Both the Environmental Protection Agency and The ACOG recommend that pregnant women consume twelve ounces (340 grams) of seafood per week from low-mercury species.

What are the best dietary sources of omega-3s?

Seafood (shrimp, salmon, trout, tuna, scallops, herring, and sardines), nuts and seeds (flax seed, chia seeds, walnuts), plant-based oils, eggs, yogurt, juices, and milk.

Can pregnant women get sufficient omega-3s via their diets?

While omega-6 fatty acids are abundant and readily available (just one teaspoon of corn oil is enough to supply the recommended omega-6 daily requirement–most Americans eat ten to twenty times that much per day), omega-3 fatty acids make up a much lower proportion of the modern American diet.

There is a general consensus among medical professionals that pregnant women in the United States and Canada do not get enough omega-3 fatty acid, specifically DHA. This is due to several factors–the primary issue being inadequate consumption of marine-based food.

The recommended two servings of marine food per week will provide an average intake per day of 100 to 250 milligrams total omega-3 fatty acids, and of that, 50 to 100 mg of DHA. For women following this recommendation, the remaining 200-250 mg recommended DHA will have to come in supplement form.

Can too much DHA be toxic?

When it comes to omega-3s, it’s important to be mindful of mercury levels that can come along with it. Here is a convenient quick reference sheet from the FDA on marine-based food options to choose and avoid based on mercury levels.

Bottom line on omega-3s during pregnancy:

I think a sound recommendation is that found in the NIH factsheet: “It seems safe to conclude that pregnant and nursing women should be advised to eat fish to benefit from naturally occurring omega-3 fatty acids, to avoid fish with high levels of mercury and other contaminants, and, if possible, to choose fish with high levels of EPA and DHA.”

#7: Vitamin A

Vitamin A plays an important role in immune function, vision, reproduction, and communication between cells. It’s also a key building block of the protein rhodopsin, which absorbs light in the retina.

One main concern resulting from vitamin A deficiency is xerophthalmia, which is the leading form of preventable blindness in children.

How much vitamin A do you need when pregnant?

770 micrograms is the recommended daily intake of vitamin A for pregnant women.

While the recommended intake levels of vitamin A are slightly higher for pregnant women than they are for the general population, vitamin A deficiency is extremely rare in the United States and is really only a problem in parts of the developing world.

What are the best dietary sources of vitamin A?

Dairy, fish (especially eel and tuna), eggs, meat (especially liver), carrots, yellow squash, sweet potato, broccoli, pumpkin, and cantaloupe.

Can pregnant women get sufficient vitamin A via their diets?

Two forms of vitamin A are available in our diet: preformed vitamin A (retinol and retinyl ester) comes from animal sources and provitamin A carotenoid (beta-carotene being the most important) are plant-derived.

Can too much vitamin A be toxic?

Preformed vitamin A (retinol) can build up in the liver and become toxic at high doses. This condition is called hypervitaminosis A. During pregnancy (particularly the first trimester), excessive retinol intake can also result in teratogenic birth defects.

Hypervitaminosis A can happen due to prolonged excessive intake, but is more commonly the result of consuming excessive retinol in supplement form, or from consuming large amounts of food with extremely high retinol levels, such as certain types of liver.

It is important to note that the toxic effects of vitamin A are associated with animal-derived or synthetic retinol and synthetic retinol rather than plant-derived or synthetic beta-carotene.

In other words, you don’t have to worry about vitamin A toxicity from beta-carotene, whether it is food-based or synthetic, but you DO have to worry about excessive intake from animal sources, or in supplements containing synthetic retinol

Bottom line on vitamin A during pregnancy:

Women in north America are very unlikely to be vitamin A deficient and should not have difficulty obtaining sufficient vitamin A through a healthy diet. On the other hand, supplemental vitamin A in the form of food-derived beta-carotene can give you piece of mind that you’re not at risk of being deficient, while also not putting you or your baby at risk for hypervitaminosis A. Our advice is to look for a prenatal supplement containing vitamin A in the form of food-based beta-carotene.

Phew! You guys, I know that’s a lot. We will be publishing our Healthy Prenatal Shopping Guide next week, and we will try to make it as simple as possible!

Stay sane,

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Should You Do Cord Blood Banking?

Maia James — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 17:47:08 +0000

Did you choose to do private cord blood banking after your baby’s birth? This is one of the first decisions you’ll make about something that may affect your child’s health, and parents naturally agonize over it.

My husband, Daylon, is the Director of the Reproductive Endocrinology at Weill Cornell Medical College as well as a embryonic stem cell research scientist. My pregnant friends often ask to pick his brain about cord blood banking.

Daylon recently emailed a friend of ours his opinion on private cord blood banking. I thought I would share that email with my readers, some of whom are probably wondering about cord blood banking themselves. Please feel free to post questions below and I will ask him to respond!

Most new parents have thought about whether or not to pay for private cord blood banking. I have fielded the question a lot over the past decade, and my answer hasn’t really changed: Cord blood banking is probably worth it if you can afford it.

Maia and I put both our kids’ blood in the public registry because it was a significant expense to bank it privately. We reasoned that our boys were a rare enough genetic combo that the blood would sit there in the registry if we needed it (that is probably not actually the case, unfortunately for us).

Ultimately, it comes down to grim mathematics. Cord blood is used to treat hematological malignancy–disease of the blood, mostly cancer, but also beta-thallasemia, sickle cell, auto-immune conditions, and other rare diseases.

If a child comes down with cancer in childhood, their own cord blood is a home run. It’s a perfect genetic match, with no trace of the disease in that pristine population of cells at birth. But this represents a very small sub-population.

Leukemia, a third of all childhood cancer diagnoses, will account for about 5,000 new cases in kids under twenty this year (out of roughly 60 million such young people). Depending on subtypes, survival of childhood cancer is already above 70% with existing therapies.

Autologous cord blood transplant has not been practiced widely because private banking is relatively new and indications are pretty rare. However, it may also be worth considering that there will probably be further applications for autologous cord blood that may be in play for adults once our kids are grown up. But that would mean that you are banking the blood for decades.

The Bottom Line on Cord Blood Banking

If you want to have an extra insurance policy for an unlikely event; and you understand that the extra insurance is not guaranteed but could also be extended to as yet undeveloped but amazing therapies for a broader list of unlikely events; and if you are willing to pay storage fees for what may be decades…then bank the cord blood. If not, don’t feel like you are screwing your kid over. Whatever you choose, this will be the least of your worries and won’t hold a candle to your joy, so don’t agonize over it.

Stay sane,

(but actually Daylon this time)

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Safe Baby Bottle Cheat Sheet

Maia James — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 21:23:00 +0000

All bottle-feeding moms want the best non-toxic baby bottles for their babies, whether the bottles are is filled with breastmilk or formula or even water. Here’s how to make sure you’re using truly non-toxic baby bottles.

1. Avoid Plastic Baby Bottles (including “BPA-free” ones!)

Plastic bottles are tempting—they are inexpensive, readily available, lightweight, and hard to break. But plastic leeches chemicals, some of which are known endocrine disruptors (hello, BPA!).

Don’t be fooled by “BPA-free” labels. BPA-free plastics that contain BPA substitutes like BPS are possibly just as bad, if not worse. Bottom line: If you want non-toxic baby bottles, you’ll never be buying any kind of plastic.

2. Choose Glass or Stainless Steel Baby Bottles

The safest baby bottle material is probably glass. Glass bottles won’t leech anything into milk or formula. Whenever possible, choose glass for breast milk storage, too.

