Toxic Plastic

Plastic, plastic everywhere. It has permeated ever aspect of our lives. It is in our children's toys, cars, drinking straws, toothbrushes, the computer I write this on. How can we recognise the different types of plastic and those which may be harmful for our health? 


Learn the Recycling Codes
Start by learning the recycling codes and look for the little symbol printed on items. Remember that the number codes 3, 6 and 7 could pose a risk to your health.


Make a Choice to Avoid;
Number 3: PVC - a carcinogen and endocrine disruptor
Number 6: Polystyrene - a carcinogen
Number 7: Polycarbonate - an endocrine disruptor

Number 1: PET Plastic (polyethylene terephthalate)

This is the most common plastic used for bottled drinks. Some of the places you will find this plastic in your home is bottled water, and softdrinks, mouthwash, peanut butter and vegemite jars, vegetable oil bottles. When used as a single use and then placed into your recycling bin it poses a low risk to your health from leaching toxins into the substance they hold.

Number 2: HDPE Plastic (high density polyethylene) 

HDPE is a versatile plastic with many uses, especially for packaging. You find this plastic in milk bottles, juice bottles, bleach, detergent and household cleaner bottles, shampoo and conditioner bottles, margarine and yogurt containers, garbage bags. Like plastic 1, it poses a low risk to your health from leaching toxins into the substance they hold.

Number 3: V (Vinyl) or PVC 

PVC is tough and weathers well.  It can be found in window cleaner and detergent bottles, cosmetic bottles, cooking oil bottles, cling wrap, electrical wire cover, household water pipes and shower curtains.  


World wide there is significant concensus of opinion that number 3 plastics should be avoided for food and drinks due to the pthalates within them that make these plastics soft and flexible. Pthalates are an endocrine disrupting chemical. Vinyl chloride, a known human carcinogen is released in the manufacture of PVC. 


The risk of food and drink contamination from these chemicals is highest when containers start wearing out, are put through the dishwasher or when they are heated (including microwaved). If you must cook with cling wrap, don't let the plastic touch food. PVC materials can also off-gas toxic plasticizers into your home.

Number 4: LDPE Plastic (low density polyethylene) 

It is found in squeezable bottles like moisturizer bottles, bread bags, frozen food packaging, dry cleaning and shopping bags, clothing, furniture and carpet.

Number 5: PP (polypropylene) 

Polypropylene has a high melting point, and so is often chosen for containers that must accept hot liquid. It can be found in some yogurt containers, tomato sauce bottles, caps, straws, and medicine bottles.

Number 6: PS (polystyrene) 

Polystyrene can be made into rigid or foam products -- in the latter case it is popularly known as the trademark Styrofoam. It is commonly found in disposable plates and cups, meat trays, take away containers,  compact disc cases. Evidence suggests polystyrene can leach styrene a carcinogen into foods. This is particularly evident which heated. 

It definitely makes you think twice about ordering that coffee in a polystyrene cup. 

Number 7: Miscellaneous 

A wide variety of plastic resins that don't fit into the previous categories are lumped into number 7. They are commonly found in drinking bottles, baby bottles, some dishes, office water dispenser bottles, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and displays, food containers, and nylon. 


Significantly, Polycarbonate is number 7, it is a hard shatter proof plastic made with BPA, an  endocrine disruptor. Since awareness of BPA has increased of the past few years many manufacturers are now steering clear of it. It can still be found in the water station in your office. These polycarbonate bottles are continually rinsed and re-used causing BPA to leach into the water they hold. This process is exacerbated when heat is applied, such as when they sit on the back of a truck in the hot sun waiting to be delivered. 


Images Source: Iphoto

Inspiring Words: Don't Worry

Our littlest boy is going into hospital tomorrow to have an endoscopy so they can take some tissue samples. I am focusing on the good that will come from it for his long term health. My mantra to get me through the day will be these Bob Marley Lyrics, "Don't worry cause ev-ry little thing gonna be alright...". 


Source: Keep it Fancy on Etsy

Olympics

Yah, the 2012 Summer Olympics have begun! I admire the immense dedication and commitment of the athletes. It takes years of very hard work and great mental strength to achieve your goal of being the best in the world. Good luck to you all.

Growth Charts

I had an appointment at the Immunologist yesterday. We are certain now that Jack is FPIES to Rice and intolerant (or chronically allergic) to oats, soy, wheat, rye, nuts, milk formula, citric acid (in strawberries, pineapple, orange, mandarin, lemon, lime etc). I am suspicious of peas, pear, beef and corn and the immunologist has asked me to try and feed them to him again. 

