WEEK 15! We are in the process of moving to our beautiful new apartment so the picture of my belly might be delayed. =)

Hello everyone. As you know, I am pretty strict about the food I eat (as much organic as possible) and the kinds of clothes I wear as well as the products I buy for cleaning, as well as shampoo's, soaps and body lotions (ALL NATURAL & Organic). I am careful about these things with good reason, not because I am a bit eccentric, but because I know the dangers of the ingredients of many products out there. What many people don't realize about the products they use everyday is that they are probably made of dangerous chemicals or have toxic ingredients, and these things that can easily be avoided. It is a scary fact that studies show these products to be hazardous to our human health and they can potentially cause cancers or worse. My lovelies, I hope that you will take a second look at the ingredients in your cleaning, bath and body products etc. you are using, and perhaps your children are using everyday. It is too important not too. It's so sad that as a nation we are not more informed about what companies are exposing consumers too in thier products, so as consumers we have to take some time to educate ourselves of these hidden dangers. Also keep in mind that babies are children are that much more succeptable to the dangers posed by so many of these products/ingredients! This is all the more reason we want to have all natural/organics for our child....and for ourselves. =) Below is a short list of ingredients to look out for, please take a moment to read through this list of "hidden carcinogens".

- The largest group of hidden carcinogens includes dozens
of wetting agents or detergents, particularly PEGs,
Laureths, and Ceteareths, all of which are contaminated with
the potent and volatile carcinogens ethylene oxide and
dioxane. These carcinogens could readily be stripped off
during ingredient manufacture, if the industry just made the
effort to do so. Another hidden carcinogenic ingredient is
lanolin, derived from sheep's wool, most samples of which
are contaminated with DDT-like pesticides.

-- The second group includes another detergent,
Triethanolamine (TEA) which, following interaction with
nitrite, is a precursor of a highly potent nitrosamine
carcinogen.

-- The third group includes Quaterniums and Diazolidinyl urea
preservatives which break down in the product or skin to
release the carcinogenic formaldehyde.

-Of additional concern is another group of common
preservatives, known as Parabens. Numerous studies over the
last decade have shown that these are weakly estrogenic.
They produce abnormal hormonal effects following application
to the skin of infant rodents, particularly male, resulting
in decreased testosterone levels, and urogenital
abnormalities. Parabens have also been found to accumulate
in the breasts of women with breast cancer.

Thier is a full article about these carcinogens HERE

I hope that you will take atleast some of this to heart. There is much more info out there about the hidden dangers of everyday products too. As I progress in my pregnany I think about everyday products (cleaning, soaps etc.) more and more, and the more I learn about the dangers of lets say "Name Brand" advertised products the more upset I get that so many people are using these items, and it scares me that so many people are probably unkowing of what they exposing themselves and thier children too. The positive thing is that there are natural, non-toxic alternatives out there, and the cost of them is comparable if not less sometimes. Not only are natural non-toxic products better for humans, they are better for the environment.

e-

Ok so this is Matt, posting for the very first time here on the VBODW. First off I have to say that the title of this blog might be a little misleading because I don't necessarily know if the the baby will be of the vegan only persuasion, that's still a discussion in the works. So I been feeling very nervous about having a baby. I mean i'm really excited, extremely joyous, wonderfully uplifted, but..... i'm really nervous. Yeah. For example, i got nervous last night when Erin wasn't home when I got home even though she left the restaurant that we ate at the same time i did and I had a longer walk to my car. Seems odd, but I just started thinking about all the things that could have been happening, turns out she just stopped at Stop and Shop, stoppin, at Shopping, stop, shop. OK moving on. So I have made a video about the babies beat. Link to it here

HEAR THE BABY BEAT JAM

Ok the end.

M

This was some of the worst writing i've ever performed. Sorry, first time babaay blogging jitters.

P.S. YOU MUST REGISTER TO MAKE COMMENTS ON OUR BLOG. MANY LUDE COMMENTS HAVE BEEN SHOWING UP ON THE BLOG AND WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT CRAP!

Here's why I only want to eat Organic, and feed our child Organic foods when the time comes....please take the time to read this article.

CHILDREN'S CHEMICAL & PESTICIDE EXPOSURE VIA FOOD PRODUCTS

"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that one of the main sources of pesticide exposure for U.S. children comes from the food they eat." If that does not scare the crap out of you, and make you sick.......that is SCAREY STUFF!

