Updated: June 16, 2008 

I find myself writing and talking about this more and more.  What did I wish I knew when I was pregnant with Nicholas?  Well, here it is….. here’s my list…. everytime I talk about this, I CANNOT believe I didn’t know these things… so I hope this helps someone, somewhere.  🙂

Flu shots for pregnant women are a HUGE risk for your unborn child.  HUGE.  Not worth taking, in my opinion.  I’ve never been a believer of the flu shot, but once I dug into the ingredients, I walk away with the “What the hell?” effect.  So, if you’re expecting, try to stay away from the flu shot, even if it is thimerisol free – that’s not the only ingredient you need to worry about.

Seafood is not as healthy as you’d like to think.  Should I ever have another baby, I will go the 9 months without a shrimp, scallop, lobster tail, etc.  Truth is, there is way too much mercury in them and you’d automatically be exposing your unborn child to it.  They tell you not to eat sandwich meat because it could kill your baby – sorry, but I think the risk of the mercury in seafood is much bigger the risk then having your favorite sandwich.

When you check into the hospital to deliver, you sign the paperwork which gives the hospital clearance to do anything they want to your child.  This includes the hepititus vaccine and the Vitamin K shot, eye antibiotics, etc.  Here are my thoughts on this…..  read this paperwork ahead of time and add what you are NOT agreeing to on the form before you sign it.  Since your soon-to-be-born baby will not be engaging in sexual acts or hypodermic drug use, you need not think about the Hep shot at this time.  The Vitamin K shot contains some nasty ingredients, so I’d pass on that as well.  And the antibiotics in the eyes thing- well, if you don’t have any STD’s (provided your baby is not a c-section) – decline this and take the time to actually bond with your baby when they can SEE you.  It is really unnecessary for a newborn to get such a huge dose of antibiotics the second they come out of the womb.  This was originally intended to prevent blindness in children of mothers who had gonorrhea and now are intended for other diseases including herpes.   Antibiotics are not something that you should give your child without thought.  Erythomycin (and other mycin drugs) have somewhat of a shaky history, so I wouldn’t be rushing to put these drops in my newborn’s eyes, especially since they also contain thimerisol (mercury).

It’s a myth to think that “your child cannot go to school if they have not been vaccinated” – the earlier you learn that this is a myth and you truly are in control of what gets injected into your child’s body, the better off you are. 

Babies need vitamin drops with flouride for their teeth.  Flouride is a toxin and you’re giving your child drops of it thinking you’re doing the right thing.  You’re not.  Google flouride and see what you find.

The pediatrician will know what kind of formula I should feed my infant.  This is another myth, especially if they’re recommending a soy based formula if the milk-based one doesn’t work for your child.  Soy is one of the worst things you can feed a child.  I have a blog post on this, I totally regret feeding my son soy-formula.  As far as I’m concerned, it shouldn’t even be manufactured.

Tylenol is a huge no-no.  Never give your baby tylenol, especially when taking him/her in for shots. 

Going to the dentist while pregnant is also a HUGE mistake.  If you have amalgam fillings, you don’t need anyone stirring the pot in your mouth letting mercury (yes, mercury) loose only to be absorbed into your body and then into your unborn child.    You’ll live without getting your teeth cleaned.  If you have an emergency, find a holistic dentist who knows what to do for a pregnant patient.

Getting your hair dyed/permed/etc. is a bad idea.  The chemicals from the various processes are toxic and your hair is absorbing them quicker than you can believe.  There’s no stopping these toxins from getting to your unborn child.  The risk is too high to take the chance.

Try to be as natural as possible with the products you use on your body; soap, shampoo, makeup, etc.  Check the cosmeticdatabase to see what ingredients are in your favorite products:
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

I’ll add to this list as more things come to mind…… 😉