Food-grade stainless steel is a close second to glass. Stainless steel bottles are lighter and less breakable than glass. We love Pura Kiki infant bottles because they are totally plastic-free, come in two sizes (5 oz and 11 oz), are available insulated and non-insulated, and can be converted into bottles for toddlers, kids, and adults.

3. Silicone Baby Bottles Are Okay

Silicone baby bottles are better than plastic, but probably not as safe as glass or stainless steel; research on the safety of silicone is relatively limited. We do know that silicone may leech at very low and high temperatures, so you might consider skipping silicone bottles for hot liquids and avoid putting them in the freezer. I like the Comotomo Natural Feel silicone bottle. (Note: (These silicone bags are better than storing breast milk in plastic.)

4. Don’t Forget the Nipples

Food-grade silicone is probably the safest, most durable and hygienic material for baby bottle nipples. A close second is natural rubber nipples from a credible company like Hevea or Natursutten. Definitely skip synthetic latex nipples (like these by Gerber), which can contain a number of concerning additives.

Because my babies rarely drank from bottles, I can’t recommend a favorite in terms of efficacy. That’s why I need you guys to comment below on your favorites glass, stainless steel, and silicone baby bottles and nipples–please do so below!

Stay sane,

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HiPP Versus Holle: Which European Infant Formula is Healthier?

Maia James — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 02:43:05 +0000

Below is an email I recently sent to a private client of mine. Since the number one question I receive is “What is the safest infant formula?,” I thought some of you might be interested in my analysis of the two safest brands of baby formula, HiPP vs. Holle (both from Europe). Note that whichever formula you choose, you should always use a water filter to remove chlorine (carcinogenic) and fluoride (linked with lowered IQ). (Here’s more on why you should get a filter and which ones I like.)

Dear E.:

So the bottom line is I would recommend Holle formula as the best option, but it’s not without some problems, unfortunately (yet again it becomes clear that nothing can compare with breastmilk). HiPP is superior in a few ways, but I’ll explain why ultimately I would go with Holle below.

Here’s what I considered when researching HiPP vs. Holle:

Palm oil. Palm oil is an ingredient that a lot of people worry about (suspected to affect bone density), and both HiPP and Holle contain it. However, because they each contain a blend of other oils (like coconut and sunflower), I don’t think the amount is as concerning. They do both also contain rapeseed oil, otherwise known as canola oil, which is also somewhat controversial. It’s worth noting that Baby’s Only doesn’t contain palm oil–but it does contain soybean oil, which I don’t like, so not really a huge win.
Aluminum issue. The HiPP ready-made formula is preferable to the HiPP powder because the latter has strangely high aluminum levels, although even the ready-man has borderline levels. (I can’t figure out why–possibly because it comes in aluminum pouches (within a cardboard box)). However, in general I actually DON’T like ready-made formulas because they contain soy lecithin (sometimes extracted with hexane…and soy is problematic anyway because of its estrogenic properties). On the other hand, the amount of lecithin is relatively small, and probably worth the trade-off. Note that the HiPP Growing Up milk in powder form actually has much lower levels of aluminum (but you can’t use that until after 12 months, and it does contain soy lecithin. Sigh). Bottom line here is go for ready-made or Growing Up milk if you do get HiPP, but with Holle you don’t have to worry about this.
LCP oils. The addition of omega 3 and 6 oils in U.S. formulas is controversial because of the extraction methods (super complicated issue so I’ll spare you all the details). HiPP has these added oils, but I suspect the extraction methods are probably required to be cleaner in Europe. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to get to the bottom of this, so it’s a question mark and potentially another negative for HiPP. And studies show that the addition of the oils doesn’t improve the nutrition for babies anyway, so their absence isn’t really a negative for Holle.
Organic practices. Both of these companies have been around for more than 50 years, and the dairy products from both come from grass-fed, organic cattle, certainly of a higher quality that anything you get here. Holle farms are certified organic and biodynamic–which I’ll simplify by saying is like organic-plus, with very strict standards from the processing all the way to the packaging. Another point in the Holle column.
Sugars. All formula has a lot of sugar (breastmilk is naturally quite sweet), and HiPP wins in this category, as it uses lactose as a sweetener, which is the best option (and also the most expensive). Holle uses maltodextrin (a plant-based sweetener), although it seems to use less of it than most American formula brands. And here’s an update from July 2015: Lebenswert is a newish formula under the Holle umbrella. The Stage 1 Lebenswert formula contains lactose instead of maltodextrin, and Lebenswert is now available at Little World Organics!
Prebiotics. This is another win for HiPP. Holle doesn’t contain these, and it’s one of the big things found in breastmilk but missing from formula.

Bottom line: Both HiPP and Holle are superior to American formulas, in my opinion. They lack many of the concerning ingredients found in most formula you get here, don’t have white sugar or corn syrup in them, and also skip some preservatives and the carrageenan found even in other organic formulas. If it were my baby, I would probably choose Holle because of the aluminum issues with HiPP–which to me is more concerning than the maltodextrin (the only major downside to Holle). The lecithin, biodynamic farming, and LCP oil issues further put Holle in the lead. And if you choose Stage 1 Lebenswert, you skip the maltodextrin as well.

In terms of where to by Holle (or HiPP): this is complicated since these formulas do not meet FDA approval. There are many online vendors (including Ebay sellers), but until I can vet that one (or several) are legit, I cannot make a recommendation on where you should purchase European formula. I hope to have this information available soon.

October 2019 update: I’ve vetted several places to purchase this formula, and am happy to have established affiliate relationships with the following sellers:

Stay sane,

P.S. If you want to learn about goat milk formula (including one from Holle), click here.

Standard disclaimer: The advice and opinions presented here by Gimme the Good Stuff are based on our own research process as well as current scientific evidence. For medical advice, you should see a licensed medical professional. Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness.    Manufacturers change the ingredients in their products frequently; always read labels or call companies to verify.

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How I Nursed Three Kids Without Going (Too) Crazy

Colleen Webb — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 14:52:36 +0000

Written by Colleen Webb, Chief Product Investigator

Until recently, I was nursing three kids: a newborn, a two-year-old, and a four-year-old.

When other women hear this, the most common thing they say is, “Oh my gosh, I could never do that!” Moms often share stories about how they weaned their older child in anticipation of a new baby arriving.

I don’t think nursing two or more kids is as hard as many people assume, but it’s also not for everyone (obviously!). I’ve nursed three kids because it’s been a natural choice for my family: My kids and I enjoy nursing from infancy through toddlerhood, and I’ve had them relatively close together.

For those of you who are curious, below are the strategies that have helped make nursing three kids work for me and my family.

PS: I can’t speak for moms of multiples, because I’ve only had one baby at a time. If you’ve nursed twins (or triplets?!) and have wisdom to share, please leave a comment below.

1. Only the baby nurses “on demand.”

Newborns need to breastfeed frequently, whereas older babies and toddlers can usually go hours (or days!) without nursing. For me, feeding the baby “on demand” and having the older kid(s) on stage-appropriate nursing schedules (see below) has been essential.

2. I got the older kid(s) on a nursing schedule before the new baby came.

In order to prevent the chaos of a lap full of kids clamoring for milk, I’ve used the final trimester of my pregnancies as a time to get the older kid(s) on a more structured and minimal nursing schedule.

Before my second baby was born, I got my toddler nursing three times a day (morning, after lunch, and bedtime). Before my third baby was born, I got the oldest kid nursing only at bedtime, and the middle one nursing in the morning and at bedtime. This approach created plenty of space for an infant to nurse on demand.