Not only do pesticides an bio-engineered food effect the health and well being of children, but they effect ALL HUMANS who consume these foods. For some reason, our society chooses to not really care where thier foods come from. This is really a scary thought, since so much of the foods in this country are "factory farm" raised.....seeds, fruits, vegetables and farm animals alike. As a society we need to realize that eating these foods is unhealthy! Organics are more nutritious and pesticide free!

"Over 300 synthetic food additives are allowed by the FDA in conventional foods. None of these are allowed in foods that are USDA certified organic." GO ORGANIC!

The other scary thing about non-organics is that scientists do not know the long term effects of consuming these foods, i.e. cancers, disease etc. Think before you eat!

PLEASE READ THIS TOO!!! OCA & Cancer Prevention Coalition Warn of Hidden Carcinogens in Baby Care

TOXIC THREATS TO CHILD DEVELOPMENT

there are many more important and interesting articles here

Ok Ya'll, here is week 13 in all my belly's glory! Babe's first video coming soon (soon as Matt gets it done and up on the inter-nets)

THIS IS AN IMAGE OF A 13 Week old fetus.....no it's not our fetus!

We've got a strong one my lovelies!

Today was our 2nd midwife appointment, at 12 1/2 just about 13 weeks. Our midwife today was Anne (remember we have 6, or is it 7 midwives). Anyways, she used the little fetal doppler and whaddyaknow.... WE HEARD OUR BABY'S HEARTBEAT! WOW! IT WAS UNBELIEVABLY EXCITING!!!!!!! Matt brought along a video camera, so we have the sound on video, I will be working towards getting the sound extracted and onto a webpage so you all can hear to! That is my plan for this evening...=)
It was so incredible to hear the sound.....swoosh swoosh swoosh! Matt is so incerdibly sensitive and sweet, I saw his eyes well up with joy. I looked at him and saw what his eyes were doing and that made me lauph....not at him but with happiness! So, I had to not look at Matt so that we could continue to hear the heartbeat. Hearing our baby's heart this morning made my day....how beautiful the sound. Anne the midwife said that the babies heartbeat is deffinately very strong......a wonderful thing! Our next appointment we will probably listen again...I cannot wait! Now that we have heard our baby's heart beating inside of me I really feel different. I truely feel connected to this little person growing inside my womb. AMAZING!

A PHOTO SHOOT BY MACY AND ME...

Ok.Ok.Ok.............EVERYTHING IS OK! So it was really hard not to get totally upset yesterday from the letter we got from MassHealth. So, I called our Midwifery place today and spoke with the woman there who talks directly to MassHealth all the time. I told her what happened, what the letter said...she asked for my social sec. and checked in the MassHealth system. According to the system I am covered for pre-natal and labor and delivery! I was like, uh ok but what about the letter we got? She suggested to give MassHealth a call, so I did and I am glad that I did because it totally has changed everything since I had not been working. With only Matt's income we have made the "cut" for my getting pre-natal and labor and delivery by $50 dollars! Now, I had been told by the woman that helped me to fill out the paper work for MassHealth that she would let them know I was not working. Obviously that never happened. No worries though, all I had to do was what I did today; call MassHealth and tell them I have not been working. So thats that. Disaster and stress headaches averted. So, we will be going to the midwife appointment on friday. All is well.

Also, Liz thank you so much for the email you sent to Matt. You always have a wonderful way of thinking logically and calmly about situations. I love that photo of you and Lucy on the party boat! We ALL deffinately have to get together in Milwaukee again and arrange for a party boat!

Ok, so that last post was a bit harsh. But you know what it is super stressful knowing that our income (mine is none right now) is not above the 200 percentile that you need to be below to get MassHealth. When I filled out the paperwork at a local Health Center that assists women in doing so, the women told me that the income gap had gone up July 1st, and that we were deffinately going to be covered at least for the pre-natal. Well, something got messed up because now the state won't even help me with pre-natal care. So, I am going to be on the phone all day tomarrow probably trying to see what happened...because it's just not right. We were also told by another woman at our midwifery place that deals with MassHealth all the time that we would be covered no problem! So, WHAT THE FRUITCAKE HAPPENED! I am also looking into alternatives that I was looking at even when I was covered by pre-natal: 1. Matt's health insurance...which might be super expensive and have a waiting period 2. A local group of Midwives called River Valley Midwives (they are 2 women who are nurse midwives) who do and all the pre-natal care and homebirthing, I am going to see if they might be interested in doing a partial trade....they have no website and maybe I can design them one for free. I am not totally sure about the last alternative, I had been in touch with a local Doula who is super nice and she has worked with local nurse midwives who offer care to low income people who can't afford health insurance. So, we shall see, but this is more stress than I want to have in my mind and body right now. I started crying this afternoon to myself over this....and Macy was so sweet, she immediately got up and came over and proceeded to get in the chair I was sitting in and gave me kisses and a hug. What a good girl she is!

