“Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient**, according to two new U.S. studies.”

And so begins a frightening article published by both USA Today and the Organic Consumers Association just a couple of months ago. So why isn’t there more of an uprising responding to this information that the food industry is knowingly poisoning our families just to save a buck? Maybe it’s because the word just isn’t out there. It appears to me when searching around for information, most of the response to these findings were published the week following publication. And, then, discussion seems to have just dropped off the cliff.

So, I’m putting the call out to all of you to join the folks who are researching the HFCS/Mercury issue and, and I’m asking you to continue the conversation. Preferably, in a loud audible volume so that industry leaders will actually catch wind and realize that we demand to have food choices that are not toxic to our children.

What about those commercials that say HFCS is just as safe as sugar? The article below posted on the site The Good Human states it quite clearly:

“Pure sugar just happens to be a truly natural substance that has not been mixed in vats, chemically derived and played with, and used as cheap substitute in almost everything on the grocery store shelves. Everyone should limit the amount of sugar they ingest. But according to an article in SF Gate, “The body processes the fructose in high fructose corn syrup differently than it does old-fashioned cane or beet sugar, which in turn alters the way metabolic-regulating hormones function. It also forces the liver to kick more fat out into the bloodstream.”

The mental image of feeding my family something that is “mixed in vats, chemically derived and played with” quite frankly gives me hee-bee-gee-bees. It also inspires personal pride that I attempt to feed them naturally derived foods as much as possible. But, I don’t think that alone is enough. I don’t believe that taking the stance of “well, I just won’t patronize those companies” is enough when taking a position against these industry business practices.

So, Check out the links below. And spread the word. And ask yourself this question: Could the processed-food industry be responsible for some of the rising incidences of childhood sickness and disease? Or worse, could there be a more direct HFCS/mercury connection to the rise in such developmental disorders as Autism Spectrum Diagnoses—blamed most recently on vaccination ingredients (mercury!) and aggressive vaccination schedules? Maybe the answers to these questions rest more on our pantry shelves than we think.

Study: High Fructose Corn syrup contains mercury

Much High Fructose corn syrup contaminated with mercury, new study finds

New York Times: The Food Issue- An open letter to the Farmer in Chief (Michael Pollan)

US Autism- Food Matters

The double danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup

HFCS vs. Sugar: Is one worse than the other?

**Reading Nutrition Labels: The list of ingredients on a Nutrition label are ordered by the amount of that ingredient in the product. For instance, a jar of peanut butter might read: “Peanuts, Salt.” The first ingredient, peanuts were the primary ingredient followed by a lesser amount of salt. Likewise, a box of multi-grain crackers might list: Enriched wheat flour, soybean oil, whole grains (barley, millet, triticale, sorghum, rye,) whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda, malted barley flour, calcium carbonate, yeast. In this example, Enriched wheat flour (the first ingredient) constitutes most of the product while the amount of yeast (the last ingredient) was measured the least of all ingredients.

This week I was invited to attend an Ambassador’s meeting of the Birth Circle of Pittsburgh. It is quite an honor and privilege to be asked to be an Ambassador for this dynamic group of women.  Serving local women of childbearing age, the Birth Circle aims to educate and support mothers (and their families) through an amazing outreach initiative. The informational resources span myriad topics including domestic violence support; support for ESL families; teen pregnancy; pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum resources— to name a few. The Birth Circle is also a doula collective that gives direct prenatal, childbirth and postpartum support/ service as well.

You can check out a more detailed description of the Birth Circle here. And, look for more coverage of current issues addressed by the Birth Circle   here at earthmother.org.

While researching an article, I stumbled upon a blog that has caused me to gasp and take pause. It’s the first of its kind that I’ve seen, written by an obstetrician whose goal is to debate current practices surrounding “natural” childbirth (quotation marks, hers), the midwifery profession and, with much froth and fervor—homebirths. Despite her medical degree and based upon her tone and stance, I am truly concerned about the author’s ability to reasonably and responsibly council her patients/audience.