3. I nurse one kid at a time.

For about 18 months, with my first two kids, I often breastfed both of them at the same time. This worked until the younger one entered a feisty phase, and the kids would sometimes struggle with each other on my lap…while nursing. Ouch! After my nipples got caught in the crossfire one too many times, we switched to “taking turns.”

Maia asked me to write this post, since she had her own boys four years apart and only was ever nursing one!

4. I eat (and hydrate) a lot.

When you’re pregnant, people love telling you that you’re “eating for two,” but there’s actually a higher caloric demand on your body when you’re lactating for a new baby—about 500 extra calories per day.

I eat a lot of nutritious food and drink plenty of filtered water to help my body maintain a healthy milk supply without getting depleted. (I also take a multivitamin and a couple of other supplements, as recommended by my midwives.)

5. I weaned when the time came.

Last summer, when my third baby was a few months old, I hit a point where nursing three kids started to feel like too much. I also started looking at my four-year-old (who’s the size of a six-year old) and thinking, “Maybe you’re getting a little bit big for nursing.” So I weaned him. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I expected, and now I’m happily nursing my baby and my two-year-old.

Have you wondered about or tried breastfeeding more than one baby/toddler at a time? If you’ve nursed twins (or triplets?!), do you have any wisdom to share?

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Updated Nipple Cream Guide & a Lanolin Horror Story

Maia James — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 14:35:01 +0000

Written by Maia, President

My big project for the next few weeks is going through all our Safe Product Guides and updating each one with additional information I have learned since their original publication, plus of course adding new products that have entered the market (or changed their formulas) and are Good, Bad, or Sneaky.

A recent email I received from a reader (pasted below) prompted me to start with the Safe Nipple Cream Guide.

In addition to a reminder that lanolin creams should be avoided, the new Safe Nipple Cream Guide features a couple more products that I’ve rooted out as The Sneaky Stuff.

Thanks as always to all of you who write to me with your own stories. I hope the following reader email will help someone with similar symptoms who is unable to find answers.

Stay sane,

Read our Safe Nipple Cream Guide

This lanolin-free nursing balm is the Good Stuff!

Hi Maia-

I just wanted to tell you I was so happy to find your article about lanolin and the problems with it! During my fifth pregnancy I developed an absolutely horrible lesion, raw-flesh based rash on both my nipples, which ultimately required me to stop nursing completely because the doctors thought I either developed a severe infection, or worse: Paget Disease (it was THAT horrible).

I had two rounds of IV antibiotics, multiple visits to a cancer center, along with guilt and despair beyond belief because NO ONE could figure it out. After months of this I decided to turn to a dermatologist because nothing was working. The course that I was told to follow after the IV treatments, sonograms to determine nothing was wrong internally and a biopsy to confirm it was in fact NOT cancer was to continue to treat my sore, inflamed open nipples with lanolin.

I went to the dermatologist figuring they would tell me to continue to “stay the course,” and that eventually whatever it was would clear up. He told me something completely different… He looked at my nipples and said, you are using lanolin aren’t you? I said yes.. I was told to keep my nipples moist to avoid friction. He gave me a combo steroid/antihistamine cream and said throw the lanolin away! I did, and within a week my nipples were significantly better, within a month the rash and all were completely gone! On my follow up visit with the dermatologist he said I had developed an allergic reaction to lanolin that tends to build up in your system over time (most likely from nursing over the years) and your body could no longer tolerate it. It’s common among women with wool allergies as well as those allergic to synthetic materials such as latex.

That was roughly 3 years ago, and sadly at the time, the lanolin issue was well “talked about.” For years it was pushed to help save nursing moms, to “relieve” them; pushed by doctors, nurses, nursing consultants. Everyone. I was devastated that I spent that much time and pain over a product that I was allergic to. I will never forget what I consider unnecessary pain and the unfortunate demise of nursing my child because a few “professionals” chose to ignore the simple truth in front of them.

I apologize for the longevity of this response, but again – I really did want to say keep up the wonderful articles and know that they truly help so many!

Best,
L.

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Honest Company’s Infant Formula Review

Maia James — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 19:14:06 +0000

As soon as The Honest Company’s infant formula hit the market, we were flooded with emails asking, “Is this the Good Stuff?” After putting the Honest formula through our research and review process, our answer is…sort of.

Essentially, Honest’s formula is the same as the rest of the Jessica Alba product line: definitely well-intentioned, definitely better than most conventional stuff, not quite Sneaky Stuff, but not quite Good Stuff. When it comes to this formula, here’s what we discovered:

The Good

It’s mostly milk. I like that Honest’s formula’s first ingredient is actual organic milk. The only other American-made formula I recommend to clients, Baby’s Only, has brown rice syrup (a sweetener) as its first ingredient, so this is a plus for Honest.

It contains lactose. It’s also great that Honest formula contains lactose as a sweetener, which is most similar to breast milk, but which many companies have stopped using because it’s pricier than other forms of sugar. (Unfortunately, Honest also uses corn syrup to sweeten this formula—more on this below.)

It skips some synthetics. The synthetic nutrients found in Honest’s formula are less in number than is the case for other organic formula brands. Some of these additives are not allowed in organic products in Europe, so it’s nice to see an American brand leaving them out.

It doesn’t contain hexane residue. The biggest plus to Honest formula is that the DHA they use is actual fish oil rather than hexane-extracted oils from algae and fungus (as is the case with most formulas, even organic ones).

It’s free of carrageenan. Honest’s formula is free of carrageenan (which is found in some organic formulas). Derived from seaweed, carrageenan helps stabilize formula, but numerous animal studies suggest that it leads to intestinal inflammation and colon tumors. The European Union has outlawed the use of carrageenan in all infant formula.

The Bad

Corn syrup. The biggest bummer about Honest’s formula is that it contains corn syrup (cleverly called “organic glucose syrup solids”). Honest uses mostly lactose to sweeten their formula, but I assume they blend with corn syrup because the latter is much less expensive.

Palm oil. Honest’s formula also contains palm oil, which is not properly absorbed by infants, and may contribute to decreased bone density. Even the European formulas I recommend (HiPP and Holle) contain palm oil, but it should be noted that Baby’s Only formula does not.

Soy. Honest formula also contains soy oil and soy lecithin. I’m not into soy for babies, since it is a source of phytoestrogens, which may have negative health implications. Worth noting: Baby’s Only also contains soy, as does HiPP. Holle is the only soy-free formula, which is part of the reason it’s our number one formula pick.

Synthetic preservatives. Honest formula contains two synthetic preservatives that some experts say should not be allowed in organic products: beta carotene and ascorbyl palmitate. Baby’s Only doesn’t contain these two, and nor do the European brands we recommend. I’m not convinced these are particularly harmful in the concentrations present in formula, but they aren’t natural and their effects are unknown.

Whichever Formula You Choose…Filter Your Water!

Tap water may be contaminated with chlorine byproducts, weed killers, insecticides, solvents, lead, BPA, phthalates…the list goes on. Fluoride is present in infant formula, and when combined with fluoridated tap water, infant exposure levels can exceed safe amounts. Invest in a good carbon water filter.

What Are the Best Infant Formulas?

After all the research I’ve done (I’ve written about formula here, here, and here), there are only four I would consider feeding my baby, and yes, Honest is among them. In order of preference, the best infant formulas, in my non-doctor opinion, are:

While difficult and expensive to obtain, the European formulas win out because they are both made with milk from grass-fed cattle, and have a simpler and more natural list of ingredients. I still consider Baby’s Only the best widely-available formula in this country, but Honest is a pretty close second, only losing out because of the corn syrup and palm oil it contains.