On the positive side Jack could eat, carrot, lamb, potato, cucumber, chicken, and sweet potato if he wanted to. Unfortunately he is not willingly eating anything. We tested these foods by almost force feeding him. It was awful. He is happy to have them as finger food where he chews at them and spits them out like cookie monster. He will not swallow them. We are grateful he is exploring them though learning about tastes and textures, aromas and temperature.

The immunologist called in a dietician to our appointment and together they discussed his poor growth and explained to me that he is not getting enough nutrition and that it would be  impacting on his development, including his brain.  The photo above is of his weight chart. His length chart looks similar. He is supposed to be on the 50% line. He would weigh 9.4kg. He currently weighs 7.4kg. At 9 months he is still wearing the same clothes that he wore for Christmas.

The Doctors told me he will not be achieving his full potential if his lack of nutrition continues. He is refusing to drink the elemental formulas no matter how I try to disguise them. He sniffs at his drinks and if he can smell them he outright refuses them. The elemental formula's have all the elements your body needs with all the proteins already broken down.

Despite my best efforts, 100% breast feeding is not enough for him any more. They have advised us that Jack needs an urgent nasal gastric tube put in to ensure he achieves sufficient nutrition. They have given me one more week to try again with the elemental formula in a bottle. We have a follow up appointment next week to discuss a hospital admission to insert the tube and teach me how to manage it.

The immunologist agrees with the gastroenterologist that Jack may also have Eosinophilic Esophagitis which would be causing the unwillingness to swallow the food when he has a real desire to eat. Jack is being anesthetised on Monday for them to do an endoscopy to diagnose it. The scope will tell them definitively and they will be able to treat it.

I am emotionally drained and exhausted writing about it. I know these Doctors are right though. We have been battling on for a few months now and made so little progress. Jack needs more help than I can give him at the moment.  Like any mother, if there is something that is inhibiting your child from achieving their full potential in life you will do what you can to overcome it. 

Products I Adore - Elemeno T Shirt

How cute is this Elemeno T Shirt by Pluto Tees? VERY CUTE! I am sure that my kids used to think that was how the song went.

Giving Back - FPIES - Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome

Bit of a long post today but this is one close to my heart. Our youngest child, Jack was diagnosed at 5 and a half months with Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) after eating his first food, rice cereal mixed with breast milk. After swallowing a few specks we ended up at the hospital for an over night stay.

FPIES is an allergic reaction in the gastrointestinal system. The most common triggers are milk and soy, but any food (even those thought to be hypoallergenic e.g. rice, oat) can cause an FPIES reaction.

FPIES is very rare. There has been an average of 5 children diagnosed with FPIES in Queensland each year. Our little boy is one of those.

Unlike most food allergies, the FPIES reactions are delayed and usually begin about 2 hours after ingestion of the causative food. FPIES reactions are characterized by profuse vomiting and diarrhea. In about 20% of cases the child will have such an extreme reaction to a food that they will go into shock and need to be taken quickly to the Emergency Room for immediate treatment. Unlike common food allergies, standard skin testing and blood testing for specific IgE are routinely negative in these patients.

Many children have only one trigger food and are able to eat a normal diet otherwise. Others have a few safe foods but some don’t have any. These children rely on a diet of breast milk (where moms may have to eat a special diet) or an elemental medical formula.

Although it is likely that there are safe foods for all FPIES children, the process of finding them is extremely painstaking. Each food must be trialed slowly while parents look for reactions before they are "full blown." When a reaction does occur, healing can take days to weeks before a new food can be trialed.

In 60-90% of affected children, FPIES is outgrown in the first 3 years of life. However, there are individual children that have FPIES continued into adulthood.

What does all this mean for our family?

We are slowly trialing Jack on new foods trying to find something safe for him to eat. We comfort him through his discomfort and lingering effects of reactions. As he is breastfed I read food labels and try to keep him safe from unsafe foods that pass through my milk.

Our main challenge at the moment is getting our boy to eat any food. He refuses to put anything but breastmilk into his tummy. Each time he has eaten he has felt awful, creating a negative food association. We are working hard to bring him the joy of food.

How You Can Help

You can help children diagnosed with FPIES by donating to The International Association for Food Protein Enterocolitis (IAFFPE). It was created to develop in-depth research, provide widespread education to medical professionals and to establish supportive services for children and families affected by FPIES. Research is conducted at the leading medical centers specializing in FPIES throughout the world.

Why Research?

• Very little is known about FPIES.
• Few doctors are able to recognize and diagnose the syndrome.
• There is currently no cure or treatment for FPIES.
• While seminal studies report that children may outgrow FPIES between ages 2 and 3, many families are finding that this is not the case for their child.  
• There are a variety of symptoms among FPIES children that are currently not recognized by the medical community as being related to FPIES.
• More research is needed.

www.iaffpe.org.

An FPIES child often looks healthy on the outside. It is what is going on inside and the cost of staying healthy that is debilitating for the FPIES child and family.

