It all started with our hospital tour. My husband and I, as wide-eyed
with excitement as first-time expecting parents can possibly be, followed the nurse leading the tour. We
dutifully took notes about where to check in, what paperwork to bring
and, as we stopped by the nursery where tiny bundles of newborn life
lay in innocent sleep, we began to imagine how we might feel when the
life tumbling inside me pushed into the world. Then, breaking us out of
our sentimental reverie, the nurse told us we'd have to select our
pediatrician and start making decisions about our baby's vaccination
schedule with the doctor before our due date. All my calm joy
disappeared in that hospital corridor, and my wide eyes no longer
signaled excitement, but a growing sense of dread.
As my second trimester progressed, more than the specter of mercury-laced vaccinations began to grip us. News reports about lead in children's toys surfaced. Suddenly, every purchase of a Teddy bear or playmat required a burdensome meticulousness. I had to negotiate a twinge of fear with every trip down the baby aisle. That twinge grew to an impossible-to-ignore twang when we headed out to register for our baby showers.
My college friend and mother of two young boys, Aisha Salmon, volunteered to help us register. I figured Salmon would be an excellent source of information for things like which stroller is best for the subway and which baby carrier would enable me to nurse with dignity as I negotiate the crowds of New York City. I got more than I bargained for when she warned me to register only for bottles labeled Bisphenol A, or BPA, free.
--Eisa Ulen
As my second trimester progressed, more than the specter of mercury-laced vaccinations began to grip us. News reports about lead in children's toys surfaced. Suddenly, every purchase of a Teddy bear or playmat required a burdensome meticulousness. I had to negotiate a twinge of fear with every trip down the baby aisle. That twinge grew to an impossible-to-ignore twang when we headed out to register for our baby showers.
My college friend and mother of two young boys, Aisha Salmon, volunteered to help us register. I figured Salmon would be an excellent source of information for things like which stroller is best for the subway and which baby carrier would enable me to nurse with dignity as I negotiate the crowds of New York City. I got more than I bargained for when she warned me to register only for bottles labeled Bisphenol A, or BPA, free.
Huh?
And then, the discovery that changed everything popped up in my
e-mail. Carter's (yes, Carter's!) fall 2007 tagless clothing line,
including onesies, had produced second-degree burns on the backs of
about 400 newborns. Though the company's official site calls the
reactions "allergic" not burns, I saw Internet pictures of baby's backs
that made me shudder as hard as a Braxton-Hicks contraction.
Thimerosol, lead, BPA--oh, my! They were enough to make any young
mother go gray. And now I also had to second guess Carter's, the
clothing I grew up wearing! Exactly what kind of world will I be
bringing my child into?
My husband and I decided it would be an organic one. As much as
possible on our average American budget, we are going to create a green
nursery. Conflicting information didn't make this easy. I received an
e-mail from Kimberly Seals Allers, author of The Mocha Manual to a
Fabulous Pregnancy, that said: "A few months ago the FDA tried to tell
us we were just hysterical moms with nothing to worry about when it
stated Bisphenol A was safe at the levels where it appears in most
consumer products.... Another government agency, the National Toxicology
Program, concluded there is 'some concern' that BPA alters development
of the brain, prostate and behavior in children and fetuses."
I get nothing but similarly conflicting reports as I surf for
credible, authoritative information regarding vaccines and autism. And
Carter's never actually recalled those tagless clothes, as it claimed
the items affected less than 1 percent of its customers. And what
happened to the big hullabaloo over lead in toys? Allers has helped me
negotiate this maze of contradictory information. "As black mothers,"
she says, "we know better than most not to rely solely on the
government to tell us what's safe."
So we registered for organic products, from crib sheets to infant
soft books to chlorine-free diapers to Seventh Generation cleaning
products like detergent and dishwashing liquid. We look forward to
having a frank, informed discussion about vaccinations. We'll use
BPA-free bottles, and when I shop, I read labels to check where
products are made. We're also checking out NexGen Cosmetics African
American Baby Care organic product line (africanamericanbabycare.com).
I can breathe deeply and not inhale a load of toxins knowing I'm buying
green products for our baby's nursery while also supporting black-owned
businesses. --Eisa Ulen
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