Baby’s Only remains our top choice amongst American formulas.

We feel that HiPP formula is superior to anything you can get in the U.S.

Holle remains our #1 choice for infant formula.

Honest Formula is better than most organic brands sold in the U.S.

Stay sane,

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The Pendulum Swings: Breastfeeding

Maia James — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 21:10:48 +0000

You know how we feel about breastfeeding here at Gimme the Good Stuff. Our president, Maia James, breastfeeds her kids until they are pushing three. She has written about why she thinks the benefits of breastfeeding have not been overstated, despite headlines to that effect last year. And whenever we talk about the best formulas out there, it’s always with the caveat that no formula comes close to being as good for your baby as breastmilk. On the other hand, we know that our readers include a lot of wonderful formula-feeding moms, and we also recognize the challenges of exclusive breastfeeding for a whole host of valid reasons. More importantly, we dislike the inevitable guilt that we all feel as parents every single day (whether it’s about how much TV we let our kids watch today or the lack of green veggies in their diet). We always welcome open and nonjudgemental discourse on this website, and in that spirit we invited our friend, Alison, to submit a guest post sharing her perspectives on breastfeeding, and specifically on the idea that formula should be kept away from new mothers in maternity wards. Please comment with your own opinions!

By Guest Blogger Alison Relyea

I have a challenge for you, and I urge the breastfeeding preachers out there to take the same challenge: Next time you go to a cocktail party, look around at the people in the room. Look closely. Study their faces, hair, and skin. Think about what you know about the ones who are already acquaintances. What do they do professionally? Where did they go to college? Are they healthy? Are they happy? So far, the challenge is not very interesting. Now, without asking any further questions, try to break them up into two groups based on your evaluations: The Breastfed and the Formula Fed.

There is an enormous amount of pressure placed on mothers to breastfeed in today’s world, and while the intentions are probably good, the outcomes are mixed. I am not questioning whether or not it benefits an infant’s or a mother’s health to try to breastfeed. What is concerning is the extent to which mothers are criticized and made to feel guilty if for any reason this is not the right choice for them, or if challenges cause them to alter their plan once their newborn arrives. This guilt leads some mothers to go to extreme measures, spend a lot of money, and waste a good portion of their time with their newborn to find “success” in breastfeeding. In the big picture, there are options. A healthy, happy mother is a usually a better mother than a sleep-deprived, anxious mother. Women need to decide what works for them, and follow their own instincts and the advice of professionals whom they trust.

In today’s world, with so much attention on parenting issues and health issues, and with personal boundaries breaking down on the web and Facebook, it is difficult to even identify one’s own goals and priorities without considering the opinions of others. Women who feed their child formula, either as their primary food source or to supplement, are not sinners and they are not breaking the law, despite recent attempts to keep formula under lock and key at hospitals, essentially making it the infant equivalent of a cigarette or prescription drug. These are mothers who have just brought a new life into the world and who will be making many decisions for their child in the future.

I understand that some of the rationale for locking up formula is to create a paper trail and encourage hospitals to follow protocol, preventing nurses from giving formula without a mother’s consent. When my son was born at Manhattan’s St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital in 2008, he was fed formula once during the night despite my request to be woken up to feed. I was disappointed. Friends of mine at many local hospitals have had similar experiences. It did not ruin my breastfeeding career, but I do hope that hospital employees are more careful now that there is greater scrutiny. With my daughter, two years later, I did not have any issues. There must be a way to monitor hospitals without increasing the already intense pressure on new mothers.

Most mothers have done a lot of reading. Most know that breastfeeding their baby is recommended. Ultimately, it is the woman’s body and her choice how to feed her child, and the hospital’s responsibility to provide resources and support that choice. A friend of mine decided before giving birth that she did not want to breastfeed her child. On the hospital tour at NYU, a great deal of time was spent in a Q&A with a lactation consultant and all of the other expecting moms and dads asked their questions. When my friend’s husband started to raise his hand to ask whether or not they should bring their own formula, she kicked him and whispered, “Not now!” Even among her friends and colleagues, she had been asked if she would breastfeed and had to defend her decision to confused expressions. What kind of response would she get from these new parents, complete strangers, and a lactation consultant? The formula question was not worth the judging glares.

We have all, as new mothers, heard the preaching about breastfeeding from other mothers. Sometimes it is well-intended. Sometimes it is aimed at making the mother feel less adequate than the preacher. And sometimes it is just cruel. When my son was a few weeks old, I attended a lactation support group at St. Vincent’s hospital with a friend who also had a newborn. At this point, my breastfeeding was pretty much underway, but I still had some concerns and questions. Nursing with other moms was okay, I guess. What I did not expect was the tears and the responses. Questions like, “I have to go back to work because I am a hairdresser and am not getting paid for the six weeks I am off. I want to nurse when I am home but don’t think I can take breaks to pump.” The lactation consultant’s response? “You should do everything you can to continue. Do they have a lactation room at the salon where you work?” Another woman described having supplemented her feeds with formula because the baby had been crying uncontrollably and this seemed to soothe him. Another was supplementing because her baby had lost a lot of weight at birth and was slow in gaining. She was extremely anxious about it – visibly anxious to those of us in the room. The consultant’s response to both of them was, “Whatever you do, you need to cut out the yucky stuff.” I was confused. A comforted baby and a baby on a steady weight gain were bad outcomes? All my years of school combined with common sense and logic led me to question this woman’s expertise. Luckily, in my early days of breastfeeding, I had a sensible lactation consultant who helped me develop a plan to supplement with small amounts until I could breastfeed exclusively.

For me, it worked. I am a success story where things evened out around six weeks and it became easy and, the word that perplexes many new mothers when it feels anything but, natural. Among my friends, however, the outcomes varied. There were friends who suffered from a typical amount of pain, anxiety, latching issues or infant weight loss, but some that went well beyond this. Conversations with friends who are recent new mothers often involve them confessing their failure as a breastfeeder for various reasons. I try to reassure them that once the baby is older, they will see that it is just one of many things we do as parents and not a huge deal, but when you are in those early months and everyone is judging you, you need to confess. I get it. I did it, too. Reasons for quitting range from recurring bouts of mastitis and thrush to a baby who was hospitalized with RSV at two months and needed to be fed through an IV at times. I know of women who have not been able to breastfeed because of pre-existing medical conditions, including a mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy and had to undergo chemotherapy during pregnancy and after delivering her son. Should she have to sign a waiver explaining why she is feeding her son formula? Should she have gone to greater lengths, asking friends to donate their extra milk or changing her own treatment to nurse? La Leche League might say yes. Her doctor said no.

One major problem with breastfeeding is that currently, despite our individual goals and situations, we live in a country that does not support new mothers adequately. We all know formula costs money and breastfeeding is free. It is one of the many compelling arguments laid out by breastfeeding advocates. Breastfeeding is only free if our time is worth nothing. Many working mothers do not receive any paid maternity leave and can only take the minimum amount allowed. They do not have lactation rooms at work and to pump in closets and bathrooms would add hours to their day, precious time away from their newborns. For the people who hire baby nurses and nannies to ensure that they can nurse, sleep, and make it to their morning Soul Cycle class between feeds, sure, breastfeeding seems great. Nursing bras, special pillows, herbal supplements and a myriad of other purchases are made without blinking an eye. My $350 breastpump was not reimbursed by my employer’s flex spend account, and neither was my session with a private lactation consultant. I even submitted receipts for the storage containers and other accessories, thinking it would all be covered as a necessary health expense, but it was not. Will healthcare laws ever reimburse for post-partum support groups or extended maternity leave, during which mothers will have continued support for their breastfeeding efforts? If people took a few minutes to consider the socio-economic and class issues imbedded in this debate, it should be enough to give them pause before they preach.