Please excuse my being so blunt but......MASS HEALTH CAN SUCK A FART! I have just found out that I lost my pre-natal and any MassHealth care that I had....and that we have to pay a deductible, for what I have NO CLUE! Thank you Massachusetts Government....thank you US government! You all rule!

Have I told you lately that I love ARTICHOKES! YUMmmmmmmMMMM! I do really like artichokes, but for some strange reason, I CRAVE them at certain times, or on certain days! So here are some photos that I took today, while at home with Macy. Also the belly photo on this post is the week 12 belly photo dujour! Oh, and I got a job! Its a part time webmaster job at my old school, Greenfield Community College. I am not entirely sure why they hired me, as I am a little underqualified....but I am a quick learner so well see. Yeah, now Matt and I can go to IKEA at the end of the month and buy furniture and organizational wares to make our new place lovely for the baby!

SO.....hi there.

Yet another week in the life of a pregnant me has gone by. We had a lovely time going to the Berkshires for a few days last week, and then to Rhode Island for a few more days. I would love to share photos of that, but I haven't had the film processed just yet. So, this coming week is week 12 for me and friday we are going to the Midwife again for our 2nd appointment. I am really hopeful to be able to hear the baby's heartbeat this time! I weighed myself today, and I am up to 124 lbs! I have not weighed that much since I was in high school! Gaining is good...I have to keep reminding myself of this. Hopefully this week we can get signed up for the local YMCA that will be very close to where we are moving at the end of the month. I am excited to lift some weights (light one's of course) and to go swimming everyday! I am also going to see about signing up for pre-natal yoga...for some reason those classes are few and far between around here. =( Our friend Liz, who had her baby last summer reccomended pre-nantal yoga very highly. She told me that it was really nice be do the different stretches and etc. but also that it was so nice to be around other pregnant mommies. We will try to get a belly photo for this week...please stand by. =)

erin

Yeha! We get to go away! Matt and I had been trying to take a vacation this next week, but to no avail....all the condos that my parents can get are booked up....geez why are so many people on vacation! Well, we are able to go to the Berkshires for a few days, then we are hopefully going to go to the beach and then maybe to Boston to see Matt's cousin Meghan and her fiance Dan. I am just so glad that we are going to be able to get out of town together for a few days...I have been feeling pretty cooped up at home, then again I have not been feeling much like talking to people or being around them. Oh, how nice to get away for a few days! =) How have I been feeling, well pretty yuck yuck this past week, and then I started having yuck poo for almost 4 days! I called the midwifery place, and I got a call back from Jennie (she's great!) and we talked for a while, she asked me many questions about how my diet has been and if there were any changes etc. She suggested that I drink as much water as I can, and include some gatorade...to get my electrolytes back on track....to take it easy on the foods I eat; eat really plain foods, some plain rice, bananas. So, I began that yesterday and I drank 4 20 oz. bottles of gatorade. Today I can say that I am feeling better....I think that I am regular again. =) Just in time to go away with my darling Matthew! So, this week was/has been 10 weeks for my belly, I don't have a photo for you right now.....oh wait I can take a polaroid right now. Here are a few Polaroids, they are deffinately taken by me!

I feel pretty yucky today, while I was in the shower I felt like I was going to well.....throw up! Well, I did....there went my breakfast and orange juice! After I did that I felt better, I have been ok since then but still there is a lingering yuck in my body.
I did manage to take Macy for a walk and let her go swimming a little in the local river, she was so cute and brave! She is usually a little timid about going into water, but she walked right in and then got excited and did some little jumps in the water...SO CUTE! When we got home I rinsed her off with the hose, and myself too...I got some mud on my toes. Hopefully I can keep feeling not so yuck this evening, Matt and I are supposed to go down to our studio space to do some work. He got me a very large roll of drawing paper and beautiful soft drawing charcoal. I have been bursting to start drawing again...and now I can!

Hello all yall.

So we had our first appointment with Jennie one of our (6) midwives this past friday. We talked for a while about how I have been feeling. We also talked about what is going on in my belly and what to expect in the coming weeks. We found out that we won't have an ultrasound until I am 15 weeks along. The fun part of the appointment was when Jennie the midwife tried to let us hear the heartbeat of the baby, she tried moving the doppler monitor thing over different parts of where my my uterus is (currently very low). We could hear all kinds of sounds, but she could not get the monitor over the chest of the baby (baby is just to small still). She also said that the baby was moving around a lot.....=) We have another appointment in a few weeks, hopefully we get to hear the heartbeat then!