Inspiring Words: Distracted

Distracted is...

When I read this quote I laughed and laughed. I do this. I am easily distracted. As a mum I am constantly having half a conversation with someone, starting a story and never finishing. Starting a task I deem important only to find hours later that I got distracted and forgot about it. Will this end?... Is this me? or ...Will it end when my lovely little distractions grow up?

Products I Adore - Mini Stool

This mini stool from Yorkwood is made from repurposed wood pallets salvaged from local businesses in the New York City community. Each piece has style, attitude, and character. These attributes are usually reflected through knots and nail holes which are highlighted through natural wood finishes and a simple steel frame. Because Yorkwood is created from pallet wood their furniture features an assortment of wood types such as pine, walnut, poplar, and mahogany, among others. Each piece is unique and has its own story to tell.

Pearceful Moments: Great Things To Say To Your Children

I am being the best mother I can be and my children know that. They know they are the most important thing in the world to me. They know they are loved and valued for their unique and precious qualities. I am proud of each of them.

It is the things we say to our children, together with our actions, that show them they are loved.   

Great things to say to your children

1. I love you! There is nothing that will make me stop loving you. Nothing you could do or say or think will ever change that.

2. You are amazing! I look at you with wonder! Not just at what you can do, but who you are. There is no one like you. No one!

Inspiring Words: Choose Happiness

A wonderful woman named Julianna changed my life in the most powerful way when she told me that I can choose how I feel, and react, and behave in any given moment. I protested, "Some people's behavior makes me so angry". She responded, "It is not the person who is making you angry, it is how you are choosing to react to what they have said, done, or not done".  Since that incredible light bulb moment, I have realised that I am in charge of how I feel, and each day I choose happiness. 


At first it was not easy, I was used to blaming others for my feelings, saying something or someone made me feel angry or sad. But, after a lot of practice, I have realised that it is not these external events that give rise to my emotions. It is my own brain which I have control over. I have the power to change how I feel and react. Today I am choosing happiness. 

Products I Adore - Rainbow Sound Blocks

I would love to have these for Jack.They are Wonderworld's Rainbow Sound Blocks. They are perfect to stimulate his senses.  They can be shaken to listen to the different sounds. They can be placed in front of one another to see the spectrum of new colours that can be created.  They can be used to learn about shapes with the cyclinders, cubes and rectangular blocks.

Its Natural - Seed Pods

We are all packaged a little differently but inside we all want the same thing...to grow and thrive and to be washed in the things that nourish us.

Image sourced from Jay Steingold on pinterest.

Recipe - Gingersnap Biscuits

Baking a batch of these gingersnap biscuits will fill your home with the most enticing aromas, and warm your belly on a cold day.

We have had a cold snap, by Brisbane standards, and I am seeking out some warming comfort food. These spicy ginger biscuits are doing the trick with a mug of warm tea to wrap my hands around.

The whole family loves these. You cannot resist one straight from the oven when the house is filled with the smell of cinnamon, ginger and cloves. I made a batch yesterday and when I went to get one this morning to have with my cuppa, I found my beau had been quietly snacking on them all day, making a substantial hole in the biscuit tin.

For the recipe click through.

Pearceful Moments - Birthday Wishes

This week it was my birthday. It has always been a particularly special day because it is full of great happiness and sadness for my family. I can only imagine the emotion the day bought my grandfather when he was alive. You see my grandfather was born on the 4th July. One day, on his birthday, his father died. Then, a few years later on his birthday, his first granddaughter was born (that was me). Then, a few years later on his birthday, a grandson was born (my cousin). Imagine the emotion that he felt each year as he marked his own aging, remembered his lost father, and celebrated new life.

I have always loved sharing my day with Donald McIntyre. I have missed you. We honoured you when we named our brave little boy, Jack Roman McIntyre.

Products I Adore - Cheeky Fox

How I would love our iPad  to be cosily cocooned within the tummy of this cheeky Fox iPad Sleeve by BoutiqueID on Etsy.

Inspiring Words - Friendship

I don't have an address book filled with friends. I like my own company, and mostly prefer to spend my time with my beau and children. The friends I hold close, get that, and love that about me. I may not have a long list of friends but the ones I do have in my life are the real deal. Thank you for making me laugh, holding me up when I am down, encouraging me and loving me. I value our friendship and hope that I give back to you the friendship you need.

Source of image is tinywhitedaisies.

Giving Back - Queensland Cord Blood Bank

Our two boys, Tom and Jack were born at the Brisbane Mater Mothers Hospital. Prior to their births the Queensland Cord Blood Bank wrote to us and asked us if we would like to donate our boys  umbilical cord blood following their birth. Without hesitation we agreed. We were so happy to be part of saving a precious life by bring into the world a precious life.