The women who frown at a bottle of formula are the same ones who give a sympathetic, almost pitiful look if someone mentions having had a C-section. I have even heard one person tell an acquaintance who had a recent c-section that she is lucky they can do V-BACS these days so she’ll have a chance to have that bonding experience, as if she won’t be able to bond adequately with this child. It seems so strange to me that people feel sorry for women who have given birth to a healthy baby surgically, when in generations past, they or the baby might have not survived childbirth. Babies with feeding difficulties may have suffered Failure to Thrive in the 1800s, or may have been sent to a wetnurse every time they needed to eat. Where’s the bonding in that? In today’s world, for mothers who pump because of feeding difficulties or because they have returned to work, bonding with a Medela breastpump, no matter how “in style” it may be, is usually the low point of that first year. For many of us, it is a reminder that we are not with our child because life entails decisions and compromises. But we must not compromise on breastfeeding, because good mothers breastfeed. We want to be good mothers. It is an endless cycle.

Prenatal and postnatal care have improved significantly over the last few generations, and we have much more knowledge and expertise to help us make good decisions for ourselves and our children. We have options. Other people besides mothers can feed and bond with our babies, a great joy for fathers and grandparents everywhere. My mother did not breastfeed any of her four children and we are all very bonded with her, perhaps resulting in more frequent phonecalls than she would deem necessary for four married individuals in their thirties and forties. The greatest strain my sister and I suffered with our mother was probably during the early days with our first born children, when she came to stay in our respective cities to offer us maternal support and get to know her grandchildren. As a non-breastfeeder, she struggled to understand how her educated, responsible and loving daughters could feel so strongly about something that was causing them immense stress during an otherwise precious and joyful time in their lives. It reminded her of high school peer pressure revisited; hearing our stories of why we have to do it because everyone else is doing it. We overcame it, but I am grateful she was there to give me some perspective. A college friend of mine had twins and she had difficulty breastfeeding both children and getting any sleep. Her father, a pediatrician, removed the myths and gave her advice based on actual research, not the dramatic claims touted by preachy playground mothers. His advice? One potential IQ point and one extra cold does not make or break a child’s future. Calm, rested, relaxed parenting, on the other hand, can have a huge positive impact.

We have a lot to worry about as new parents, but we also have a lot to celebrate. Smiles, sleeping through the night, visits with family and friends, and most importantly, embarking on a new journey that will change our lives forever. We have decisions to make, and we don’t all make the same ones. Trust yourself. Get advice from close friends when you need it. Respect the decisions of others. If you feel the need to preach about something, preach about sunscreen.

About the Author

My name is Alison Cupp Relyea and I’m a 38-year-old, mother, teacher and former marketing professional now trying my hand at writing. I live with my three children and my husband in Rye, New York. After sixteen years in Manhattan, we left the city for the suburbs. I am currently taking a break from teaching elementary school to be home with my kids and explore some of my other interests. Writing has always been a passion of mine and part of my professional life, and now use it as a creative outlet to share my stories and connect with people. Writing helps me stay engaged, think critically, and find humor in the everyday moments life brings us. I hope you enjoy this piece and please check out my other work at alicupp.wordpress.com.

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The 20 Best Brooklyn Baby Names

Maia James — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 16:14:23 +0000

By Maia, President (here with Felix and Wolf)

This post originally appeared on Maia’s blog on The Huffington Post.

We recently moved from the Upper East Side of Manhattan to Brooklyn, and despite being less than five miles away, it feels like we’ve relocated to another planet.

Perhaps the biggest change is that, in this borough, no one recoils when we introduce our son as “Wolf.” I’ve stopped mumbling my answer or quickly changing the subject when faced with the “what’s his name?” question at the playground, and my husband has stopped apologetically adding, “it’s a family name” (which it’s not), to fill the awkward silence following my mumble. Yes, we’ve said goodbye to the legions of Williams and Charlottes (both lovely names, but in heavy, heavy use on Park Avenue), and Wolfie now has friends named Eisenhower or Strummer (for real).

Animal Names: You and Everyone Else!

When we settled on the name Wolf, we thought we were being creative, but turns out that would have been decidedly untrue if I had delivered my babies in Brooklyn. Here, animal names are, apparently this generation’s “J” names (I’m referring to the Jessica, Jeremy, Jason, Jennifer, etc. craze of the ’70s and ’80s). If you want to join me in my lack of originality, you might consider, in addition to Wolf: Eagle, Lion, Colt or Panther (all actual human beings over here).

If you’re not into any of those, but still want something unique, but not overly try-hardish, check my lists below. By the way, some of my very favorite names didn’t make these lists — like Henry, Esther and of course Felix and Wolf, the two I chose myself. The options below are names I’ve heard since moving here that I didn’t come across during either of my pregnancies, despite combing through about a jillion baby-naming websites (the one exception is Wild, which I wanted for both of my boys. My husband didn’t think this fell into the “non-try-hard” category).

If you’re searching for the perfect name, perhaps you’ll find it in my lists below. If not, the list may give you a good laugh, or, if you live on the Upper East Side, a good vomit.

My Top 10 Brooklyn Boy Names

1. Harris
2. Hazen
3. Hopper
4. Juniper
5. Pilot
6. Rex
7. Rio
8. Teo
9. Wild
10. Zane

My Top 10 Brooklyn Girl Names

1. Barrett
2. Billie
3. Cleo
4. Fern
5. Juna
6. Nova
7. Phoenix
8. Sterling
9. Viva
10. Wave

Please share the cool but not try-hard names you chose for your own children in the comments! (When we shared these lists on Facebook most people had a strong negative reaction–don’t worry, I’m not offended!)

Stay sane,

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Are the Benefits of Breastfeeding Overstated? I Doubt It.

Maia James — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 02:57:59 +0000

Written by Maia, President

Have you heard the news? It turns out that nursing your baby is a big waste of effort because formula is just as beneficial as breastmilk. At least that’s the conclusion you could reasonably draw from recent headlines that assert that there are “no long-term benefits of breastfeeding,” and “breast doesn’t beat the bottle.” Bloggers and reporters suggest we “hold the guilt!” because a “new study finds benefits of breastfeeding [are] dramatically overstated.” What has the media in such a froth? That would be sociologist Cynthia Colen’s cleverly designed new study, which looked at 1,773 sibling pairs in which one had been breastfed and the other had not, and found that—when these kids were between the ages of 4 and 14 years old–there were no statistically significant differences in their BMI, obesity rates, hyperactivity, parental attachment levels, behavioral compliance, or several measures of academic achievement.

I admit that as soon as the “formula is as good as breastmilk” headlines started clogging up my inbox and newsfeeds, I felt skeptical, defensive, and even annoyed. Am I attached to the idea that breastfeeding is hugely beneficial, considering that I nursed exclusively for over two years with my first son and am now doing it a second time? Absolutely. Breastfeeding–while snuggly and sweet and a great way to lose pregnancy weight—is also a serious commitment and involves a lot of personal sacrifice, especially if you plan to do it without supplementing with formula, without a breast pump (obviously not an option for moms working out of the home), and for longer than a year. All this nursing—and the lack of traveling, sleeping, and drinking margaritas—had better be ensuring that my sons are healthy little geniuses, dammit!

