Today being green has become decidedly mainstream, thanks to a rising generation of parents and consumers who are informed, Internet-savvy, and seeking eco-friendlier options for everyday life. Being green takes on a whole new meaning when you are pregnant, too, as you strive to protect not only the environment but also your unborn child.
Go Green Mindset
Even if you have never considered “being green” in your entire life, be green now. Stay away from artificial foods and toxins as much as possible while you are pregnant. Your baby is affected by everything that goes into your body, including gases and fumes.1
Consider a Midwife
If you desire a hospital-free birth and have a low-risk pregnancy, consider using a midwife at a nonhospital birth center. As long as you are in close proximity to emergency support, a birth center may be more open to your requests for a natural labor and delivery.
Let a Doula Help
Let a doula help. Some studies show that having a doula present during birth can reduce invasive or sometimes unnecessary medical interventions, such as pain medications, Pitocin to induce labor, or premature C-sections.66
Don’t Worry Excessively About Natural Birth
Worry more about daily green practices and less about natural birth. Strive for a natural birth, if desired. However, everyday activities during pregnancy, such as eating organic foods, minimizing exposure to toxins, using greener products, and avoiding alcohol, cigarettes, and medications, are far more likely to impact your baby than the decision of whether to have an epidural or not.Studies show that baby’s health is about the same whether a mother chooses an epidural or natural birth, with statistically similar blood pH levels, Apgar scores, and meconium levels in the bowels.67
Pick a Green-Leaning Pediatrician
Pick a green-leaning pediatrician. How do you treat ear infections? What is your policy for antibiotics? Read the practice website and assess how green your pediatrician may lean.
Reuse Baby Gear and Clothing
Recycle and re-use secondhand baby gear, maternity clothes, and baby clothes that are outgrown quickly.
Eat Organic and Check Food Labels
Check food labels and ingredients carefully. Prioritize organic whole foods during pregnancy, especially meat, eggs, and dairy. Eat ocean-friendly, sustainable seafood (different from mercury in seafood), which can be found in the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Pocket Guide for your region. Read infant formula labels.
Consider Organic Cotton
Consider slowly replacing the family’s linens with organic cotton. Conventionally grown cotton accounts for more than 25% of global insecticide use and 10% of total pesticide use.68
Choose Green Beauty Products
Use as many natural beauty and personal care products as possible. Focus your dollars on products that remain on your skin, such as creams and lotions, or may be used on your head, such as shampoo.
Watch Out for Greenwashing (phony green labels)
Beware of personal care products with phony “green” labels.
- Hypoallergenic: Manufacturers can use this word without proving their claim.
- Natural: This word is meaningless and can be applied to any personal care product.
- Organic: This can be used as a label in personal care even if only 1% of the content is organic.
- Fragrance free: This implies that a product has no scent or odor. Even if there is no scent, other substances can be added to mask the odor of other ingredients.
- Unscented: This generally means that no ingredients have been added to mask odors. Confused? Good. Beauty companies want you to be. Bottom line: “fragrance-free” products may still have essential oils or fruit/flower extracts added, which can contain allergens, just like natural and synthetically blended “fragrances.”
Check Personal Care Product Ingredients Online
Check skin and personal care product ingredients online. These databases can help you learn more about the current safety of personal products.
- The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at www.safecosmetics.org
- Skin Deep product guide at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
- NIH Household Products at www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov
Skip Home Renovations During Pregnancy
Skip any toxic home renovations that could uncover lead dust in your home. Test old paint with a DIY lead testing kit or have a professional inspection of your home. Older Venetian blinds can also have lead.
Drink Filtered Water
Limit bottled water and install a water filtration system in your home, or use a high-quality filtering carafe. Filtered tap water is your best choice for hydration. Two studies in 2008 found an alarming number of pollutants in bottled water, including industrial chemicals, bacteria, and radioactivity.69, 70
Reduce Indoor Pollutants
Change your sheets once a week, vacuum carpets and furniture, and dust and clean regularly with a wet cloth. For mold, fix leaks and eliminate sources of moisture. Use an exhaust-vent while cooking on a gas stove or range. Have a contractor tune up any furnaces, flues, chimneys, and gas appliances. Install a carbon monoxide detector. Consider an air purifier for your home. Grow air-purifying plants: Areca palm, Lady palm, Bamboo palm, rubber plant, Chinese evergreen, English ivy, Gerbera daisy, and Janet Craig.71
Make Your Garden Green
Use green gardening and landscaping techniques. Compost garden and household waste. Use natural fertilizers and plant foods, such as TerraCycle or eco-brands at Lowe’s or Home Depot. Plant organic and heirloom seeds. Get green gardening tips from www.joegardener.com or watch recorded episodes of Growing a Greener World, an award-winning public TV program on green living, organic gardening, and farm-to-table cooking.
Reduce Pests While Minimizing Toxic Sprays
Use green methods of indoor pest control. Use a cordless vacuum to sweep up crumbs (Dyson vacuums are worth every penny) and caulk around showers and sinks. Use sticky pads to catch critters indoors rather than using sprays and toxins.
Buy Green Home Goods
If you live in an area with limited access to green products, try online retailers. For natural food, health and beauty, pet, and household products, try Amazon’s Amazon Green category. For sustainable home goods, try: Bambeco, Crate and Barrel, IKEA, and Pottery Barn for sustainable wood furniture and home goods and Fair Trade textiles.
Vote with Your Dollars
Choose organic foods and eco-friendly products. When the competition goes up, prices will come down.
Be Skeptical of Established Green Lines of Products
Be skeptical of established green brands and curious about new labels. Once a brand or product has established a loyal customer base, executives will often scale back the product’s cost by reducing or eliminating the most expensive ingredients. Newer green products and smaller brands must differentiate themselves from the big guys, and they can’t do that with cost. Quite often, they differentiate themselves by offering purer, healthier products.
Plant a Tree
Plant a tree in honor of your baby. One tree can absorb up to 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, which adds up to one ton of by the time your child is 40 years old.
Green Up Your Library
Go green in your library. For more comprehensive green tips, read Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care by Alan Greene (author), Jeanette Pavini (contributor), and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo (contributor).
Sources
66. Wong, C.C., et al., Methylomic analysis of monozygotic twins discordant for autism spectrum disorder and related behavioural traits. Mol Psychiatry, 2014. 19(4): p. 495-503.
67. LaSalle, J.M., A genomic point-of-view on environmental factors influencing the human brain methylome. Epigenetics, 2011. 6(7): p. 862-9.
68. Hallmayer, J., et al., Genetic heritability and shared environmental factors among twin pairs with autism. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2011. 68(11): p. 1095-102.
69. Reichenberg, A., et al., Advancing paternal age and autism. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2006. 63(9): p. 1026-32.
70. Idring, S., et al., Parental age and the risk of autism spectrum disorders: findings from a Swedish population-based cohort. Int J Epidemiol, 2014. 43(1): p. 107-15.
71. Schieve, L.A., et al., Population attributable fractions for three perinatal risk factors for autism spectrum disorders, 2002 and 2008 autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network. Ann Epidemiol, 2014. 24(4): p. 260-6.