Green SAHM

Thank goodness I’m most of the way through my nausea in this pregnancy, at least by how the past few days have gone. It’s been getting much, much milder.

Like a lot of mothers-to-be (again), a lot of unhealthy foods get to be really tempting at times. I’m luckier in this area than some moms I know - I currently have a strong aversion to greasy food. I talked to one mom who said she could stomach nothing but McDonald’s during her last pregnancy. Just the thought… eww!

My strongest craving so far has been for cucumbers. I’m certainly not going to complain about that one, although it was heartbreaking finding out that the batch I bought one time had a serious problem with a bitter flavor in them.

More challenging are the cravings for something sweet. I generally try to analyze what it is I’m really after with those cravings. Sure a big bowl of ice cream is fun, but what is it I’m really wanting? Can I get a healthier version?

But the worst, of course, is when I’m nauseous. You know the sort, where even Saltine crackers are hard to eat. And I really loathe ginger.

My best key for this is to try to have something easy on the stomach available with every meal. Rice, for example. Sometimes the nausea starts when I’m in the middle of preparing dinner, or eating it. Yes, for me nausea is at its worst in the evening. Really, really makes me glad most of it is gone now.

I try to have something healthy I can still stomach available all the time, so if I’m hungry and nauseous, I suffer only as much as the nausea requires. Sometimes that’s a lot if the nausea beats out the hungry.

Today I’d like to share an article with you from Dr. Alan Greene. Especially since I’ll be having a baby again soon I love these tips!

By Alan Greene, M.D.

www.drgreene.com

Shortly after your labor and delivery, the mixed anxiety and joy of this life experience will be in your past, and it will be time to look forward to the future—to the time when your baby will live and grow in the protective environment that you will create in your home.

As you did when choosing an ob/gyn, you want to find a pediatrician who is top-notch medically. How much better if he or she is also on the journey to an environmentally sustainable perspective on pediatrics!

This may be the first time you have selected a pediatrician; if you already have children, you may have an established relationship with their pediatrician—or you may have inherited a treasured family doc from when you were a child. In any case, here are five representative questions you may want to ask politely to gauge physicians’ thoughts on things green:

1. What advice do you give to new parents about introducing solid foods?

If their first suggestion is to begin with processed white rice flour cereal or processed conventional jarred foods, they may still be working from a twentieth-century industrial mind-set. To learn more, continue the conversation by asking for their advice about introducing whole grains, fresh tastes, or organic foods. Green pediatricians are often conscious of nutrition and care about establishing the nutritional habits of today’s babies in ways that are better than those of previous generations.

2. How do you recommend treating ear infections?

If they say that all ear infections should be treated with antibiotics, they may be behind the times. The Academy of Pediatrics now teaches that, in many situations, ear infections will heal better on their own, without antibiotics (but pain relief should be given for the ear pain). The first steps toward sustainability that pediatricians often make in their practices are to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics.

3. How do you recommend treating eczema in babies?

If their first response is to use steroids or prescription drugs, they may not yet be thinking green. Often, a better first approach is to reduce exposure to eczema triggers or to gently moisturize the skin. Green-oriented physicians are more likely to treat the cause rather than just the symptoms and will opt for the gentlest treatment possible.

4. What kind of baby shampoo do you recommend?

If they mention a conventional brand, they may not yet be thinking about sustainable and pure products. If they mention any of a number of greener options, such as Baby Avalon Organics, Burt’s Bees, or Tom’s of Maine, that’s a good sign that they are at least aware of a variety of greener options for common baby products.

5. Do you buy organic foods for your own family?

The answers to these types of questions will help you get a sense of their own green lifestyle outside the practice of medicine. Often physicians will start thinking about green issues for their own lives before they start integrating them into their practices. If they have made even small steps in this regard, they may be more supportive of your efforts to raise your baby green.

In addition to conversations with prospective pediatricians, you can also get some insight into the green potential of a medical practice by making an office visit simply to observe. What kind of lighting is used? (Incandescent bulbs are very non-green.) What kinds of cleaners are used? (A strong scent of bleach or ammonia is the tip-off that green cleansers are not yet in use.) Are there any babies in the waiting room who are wearing cloth or hybrid diapers? (This is a good sign that other parents with environmental concerns have chosen this doctor.)

And from the comfort of your home, you can learn a lot about some physicians and their practices by looking at their Web sites—many pediatricians have them now, but not all—and by talking to other parents.