My husband, a stem cell scientist and assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, got his hands on Colen’s manuscript, and I spent an evening poring over the 57-page document (while breastfeeding my 8-month-old, naturally). There are some really obvious issues that jumped out right away, and I won’t spend much time addressing the ones that many bloggers have already tackled, such as, what about the many established health benefits enjoyed by a breastfeeding mother, especially if she breastfeeds multiple children for long durations? Or how about the fact that Colen only looked at kids over the age of 4? She does briefly acknowledge the nutritional value of breastmilk for newborns, but the media is ignoring the numerous, well-established health benefits breastfeeding offers infants—such as a proven decrease in SIDS risk.

But let’s forget about the benefits to moms and babies for a minute, and focus on Colen’s conclusions about children ages 4-14. Does breastfeeding really offer NO benefit to this group? In order to answer that, Colen would need to address the following:

For how long did these women breastfeed? The mothers who participated in this study were asked two questions: did you breastfeed your baby, and if so, for how long? I read the manuscript over and over, and bugged my husband to help me understand the tables of data, and it’s official: nowhere does Colen mention what the average duration of breastfeeding was for the families studied. In fact, she doesn’t tell us anything about the duration of breastfeeding for any of the families, except to say that the length of time a child was breastfed didn’t affect the outcomes. In Colen’s analysis, an infant who was breastfed even one single time would be put in the breastfed category (and of course this child’s outcomes cannot be expected to be different from a sibling who was never breastfed at all). What if the average breastfeeding duration among the study’s participants was two weeks? And what if no woman breastfed for more than 4 months? In that plausible scenario, the results of this study aren’t very meaningful, or at least need to be interpreted differently. Studies show that very few women in this country exclusively breastfeed for a significant amount of time (less than 15% at 6 months postpartum), so I suspect that the number of babies in this study who were breastfed for more than a few months is quite small (the fact that Colen measured breastfeeding in weeks instead of months supports this theory). In fact, it seems likely that a mother who lacks good support to breastfeed the first time, and therefore doesn’t stick with it, might opt to formula feed her next child right from the start, possibly concluding that she doesn’t produce enough milk. I know several moms in this exact situation, and I would not expect their eldest child to have different math scores at age 14 than the younger siblings, obviously.
Were these babies exclusively breastfed? Another huge piece of missing information here is how much these women breastfed—in other words, were the babies also fed formula? I don’t know anyone who exclusively breastfed one child and exclusively formula-fed another. This isn’t to say such situations don’t exist, but my hunch is that most of the babies who were put in the “breastfed” bucket were fed some combination of breastmilk and formula. Other studies clearly demonstrate that exclusive breastfeeding is protective against a number of diseases and that “partial breastfeeding” (supplementing with formula) provides much weaker protection, so knowing whether the breastfed siblings were exclusively breastfed (or even mostly breastfed) is important when looking at long-term outcomes.
How did the author choose which outcomes to study? Colen’s selection of long-term outcomes is curious. Other studies on breastfeeding duration have failed to show a substantial effect on obesity, asthma, and intelligence (three outcomes that Colen chose to look at), but have showed a significant effect, for instance, on the risk of high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes (two outcomes Colen chose to ignore). Colen’s previous body of work focuses on socioeconomic and racial disparities in a variety of healthcare issues, and again in this paper she asserts that these factors are responsible for the better outcomes of breastfed babies (rather than the breastfeeding itself). It seems possible that Colen cherry-picked which outcomes to study in order to support her thesis.

Breastfeeding Isn’t a Panacea, But We Should Make It Easier

I will concede that breastmilk isn’t necessarily the liquid gold many of us want to believe it is (every time my son, Wolfie, gets a runny nose, you will find me shaking my fist shouting, “But what about the ANTIBODIES?!!”). It isn’t a cure for all illnesses, and it doesn’t guarantee your kid admission to Harvard or a BMI of 18 for life. But I mean, come on, it’s better than formula. We all know this intuitively, even without the bajillion studies other than Colen’s that strongly suggest the superiority of breastmilk.

What vexes me most about Colen’s study and the sensationalist news headlines that followed isn’t that it lets formula feeders off the hook—I’m all for making parenting choices that work for you and not feeling guilty about them, and I know loads of wonderful formula-feeding moms who have robust, bright, well-adjusted kids. What bugs me is that this one questionable study has shifted the focus from where I believe it needs to be: and that’s on improved policies and support—like paid maternity leave and better postpartum healthcare—that would enable more mothers to have successful and pleasant nursing experiences, should they choose to breastfeed.

(By the way, if you do formula-feed, you should read our Safe Infant Formula Guide.)

Stay sane,

Maia

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When Will My Pre-Pregnancy Jeans Fit Me?

Maia James — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 22:32:49 +0000

This is all I did when Felix was a newborn. This and eating.

My second son is 6 months old, and I’m just about back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I think it happened slightly faster this time, probably because instead of lying around nursing and stuffing my face, I’m schlepping two kids around the city for all of the four-year-old’s activities. I found the following journal entry on my first postpartum experience, when several months in I was still far from my normal weight.

A couple of weeks ago, I finally resigned myself to the fact that my pre-pregnancy jeans officially donʼt fit, and perhaps they never will. I can squeeze into a pair or two, but when I do, the desire to take a full breath is just too great, and with it the temptation to slip back into pajamas.

I recently upgraded to some “yoga pants,” which are just glorified sweatpants (even Lululemons felt too restrictive). Instead of trying on my old J.Brands daily, I decided to admit defeat and buy a new pair of bigger jeans to wear with the Salcony running shoes I lace up each day before walking no further than the lobby of my building to get the mail.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a pair of Paige jeans that fit perfectly and were only one size bigger than the ones I wore back when I had occasion to get dressed in the morning. I happily slapped down a weekʼs worth of grocery money for them, and was happy to discover that they only became restrictive if I polished off a box of truffles (not such a rare occurrence) or when I wore my sexy thermal union suit under my clothes (itʼs COLD this winter!). I donʼt wear the new pants that often because, letʼs be honest, jeans never really deserved the reputation of comfort clothing, at least not after youʼve lived in those amazingly soft disposable hospital undies, flannel pj pants, and often no top at all for a few weeks (this last part thanks to intense pain in the early days of breastfeeding).

In any event, it was great to fit into a pair of pants that donʼt look like my grandmother should be wearing them.

Until I saw my husband wearing them.

Apparently, while I lounged on the couch last Wednesday watching a DVRed episode of The Little Couple, our new cleaning lady assumed my new pants to be a pair of Daylonʼs, and stacked them in his dresser, from which he grabbed the when he was– thoughtful, kind man that he is–getting dressed in the dark early this morning so as not to wake me. When he came home from work, and I noticed the jeans–my jeans–actually SAGGING on his ass, I literally choked on the milkshake Iʼd had him pick up for me on his way home. He proceeded to show me how he could pull them off of his hips without unbuttoning them, so I filed for divorce.

One thing did make me feel slightly better: the next morning, when I opened my dresser, there were rows of Daylonʼs favorite tighty-whities lined my drawer, clearly having been mistaken for womenʼs bikini briefs.

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The post When Will My Pre-Pregnancy Jeans Fit Me? appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

The Secret Reason I Didn’t Have an Epidural

Maia James — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 00:58:37 +0000

I recently gave birth without the use of any pain medications for the second time. While recovering and getting to know my new son, Wolf, I’ve been reading over the journal entries I penned right after Felix’s birth nearly four years ago. Here is that birth story, with an admission of the real reason I went drug-free.

At the hospital, during a short break between contractions.

