Let them eat fish! Just not BIG ones.

Mercury is found naturally in our environment. Most commonly as a liquid or a gas. We are exposed to it through the dental work in our mouths, the food we eat, mainly fish, and until recently, vaccines. While the body is capable of eliminating mercury from the body, it should only be consumed in tiny amounts.

But we love fish and maybe aren't so crazy about the saturated fats in pork, beef, and chicken.  Fish are a great source of omega 3s, the B vitamins and protein which are so essential to the developing brain of a fetus.  So to aid with the confusion, I've added a link below which clearly charts what is suitable for a mother-to-be.

Here is a great resource from the American Pregnancy Association about types and amounts of fish suitable for pregnancy. 

Click here.  

Seems fish isn't such a catch 22 after all.

Rising US Maternal Mortality Rates

Ina May Gaskin, a pioneer in the field of midwifery, comments on the rising US Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States.



Ina May Gaskin on Rising U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate, Midwifery and Home Births from Democracy Now! on Vimeo.

Autism now linked to low birth weight preterm infants

We know autism is on the rise, but what is the clinical evidence saying about actual risk factors or causes?  There have been speculations from pitocin used in the delivery room to the caseins in milk, but a team of researchs have something impressive to report.

A recent study, published in Pediatrics (the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP) reports the prevelance of autism spectrum discorders (ASD) is 5 times higher in low birth weight, preterm infants than in the general popluation. The study tracked 862 infants over 21 years. They found that infants with a birth weight less than 4 lbs 6 oz had a 5% prevelance of autism spectrum disorders compared with 1% in the general popluation.