Her presentation is aggressive, combative and judgmental; well beyond harmless ranting. Rather than truly debating these topics, the author—whom I’ll call Docblog—addresses the subject of natural childbirth advocacy as if its very existence is a personal attack on her and her medical profession. She refers to supporters of natural, unmedicated birth as irresponsible, reckless, and uneducated people who don’t know what they’re talking about. She is not furthering the discussion of responsible practices. She aims to end the discussion with hers as the final word. And, that I find most disturbing.

While it may seem unlikely that I might admit this, I am grateful to her for her belligerent confrontation of natural childbirth advocates. I am thankful, because I am reminded that anyone who attacks a debate from a defensive posture elicits my skepticism—as in, why all the bellicosity? Why are you so defensive? Where does this topic hit so personally that you lose all reasonability which would give any merit to the other side? And so, with my skepticism aroused, the gauntlet is thrown down to educate myself further. Truly, Docblog has reignited a desire in me to continue my inquiry into information about these subjects and their many associated perspectives. After all, in the legendary words of Francis Bacon, Knowledge is power.

Acknowledging Sir Bacon’s observation gives me pause to consider the many women I’ve met or been in contact with through this site who espouse a fundamental mantra in supporting natural birthing: Be informed. Be responsible. Be prepared. In my experience, it’s women who have actively sought out information about pregnancy, labor and birth that most often choose to attempt birth without medical interventions. Ask a woman who has chosen an unmedicated birth to define meconium, locate the perineum or debate the side effects of commonly used narcotics during childbirth, and she’ll do so without blinking. Many women who have chosen midwife-assisted care can cite the works of such groundbreaking practitioners as Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, Dr. Michel Odent, or Ina May Gaskin. If nothing else, these women are educating themselves, choosing to be active participants in the event of their child’s birth while benefiting from the specific knowledge and experience of a certified midwife or licensed doctor.

Yet, her cautions are not lost on me. Motivated by all of the Docblog’s criticisms of natural childbirth advocates, it must be clearly stated that:

Women should choose their health care provider carefully. Very carefully. Women interviewing a doctor or midwife should feel comfortable to ask as many questions as they see fit to receive the answers and reassurance they are seeking. When hiring a health care practitioner, one should always feel a level of strictest comfort and trust. If your practitioner makes you feel uneasy in any way, choose someone else. By its very nature, childbirth places women in an extremely vulnerable position both for herself and her child and, thus, requires that all practitioners be knowledgeable, trustworthy, and compassionate. In addressing Docblog’s argument that birth tragedies happen when the practitioner is found to be inexperienced or—worse—unqualified, I will make one last clear statement: of course midwives should be certified, credentialed and insured. That’s a requirement. That’s common sense. Hire a doctor or midwife that is qualified. If there are any doubts, investigate or make another selection. Otherwise, you might as well attempt it alone, and I would never advocate that.

In the end, the truth is —or maybe, more accurately—my truth is that truth is relative. A skilled author can cull together a group of facts and figures to support virtually any argument. Likewise, a capable debater can dispute a grouping of data simply by touting their own grouping of data. The trick is to be armed with enough knowledge, and not a little common sense, to wade through it all and draw an informed, deliberate conclusion. I have all the faith in the world that my peers are actively choosing to do just that.

Visit the homebirth debate for an in depth look at the chicanery that inspired this response.

Educate yourselves and your families. Make informed, responsible choices.

Yesterday, my potty-training two year old had a banner day: she went to the bathroom every time she had to go. It was breakthrough not only because she had never made it all day with dry panties, but also she had been showing signs of disinterest. Ah, the ups and downs of potty training!