I am a delicate flower, otherwise known as a massive wimp with no tolerance for pain. The common cold inevitably knocks me out for days, I need nine or so hours of sleep a night to be a truly functional human being, and I am so unathletic that I blanch when people suggest a friendly game of kadmina at the beach.

Iʼve always been in awe of people who do things like run marathons, so much so that I often have to discretely end my friendship with them (much like I do with people who turn down cocktails at brunch–I just realize we have nothing in common).

So, on the one hand, my decision to have an epidural-free childbirth was insane. On the other hand, I was raised in Vermont. Most of my friends were born at home. None of the boys were circumcised. My brother and I actually HAD the mumps in early childhood, not being immunized against it, or anything else. So, there was some part of me—the same part that stops shaving my legs in the winter—that really loved the idea of a natural birth. I was too terrified to do the whole thing at home, so I went the hospital route, but with a doula—a woman named Amy who we paid nearly $5,000 to fight off the anesthesiologist (someone I came to picture as a nefarious needle wielder).

As my birth plan dictated, we did the first part of the labor at home, where I squatted in various rooms of my apartment and made noises that can only be described as lowing (the exact noises, incidentally, that I SWORE Iʼd never make). Now, two weeks later, Iʼve already managed to forget what, exactly, contractions feel like. (My pregnant girlfriend keeps asking me, “Are they like especially bad period cramps?” No. “Diarrhea pains?” No. “A horrible side stitch while exercising?” Certainly not.) All I can say is that I remember thinking it must have been what William Wallace felt like in the disembowelment scene of Braveheart.

After about seven hours of this (during which I spent pretty much the entire time asking Amy, “How many more contractions do you think Iʼll have?”), I decided I simply couldnʼt take it any more and that I needed the drugs. So we walked to the hospital (itʼs only about 6 blocks away, and anyone who has been in labor can attest that sitting in a cab would be unendurable).

Upon arrival, I was told that I was fully dilated, and Amy convinced me that I didnʼt need the epidural. But I remained tempted. Even as the baby was crowning, I asked, “What would the epidural do for me now?” Shortly after this, when he was supposedly still crowning but had failed to emerge, I switched tactics and demanded a C-section, which I was also denied.

In any event, I officially gave birth without drugs, and my baby was 9 pounds, 4 ounces. Most people probably feel like they did their kids a huge favor by bringing them into the world epidural-free. And yes, I am proud that Felix, the absolute love of my life, had as clean and natural a beginning as I could have given him. But in my heart of hearts, do I REALLY believe the epidural would have caused him lasting harm? No. What I do love is the look on peopleʼs faces when I tell them that I—the same girl who walks in stilettos for a maximum of three blocks before complaining of blisters and hailing a cab—pushed a 9-plus-pounder and felt every second of it.

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The post The Secret Reason I Didn’t Have an Epidural appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

What if I Don’t Love My Baby?

Maia James — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:12:05 +0000

I had forgotten that during Felix’s infancy, and before I had launched Gimme the Good Stuff, I sometimes wrote about my pregnancy, birth and postpartum period before falling asleep at night. I recently found the entry below, and it brought me some comfort as I have again been worrying about not loving the baby I’ve been gestating for the last 39 weeks.

I spent pretty much my entire pregnancy convinced I wasn’t going to love my child. While other moms-to-be claimed they fell head over heels the minute they saw the plus sign on the EPT, my reaction was ever-so-slightly different — in that I burst into tears, felt like I couldn’t catch a full breath and demanded that Daylon — at that point, my boyfriend for less than a year — schedule an appointment for an abortion immediately (note that up until this moment, I’d always said I would never, ever be able to have an abortion, no matter what the circumstances).

It wasn’t that I didn’t want kids or that I wasn’t sure that Daylon was the person I would eventually have them with. It was more that none of my friends were talking babies yet. I was only 28 years old and had just moved in with Daylon and I was enjoying our new life together. In my mind, kids were still many years away.

As we were on the first day of a week-long Caribbean vacation when I found out I was pregnant, there wasn’t much to do besides stop drinking margaritas and wait until we got home (the fact that I immediately stopped drinking makes me wonder if I was REALLY so sure I didn’t want the pregnancy, although at the time, I told myself it was only because Daylon was having such a hard time hiding his excitement — I had to at least PRETEND to weigh the options).

The next day I started spotting. And weirdly, I was devastated. Hold on. Shouldn’t I have felt some relief over a potential miscarriage? Yet somehow, it again felt like I wasn’t being given any choice in the matter — I had in no way wanted to get pregnant, but I also hadn’t definitively made up my mind to abort the little lima bean. (Of course, I thought that I HAD made up my mind, right up until the blood showed up on the toilet paper.)

In the end, I didn’t have a miscarriage, and I decided to marry Daylon and have the baby. But still, I fretted about the lack of real affection I felt towards the fetus as the trimesters slipped by.

During my ninth month of pregnancy, Daylon assured me that if I didn’t love our son, I could leave and he’d raise him and wouldn’t even hold it against me. I hate to admit that this possible out gave me some comfort.

During labor, I still felt nearly nothing towards the little human causing me such exquisite pain. The nurses kept saying things like, “Don’t you want to meet the baby?” or “He has blonde hair! Do you want to feel his head?” Of course, I couldn’t tell these benign women that I didn’t give a shit about his head. All I cared about was my own agony.

When Felix finally came out — all 9 pounds, 4 ounces of him — I felt more relief than anything even close to love. It was over. Never mind that I was now being stitched up for 45 minutes — compared to the sensation of a contraction (I didn’t have an epidural), this pain felt like acupuncture.

So now, Felix River was here. No longer a fetus, but a baby. And even during the first few days of his life, I’d look at him more with curiosity than any genuine love.

Then it changed. And rather than feeling a wave of relief that I wasn’t a evolutionary freak and was indeed capable of loving my offspring, I was terrified. Oh NO. I love this human more than anyone else EVER. More than Daylon. More than my own little BROTHER. What if something happens to Felix? What if he’s not happy and safe every single second of his existence? How will I cope? How will I ever leave him to go back to work for even 15 minutes a day?

Felix is one month old at the time of this writing. And my vehement hope is that as he gets older, I can scale back on how much I love this objectively-funny-looking-yet-beyond-perfect-to-me little creature. Because the burden of loving someone as much as I love him right now makes it hard to catch a full breath.

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The post What if I Don’t Love My Baby? appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

5 Super Easy Ways to Create a Safer Prenatal Environment for Your Baby

Maia James — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:43:29 +0000

When I was pregnant with my second child, I realized that all the clichés about how different the prenatal period is the second time around were really spot on.

I barely could keep track of which week of pregnancy I was in, at 8.5 months pregnant I had not yet taken any baby clothes/blankets out of storage (let alone buy something new for the little guy), and had no idea where the ultrasound pictures ended up (with the exception of the one that had to be fished out of the garbage after 3-year-old Felix crumpled it up and said he wanted to throw his baby brother away).

My diet the second time around was also much less healthful than it was during my pregnancy with Felix, which means there is really only one area in which I was more conscientious the second time around. My”beauty” routine (if you can call it that) was way, way, less toxic, as a result of running Gimme the Good Stuff. My clients ask me all the time what they should do about skincare, haircare, and makeup while they are pregnant, so I’m going to repost what I consider to be the five most important ways you can protect your unborn child from toxins in cosmetics (we now know that many chemicals indeed cross the placenta and wind up in your baby’s bloodstream).

