lactation drinks

1. Potentially Harmful Toxin Exposures in Pregnancy and Lactation As soon as you see those red colored double lines on your pregnancy test strip, your life is no more surrounded around you, everything starts and ends for the best interests of the baby. Getting pregnant is one of the biggest pleasures of life for a couple but for the mother it is a life-altering journey of worry that has just commenced. If you decide to nurse your baby then the challenges get tougher but certainly more rewarding. Having lactation drinks, pumping and sleepless nights are all part and parcel of having a baby. Everything that goes into the mother’s body will affect the baby, be it a luscious glass of chardonnay or a fatty tuna sushi/sashimi or a strong mug of black coffee. Don’t fret about the thing you have done before knowing that you were pregnant because it won’t do any good other than stressing you out. But once you know that you’re going to bring a new life into this world it’s time to be mindful about your surroundings as that can have a strong impact on your baby’s endocrine system and even on the milk supply. In today’s day and age, we’re literally encapsulated with chemicals and there’s no way we can get away from them. But if you have a better sense of idea about what these toxins are and how they can harm the baby inside your womb, you can make better choices by being cautious about them. In this article we will learn about a few of these harmful toxins that are very commonly around us and we come in contact with them more often than we should. 1. Lead Potentially, one of the most dangerous chemicals that a pregnant or lactating mother can come in contact with is lead. In case of high levels of lead intake into the mother’s body can cause premature delivery, miscarriage, low birth weight, decrease in milk product (increase milk supply with lactation drinks), development problems and if the lead levels were low they can still cause behavioral and learning issues in children. In the USA, there is very less chance of lead explosion for pregnant or lactating mothers but if your home was built in the 1970s or if you are eating spices or candies made out of the USA then you can be exposed to lead. 2. Mercury Mercury exposure can cause moderate to severe nervous system damage, hearing and vision problems and other health issues to the unborn or the nursing child, as it can mix in the blood and reach the womb and the breastmilk. Once you know that you’re pregnant or when you’re nursing the child, steer clear of fishes that contain high levels of mercury like shark, swordfish, fatty tuna, mackerel, marlin or tilefish. To be on the safer side, pregnant and lactating mothers should avoid eating these kinds of fish or limit its usage at monthly bases. 3. Household Chemicals

2. This is a broad term that is used for a number of toxins a woman can come in contact with quite easily as they are all used in every household on daily bases. These chemical and toxins include pesticides, herbicides, repellents, cleaning products such as tile cleaners, glass polish, oven cleaners, varnish removers, air fresheners, aerosols, rug cleaners, detergents, bleaches, hair dyes, teeth bleaching products and self-tanners. Some of these chemicals are completely harmless but can just cause a mild headache, make the mother nauseous or cause discomfort in the throat but others do have strong effects on the health of the baby. While using cleaning products make sure you wear a mask and gloves, avoid repellents for the first trimester and make sure to ventilate the area where these products are being used so they get diffused in the air. 4. Pet Waste Pregnancy and lactation is the perfect excuse to get yourself exempted from cleaning dog pop or kitty litter boxes. An infection of a parasite called toxoplasmosis can be spread through cat litter and can be the cause of very grave problems in the fetus such as prematurity, poor growth rate, brain damage and severe eye damage. Sometimes the mother will have no symptoms or flu-like symptoms but the effects of the baby are high. Pet medications like flea or tick are also to be avoided in pregnancy and lactation phase and so are the other pet chemicals. 5. BPA Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that is found in many plastics that is used in packaging foods products. Many of the children's products are now BPA safe as it can be a cause of altered brain development and behavior in the unborn child when it passes from the mother to the child in the womb. Takeaway Pregnant and lactating mothers need to be more mindful of their surroundings and the products they come in contact with on daily bases as each one can have potential harmful effects for both the unborn baby and infant.