A couple of weeks ago, my little princess simply stated: “I don’t want to go potty anymore.” As I had been doing for a month or two, I gently offered the option frequently throughout the day. Her reply had grown to a very emphatic, “No.” And, so, I let it go. I stopped asking if she’d like to go use the potty. For a few days, it wasn’t even mentioned. Then, at the beginning of this week, her interest picked back up and she’s been slowly building to this point where she has been able to stay dry all day.

At this point, I am expecting her to continue to progress while still being prepared for the one step forward, two steps back phenomenon. Potty-training is such tricky business. These are a few of my practices that I think have helped her continue to progress with potty training.

• Stay positive. Don’t pressure. Give her space to test out the process without feeling failure or my disappointment when accidents happen—it’s her learning process to own, I’m just there to guide and give support. Let her feel proud when she uses the toilet successfully and then I show my pride, too.
• Give her the space to learn about the difference between using a diaper and using the toilet. Gently talk about going to the bathroom and that “feeling” of needing to go, discuss anatomy and function at her comfort level using words and phrases she can understand.
• Incentives do sometimes work. Some parents use treats (admittedly, I used M&M’s briefly during the turning point with my oldest.) Some parents offer earning toys or outings to the park. I am currently using a very specific incentive tool with my two year old: She loves wearing dresses, and she loves pretending to be a princess. She’s allowed to wear a “princess dress” when she goes on the potty. I tell her in a positive voice that princesses use the potty, and that seems to be inspiring for her.
• Understand that even when she shows no interest, the wheels in her brain are still processing it all. I really do believe that even when she refuses to go, it’s part of her process of learning to want to go.
• A couple of tools I’ve used:
  Time to Pee by Mo Willems. She loves this book and can recite it verbatim. It’s silly, gentle and fun.
  Once Upon a Potty for girls DVD. I’ve put this on once-in-a-while since she was about 18 months old just to help introduce some of the basic concepts of anatomy and using the potty. Its age-appropriate, and she really loves it. She has begun requesting it from time to time.

Using cloth diapers on my toddler during a recent trip to New York City was not going to be a viable option. Laundering cloth diapers at a coin-op while on holiday? Not my idea of R&R. My solution was to test out a relatively new product to the U.S.—g diapers.

Though I later learned that they are not yet widely available, I was able to find a local retailer without much effort. I bought a starter kit which included two g diaper pants, liners, a swishstick and 10 flushable inserts. Admittedly, I had just about swooned at the package design that showcases unbelievably adorable images of babies wearing g pants.

I was so excited that I cracked open the box as soon as I got home. I eagerly read the directions, assembled the pant with liner and flushable insert, and diapered my daughter. Yep, it was incredibly cute. But, would it work? And, would it solve my travel dilemma?

The g diaper consists of a fitted fabric diaper, a snap-in plastic waterproof liner and a flushable insert. The flushable insert is designed to virtually dissolve in water once torn open, dropped into the toilet bowl and flushed. The product encourages parents to flush a baby’s output down the toilet, thereby keeping the family waste “where it belongs” in the sewage system. It also makes mess, clean-up and laundering more manageable and convenient than cloth diapering.

After a day or two, I quickly realized that the starter kit of two g diapers was probably not going to be enough. One of the biggest challenges was finding a g diaper retailer in Brooklyn. Apparently, g diapers are still getting on the map even in big cities like New York, and purchasing them became a scavenger hunt.

I went to three different locations (two of which were listed as retailers on the g diaper site) with no luck. At my last Brooklyn hopeful, Fairway in Red Hook, I hit the mother load. This overwhelmingly huge grocer had what I was looking for—another starter kit and refills. The only downfall? It was a 20 minute drive at the other end of the borough. (If you live in Brooklyn, it might be a hassle to get there, but they do deliver.)

With four diapers now at my disposal, I found the use of g diapers much more manageable. Given my circumstances of having no laundry, I was able to toggle between hand washing, air drying and having at least two or three g pants ready to go.