The day after my birthday...what a lovely rainy day.

We ventured out to Connecticut today for a very nice family reunion at Ellen (my mom's cousin) and Bill's house. The weather was crappy but it was still really nice to see family. I felt fine most of today, and then I started to feel so tired and grumpy probably around 3pm or so. Matt and I went inside and I layed on the couch for a little while. I still felt tired and a little yucky. We left shortly after, and the drive home went quickly....When we got home I took Macy (our dog) out to potty and then I layed down and fell asleep. I started to crave pizza, as I was drifting off...I almost could not fall asleep! Then an hour or so later I woke up feeling yucky and starving.....and I had to prepare some food for myself, no pizza in the house. =( Matt left to play a show with his band, I was going to go later but his car wouldn't start (once again!) so he took my car. Here I sit eating tofurky and mashed potatoes with vegetarian gravy. I am starting to get burnt out on it, it is the 3rd day I have eaten this!

Here is the week 9 photo for your pregger belly viewing pleasure...

I am feeling good these days, despite the rediculous heat! I don't much care for the summer heat...

I also want to share with you a photo of Macy and her new friend Meadow!

Here is an image from the internet of a 9 week old babe. Yes, we are now 9 WEEKS PREGNANT!

FINALLY we have internet at home again! Now I can blog all day if I want to!

Last week was rough.....I was HUNGRY all the time, well I still am now. We had some crazy money stuff happening and weren't sure how to deal with it, our gas got shut off so I could not cook anything. I was cranky from all that! Plus, its so HOT! I really cannot handle the summer around here, its too hot for me....we need to be in a more even temperature area of the country. I don't know how our friends, Liz and Colin who live in New Orleans can handle the temperatures down there! So, my birthday is going to be here soon (friday) and we are having our first pre-natal exam with a midwife! I am really excited for this and I knwo Matt is too! I have to call to see if they are going to do an ultrasound....I do hope they will! It is still early, but you can see the baby even now with an ultrasound. We just have to remember to tell them we don't want to know whether there is a boy or girl in my belly. Also, as some of you know we are thinking of having the baby in a birthing center, here is a link to where we are considering: http://www.holyokehealth.com/virtual_tours/Birthing_Center1.htm I would much rather have the baby at home, but I have MASShealth, and I don't know if they cover the cost of home birth. The great thing about the birthing center is that they have a birthing tub and the rooms are more "hotel" like looking than "medical" looking like a hospital.

For all of you who are wondering how I am feeling, IM HUNGRY! Other that being so hungry that I feel like I might vomit, I am am fine. I feel totally fine. This week started out a bit rough, with our gas being shut off and having to scramble to pay $404 bucks to have it turned back on plus a $20 fee. I still don't have a job, and I hope to get some pet photography jobs SOON! Are there any of you that are interested?
I just went to see a nutritionist, and I am eating really well just so you know. I have to eat more peanut butter and more veggie chicken (which contains more proteins than animal meat) but other than the nutritionist said that I am eating really good! If anyone wants to get me a gift card to whole foods for my birthday that would be really nice and totally appreciated! Wow, well I am really hungry again so I am going to end this post. We will get another photo up soon.

Erin-

So sorry that I (we) have not posted on our blog for a week or so. This week was kind of rough for us financially and so we have been focused on that. I have had to leave both the jobs that I had because of the toxic environments. Working at the hot tub place was out due to the high chemical content of the basement, and handling toxic chemicals. The art store is also not an option because there are also toxic fumes in there. So, I have no job and no money. I am trying really hard to find a part time clerical job of some sort, but even those jobs are scarce around here. I am getting nervous because I have credit card bills and other bills to pay, and I have no money of my own! If anyone out there knows of anything in my area let me know! Or if anyone wants some photos of thier pets let me know 413-262-7973! Matt is being really great about this situation, and luckily I have MassHealth so I can get pre-natal care. But on top of all of this, our gas has been shut off because we still owe $400 for the heating of our apartment from the winter! We just don't have that kind of money to pay it all. We have been paying every month, but just not in huge chunks. Our cat ate our internet cable, so I can't post too often until I can buy another, so for now I can get to our friends house a few days a week to read posts. I (we) will post again soon.

Erin-