We know we should be careful about what we eat and drink, but did you ever wonder about what you put on your face and body? Be it a dab or a slather, what is safe for you and your baby? Your skin, of course, is the largest organ. It is porous and efficiently absorbs what we put on it into our bloodstream.

While we’re taking about blood, did you know what your breast milk really is? Blood. Blood is miraculously transformed into milk by the glands in your breasts. I stopped drinking cows milk for a while after learning this. It just grossed me out: a good reason to buy organic milk. So, remember, whatever gets into your bloodstream can pass to your baby in utero or nursing.

Freaked out now? Grab all of your lotions, soaps and make-up, and check out the online Cosmetics Database that rates cosmetics for safety. It used to be called Skin Deep. Anyway, it’s “a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group… and it pairs ingredients in nearly 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind. Why did a small nonprofit take on such a big project? Because the FDA doesn’t require companies to test their own products for safety.”

Quick note: Acne is a common problem in pregnancy and even afterwards, so I was surprised to learn that retinoids and salicylic acid are no-nos for preggers. High doses of salicylic acid in oral form has shown in studies to cause birth defects and various pregnancy complications.

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Cheers and Blessings,
Jennifer

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