My month-long experience of actual use inspired mixed (mostly positive) emotions. G diapers really are a combination of disposable and cloth. Pros and Cons abound:

Leakage/Fit: I’ve had no incidence of leakage. And, they are a perfect, slim fit. A definite pro over cloth diapers.
**The recent redesign is softer and even better fitting than it’s predecessor.

Leakage/Liners: the liners are basically a re-purposing of a plastic diaper cover…they snap on the inside. The ingenious design eliminates the bulk of old-school plastic covers while preventing leaks. They do stain with use. A starter pack includes 2 liners for each diaper. Thankfully, the company’s online shop site sells a liner replacement 2 pack.

Inserts/Flushables: They’re very absorbent despite the fact that they bunch-up during wear. Future design improvements are sure to solve the bunching-up problem.

Flushing: I did flush the inserts down very old NYC plumbing with a little back up, but nothing that a plunge didn’t cure. In that respect, I think it’s fair to acknowledge flushing is not for everyone— a point the g diaper crew addresses on page four of the handy users guide (HUG.)

Mess: Like cloth diapering, you will have to touch poop (although not nearly as much.) With diapering, it’s a necessary evil. My husband will never be 100% on board with g diapers (or cloth for that matter.) But, he uses g diapers because contact is at a minimum. Plus, he loves me and our daughter and is willing to deal with it. Out of appreciation for his reluctant touching-of-poop, I am the primary diaperer. That’s a drawback, sigh, but they are cute.

Washing: The pants do need to be washed but don’t need all the extra effort of cloth diapers. The snap-in liners work so well that pre-soaking and scrubbing the pants are almost a non-issue. Using hot water isn’t necessary. Cold or warm water with the rest of your laundry works just fine. The colors do fade slightly but not beyond what’s reasonable.

Grandparents/extended family: Will not do g diapers (or cloth for that matter); They are disposable die-hards. For some, this may be an issue. For me, I don’t complain one bit! Thanks Mom and Dad for being willing to change poopy diapers at all!

Cost: A starter kit of 2 g pants, 4 snap-in waterproof liners and 10 flushables cost me $23-$25 depending on retailer. ($26.99 online @ g diaper.com) A refill pack of 32 flushables puts me back $15. Quite a bit more than disposables and more than I want to pay. Environmentally-conscious products = not cheap. A definite drawback. But, I still think it’s worth it.

g diapers vs. cloth vs. disposables: At home, I use a cloth pre-fold diaper as an insert for g diaper pants or a cloth fitted diaper. I have come to prefer the pre-fold/g diaper combo as it keeps baby dry, doesn’t bunch-up, and is more trim fitting than a cloth diaper with a plastic cover. It’s also saves on buying flushable refills. When away from home, I use g diapers with flushable inserts . That way, carrying around soiled diapers is at a minimum, and I don’t have to use disposables. Disposables are obviously the most convenient, but experts say they take 500 years to decompose!

My Verdict: I’m sold! There is no doubt that g diapers and flushables are my favorite choice for diapering our daughter. They’ve made it their mission to address the two biggest controversies of modern-day diapering: landfills overflowing with plastic disposable diapers vs. the clean water concerns of laundering cloth diapers. Although I’m quite happy with their product design, I do believe they may still be too much maintenance and/or cost for the American public to be sold on the concept.

In the end, I applaud the g crew for their dedication to being the best option out there. I definitely recommend them to anyone who is looking for a disposable diaper alternative but isn’t interested in cloth. I foresee g diapers continuing to perfect their product and, with that, greater mass appeal will follow.

A Daddy’s verdict: If they could figure out a way to make it so we don’t have to touch the poop, I’d be 100% sold on it.

So, g diaper company, keep doing what you’re doing! Make cute diapers that don’t fill up landfills and can be flushed down the toilet. Who knows? With you at the helm, that next evolution—a healthy, safe, totally biodegradable g diaper seems only a matter of time.

Check out g diapers online.