About the author: Dr. Alan Greene, author of Raising Baby Green, is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of California San Francisco. In addition to being the founder of www.DrGreene.com, he is the Chief Medical Officer of A.D.A.M. He is the Chair of The Organic Center and on the Advisory Board of Healthy Child Healthy World. Dr. Greene appears frequently on TV, radio, websites, and in print including appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, The Wall Street Journal, Parents Magazine, and US Weekly. Dr. Greene is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University’s Packard Children’s Hospital.

Whoops. I’ll admit it, getting pregnant again was definitely not on my to-do list. But this rascal had other ideas and decided to beat the odds to do so.

It’s kind of an awkward feeling. I’m delighted about having another baby, but at the same time, I’d meant to stick with just 2 kids. There’s some of that green guilt for adding yet another person to the world.

But it’s a baby. I really can’t stay upset about it for long.

Nice thing is that my green leanings have been steadily rubbing off on my husband. I wanted cloth diapers with our previous two, and he was flat out against it. He saw a show on National Geographic called Human Footprint about how much we consume throughout our lives, and the part that caught his attention most was on disposable diapers. He WANTS cloth diapers for this baby. So I’ve won that argument at last.

But there’s another impact for us. One car won’t cut it anymore soon. This is really rough because my husband is still looking for a new job. But our one car has a total of 4 seats. Won’t exactly work with this fifth person comes into our family. And with car seats we’re going to need something wide enough that all the kids will still fit. My oldest doesn’t legally need a car seat anymore, but I prefer her to be in one. She’s still small enough that it’s safer.

The second car is also needed because I just cannot visualize trying to take public transportation with 3 young children to handle all the doctor’s appointments a new baby requires. Beyond that I still want to live like we only have one car and keep unnecessary driving to the barest minimum we can manage.

There’s not much we’ll need to buy for baby right away. We have access to boy clothes and girl clothes from previous babies; just have to get them back from relatives. We were in the process of cleaning out the old baby toys from the garage, but hadn’t quite gotten rid of them yet. I have to see if the breast pump still works. I’ve never used formula and can’t imagine doing so with this baby. We still have our food mill for making baby food.

I can also admit to being some nervous about the pregnancy itself. I’m turning 36 soon, and my last pregnancy was not so easy as the first, ending in what could have quickly turned into a miscarriage. Fortunately an alert doctor caught the lack of amniotic fluid on an unscheduled ultrasound and sent me in for a C-section. Unfortunately, that means my new OB (we’ve moved since then) is determined to do a C-section at 38 weeks or earlier if necessary to avoid that problem this time. I was so hoping to avoid that, even knowing my odds were slim!

On the plus side, to be blunt about it, it means I can easily get tied off and make it even harder for an unplanned pregnancy to occur again. 3 kids is quite enough, and 2 C-sections is very much so my limit!

One of the things my family loves to do is hike together. It’s very relaxing and good exercise. We are very fortunate to have some fields within walking distance to go hiking at.

A family hike is a great way to encourage your kids to explore nature. On one of our first hikes in these fields, the grass was just covered in ladybugs. I mean hundreds of them. The kids had a blast and we took some home to feast on the aphids that had taken over the rosebush.

The rosebush is much grateful, buy the looks of things.

Every time we go the kids find something interesting to explore. There are some very steep hills to climb - fortunately with less challenging paths for the way down. I’ve always found downhill more nerve wracking than up when it’s a steep hill. The kids of course think that hill is a treat, for all they need help getting to the top.

We’ve found fuzzy black caterpillars. My daughter is learning to identify local plants. All around, it’s just a good thing.

Even if you don’t have a good place to hike within walking distance of your house, find some place fairly local for doing that. It’s really fun and a great addition to your family’s routine.

Something I often find challenging is remembering to pack my reusable bags when I go grocery shopping. Not quite the habit I’d like it to be yet. I’m working on it, of course, but it just isn’t there yet.

It is wonderful, of course, how available they are now. I can’t think of any grocery store in my area that isn’t carrying reusable bags, and many are about $0.99. A couple stores carry higher quality ones that do cost more, though.

But getting something a little more stylish is always a temptation. I do enjoy wandering the reusable shopping bag selection at Reuseable Bags. In particular, I’m thinking some of the ultra compact bags would take care of that memory problem. They could just sit in my purse or car, ready for use. There are even some styles for kids, so you can start them off young.

I really need to start doing this, though. It makes much more sense to me than trying to remember to return the plastic ones for recycling, or debating if I have a need for a paper bag. Henry’s takes $0.05 per bag of your own you bring, which is a small reason, but a reason nonetheless.