How to Detox Your Prenatal Beauty Routine

Avoid fragrances. If you cut out just one unhealthy ingredient while you’re pregnant, make it synthetic fragrance, which unfortunately makes an appearance in nearly all beauty products and sometimes shows up on the label as “parfum.” Why does fragrance stink? Because it often contains phthalates, those nasty chemicals implicated in early puberty, autism, childhood obesity, birth defects–plus a bunch of other scary stuff. Opt for fragrance-free products (“unscented” may mean that chemicals are used to cover up another odor) or those that specify that they contain only natural essential oils.
Use less stuff. Take advantage of your full, shiny pregnancy hair and wash it less frequently (or, if you’re really brave, become a no-pooer. Skip the expensive anti-aging eye cream. Of course, you can’t be expected to go 40 weeks without wearing mascara or moisturizer. My advice? Be particularly discerning about products that you use on your whole body on a daily basis (lotion you smear on after every shower), as opposed to special occasion products that cover a small surface area (red lipstick for a wedding).
Get healthy on the inside. To lessen the potential damage of chemicals in your beauty products, boost your body’s immune system. Load up on organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and perhaps a bit of grass-fed dairy and meat. Keep exercising once you get your doctor’s go-ahead. A healthier body is better able to handle the blast of phthalates you encounter whenever you walk through the perfume floor in Bloomingdale’s.
Go to the pros. Visit the EWG’s Skin Deep cosmetics database to learn more than you ever wanted to know about the ingredients in all of your beauty products. Surfing this site is an overwhelming experience, which is why I created Gimme the Good Stuff; I strive to provide quick and easy info on the safety of a range of products, without sending you into a full-blown panic.
Stay sane. Stress and anxiety are bad–for both you and your growing baby. Your kid is super lucky to have a conscientious momma, but don’t turn a good thing into a negative one by bugging out about how toxic your shampoo is (easier said than done, I know).

I’ve been told these steps are pretty easy to implement. Many of you already do all this stuff and are ready for Level II detoxing. Of course, there are many more ways to reduce your toxic load even further, both by way of your beauty products, as well as a range of other easily avoidable household toxins to which most of us don’t even realize we are exposed.

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The post 5 Super Easy Ways to Create a Safer Prenatal Environment for Your Baby appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

5 Tips for a Safer Prenatal Beauty Routine

Maia James — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 02:44:15 +0000

I recently wrote the following guest blog post for a local parenting website.

Pregnancy should be a stress-free time, but staying mellow can be easier said than done.

How do I know which skin- and hair-care products are truly safe to use while I am pregnant?

Answer: As you probably suspect, many beauty products advertised as “natural” or “organic” contain lots of questionable chemicals in their ingredients lists. Sadly, this is even true for those products marketed specifically for pregnant women. Sure, we should all learn to read and understand cosmetics labels the same way we do food labels, but this can be an overwhelming endeavor, especially when you’re living with pregnancy brain. Follow the tips below to easily mitigate your exposure to the worst offenders.

Five Tips for a Safe Prenatal Beauty Routine

Avoid fragrances. If you cut out just one unhealthy ingredient while you’re pregnant, make it synthetic fragrance, which unfortunately makes an appearance in nearly all beauty products and sometimes shows up on the label as “parfum.” Why does fragrance stink? Because it often contains phthalates, those nasty chemicals implicated in early puberty, autism, obesity, and birth defects. Opt for unscented products or those that specify that they contain only natural essential oils.
Go to the pros. Visit the EWG’s Skin Deep cosmetics database to learn more than you ever wanted to know about the ingredients in all of your beauty products. Surfing this site is an overwhelming experience, which is why I created Gimme the Good Stuff, where I strive to provide quick and easy info on the safety of a range of products, without sending you into a full-blown panic.
Use less stuff. Take advantage of your full, shiny pregnancy hair and wash it less frequently (or, if you’re really brave, become a no-pooer). Skip the expensive anti-aging eye cream. Of course, you can’t be expected to go 40 weeks without wearing makeup or moisturizer. My advice? Be particularly discerning about products that you use on your whole body on a daily basis (the lotion you smear on after every shower), as opposed to special occasion products that cover a small surface area (smoky eyeshadow for your sister’s wedding.)
Get healthy on the inside. To lessen the potential damage of chemicals in your beauty products, boost your body’s immune system. Load up on organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and grass-fed dairy and meat. Keep exercising once you get your doctor’s go-ahead. A healthier body is better able to handle the blast of phthalates you encounter whenever you walk through the cosmetics floor of Bloomingdale’s.
Stay sane. Stress and anxiety are bad—for both you and your growing baby. Your kid is super lucky to have a conscientious momma, but don’t turn a good thing into a negative one by bugging out about how toxic your shampoo is (easier said than done, I know).

Best Bets for Safe Cosmetics
Many companies (Burt’s Bees, Dr. Hauschka) make some safe products, but also some products that I call Sneaky Stuff. It’s impossible to remember which ingredients are problematic when you’re perusing a cosmetics counter, so it helps to know of a few companies you can trust across the board. Some of my favorites brands of truly safe products, for pregnancy and beyond, include:

Sierra Sage for belly balm, nipple cream, and sitz bath, plus lip balms, salves, and baby balm.
Nvey Eco for makeup.
Acure Organics for anti-aging treatments, body moisturizers, hair care, and facial cleansers.
Earth Mama Angel Baby for a range of prenatal and postpartum products.
Kabana Skin Care for sunscreens.

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The post 5 Tips for a Safer Prenatal Beauty Routine appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

Older Dads More Likely to Have Autistic Kids

Maia James — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:24:29 +0000

It’s hard to not worry about autism as a parent or potential parent. When I was pregnant in 2009, one in 120 kids was on the autism spectrum; earlier this month, we learned that this number has jumped to one in 88. Autism is particularly rampant in boys (affecting roughly one in 50).

Is my baby “on the spectrum”?

When Felix was a newborn, I wondered why he didn’t gaze at me the way all the books promised he would. When he was 6 months old our pediatrician suggested that I “keep an eye it,” after he asked if Felix imitated our facial expressions and I said no. For me, “keep an eye on it” equalled Googling signs of autism, pausing only long enough to poke my tongue out at my baby every 30 seconds, fervently praying that he’d follow suit.

I hope that I won’t worry about autism with any subsequent children I have, but if the statistics keep heading in this direction, that may be difficult.

What causes autism?

Plastic? Pesticides? Prenatal ultrasounds? I can’t even venture a guess, but recent studies show that advanced paternal age is a significant risk factor, due to spontaneous gene mutations that are more likely to occur in older men’s sperm.

Men have a biological clock, too.

Older dads doesn’t entirely explain the dramatic uptick in autism rates over the last several decades (the gene mutations account for only about 10 percent of autism cases). And, in fairness, I have to mention that advanced maternal age is also associated with an increased risk of autism. Still, I admit that I am relieved to learn that men also would be wise to listen to the ticking of a biological clock. For guys over 50, the risk of having a child with autism is twice that of a father under the age of 30.

Will this change the dating landscape?

Here in New York, many of my bachelor friends are this close to being in their forties, still dating girls in their early twenties, and turning up their noses at anyone over 30. And among my single female friends in their mid- or late thirties, there is talk of freezing eggs and worry over increased complications should they delay pregnancy. For too long we’ve all focused on the startling rates of Down syndrome for moms over 40 (about 1 percent, which is more than ten times the risk for a 25-year-old mother). I’ll admit it: I would be secretly psyched to learn that a fecund 23-year-old opted to date a fellow 23-year-old instead of one of my guy friends who was basically born in the ’60s. Perhaps I’m just a bitter nearly-32-year-old, but I feel that the playing field has been ever so slightly leveled.

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