Part Two of Two: Why Choose FAM
By Red Pen Mama (earthmother’s sister-in-law)

In the first part of this series, I talked a little bit about the “how” of the Fertility Awareness Method (also known as Natural Family Planning). The book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, MPH, is an in-depth look into FAM, and should be closely read by everyone interested in using the method.

Although FAM provides information about when you are fertile by charting signs of ovulation, it is not just a method for pregnancy achievement or birth control. All women of menstruating age can use FAM to learn about their individual cycles. FAM provides valuable information about what is normal for you and your body, and can be used to make all types of health care or family planning decisions. It can even provide a clear answer to the question, asked by doctors, gynecologists and midwives the world over: “When was your last period?” How often have you guessed the answer to that question? “Oh, I think it was the first week of April, maybe? Or was it late March?” With FAM, you can simply refer to your chart and have an exact date.

A Few Reasons Why You Should Use FAM

1. As a birth control method, FAM is hormone free. If you choose to have intercourse when you are ovulating, you can be sure to “double up” on the barrier method you choose, for example, using both a sponge and a condom.
2. It is easy. As I said last time, it requires commitment to follow, but once you learn how to chart your cycle, it is a piece of cake.
3. It doesn’t take a lot of time. Last article I compared it to brushing your teeth. FAM takes about the same amount of time to follow – maybe two minutes a day, total, less than brushing!
4. It takes the guesswork out of your cycle. Over time, using FAM tells you how long your cycles tend to be, if you ovulate, when you tend to ovulate (Day 11, Day 17, Day 25?), when to expect the start of your period (you can schedule vacations so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of pads and tampons!), and, if there is a problem, you’ll see it right away and have the information you need for your healthcare provider.
5. You will know if you are pregnant. If you have 18 or more high temperatures after your thermal shift, congratulations! You’re going to be a mother. You’ll even know the likely date of conception, another important day for your healthcare giver to know.

Why I Use FAM

The primary reason I use FAM is because I am 36 years old, and the side effects of hormonal methods of birth control grow more dangerous after age 35. I find most barrier methods inconvenient, distasteful, or uncomfortable. But for the record, I also use FAM because I am Catholic. Natural Family Planning is condoned for family planning by the Catholic Church, and that means a lot to me and my faith relationship with God.

When my husband DearDR and I married, we knew we didn’t want to start a family right away. We used condoms, but neither of us liked them because of the lack of sensation – and, as Catholics, we wanted to be stronger in practicing our faith. I had been on the Pill for seven years in my 20s, and now at 30, I didn’t want to start it again. I stumbled onto Taking Charge of Your Fertility, learned the method, and faithfully applied it. We abstained (or did “other stuff”) during my fertile time (only a few days, usually about a week), and enjoyed worry-free intercourse the rest of my cycle.

After a year, we decided to start trying to have a baby. We didn’t have to try long; the first time we had sex near ovulation, we conceived my son, Gabriel. Unfortunately, Gabriel was stillborn at 37 weeks, a heartbreak we will never get over.

Six months after our loss, we were tentatively ready to start trying to have another baby. Three months later, using the signs of ovulation to plan our intercourse, we again conceived. Today we have a healthy and happy little girl, Monkey, who will be three years old in November.

Then, I must admit, FAM took a backseat. I stopped charting altogether. Oh, I would occasionally tell DearDR that I had fertile fluid, and we would abstain (or whatever), but I wasn’t charting or using any birth control (unless you count the “withdrawal” method — and you shouldn’t!). Thus was conceived our sweet Bun, definitely on the early side of our five-year plan. By about a year. (DearDR still doesn’t believe she’s his because no one in his family has ever been that early.)

I am using FAM again. It is a little challenging now as I get early wake-up calls from our 9-month-old daughter. Also, I am still breastfeeding, and that definitely impacts my cycle, usually by delaying ovulation (I have many of days of fertile-quality fluid). But I know what to look for, and DearDR and I know we are not ready for another. If we decide to try to add to the fun, FAM will let us know if we can, and will give us the signs to provide optimal success.