So this is week 15 for me and I went to my OBGYN for my monthly check-up.  I was so very disappointed to find out that you don't get a pic of the baby at each visit; only on benchmark visits and "when patient traffic allows".  My doctor told me that some OB GYN offices never give the moms pictures, so I should consider myself lucky. You all know how it is though - once you have something and it gets taken away, it's almost worse than never having at all! 

See, I signed up for BabyCenter.com alerts and also consulted my "What to Expect" book, and both told me that this past week my baby was the size of a lemon.  So, around the office I was telling everyone that I had a little lemon baby this week and to stay tuned next week for apple baby (or navel orange baby - depending on my mood and which source I decide to reference for size.)  Needless to say, I was bummed when I did not leave my doc appointment with a picture of my lovely little lemon that I could share with my friends and family. C'est la vie!

One thing I did leave with, however, was a band-aid on my upper arm.  Apparently this week the CDC announced that there may be another wave of H1N1, i.e., the swine flu, to hit. As a preventative measure, my doc suggested that I get the vaccine since he had some on-hand.  My husband asked what would happen if I didn't get it and what was interesting is that the doctor said that if I contracted the swine flu, it didn't necessarily pose a strong threat to the health of my baby but more so that if contracted, I could encounter such problems with breathing that I may find myself in a hospital on a respirator.  That did not sound appealing - so I rolled up my sleeve and braced myself for a painful prick...that, incidentally, wasn't painful at all.

Regardless of if you're pregnant or a mom, it's smart to invest in a hand sanitizer that will help guard against those pesky little germies.  Belli offers the Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer, which is a powerful anti-bacterial gel that moisturizes and cleanses.  Aside from being a safe pregnancy skin care choice for new and expecting moms, Belli's Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer leaves hands feeling soft, smooth, and comfortable, with a light citrus scent. A light citrus scent that is safe and oh so appropriate for my little lemon baby.

In my 9-5 professional life, I work as a consultant to mostly consumer package goods (CPG) manufacturers.  Brands that cover anything from ice cream to pet food to baby formula.  In my job, I get exposed to a lot of consumers and learn about their purchasing drivers.  It's very interesting to hear about what grabs a shopper's attention in that cluttered market aisle, what are the components that they look for and what are some of the things that may make them reconsider that purchase, or abandon it altogether.

A very hot topic in CPG right now, is what does "All Natural" mean to a consumer and what is the difference between that label and something labeled as "Organic".  The shocking truth is that many, many brands can call their products "All Natural" because there are not really any strict FDA guidelines around what is and isn't "natural".  An organic offering, on the other hand, goes through a much more rigorous review and those products that are marked as certified USDA organic can be trusted as meeting a standard. Wisconsin Organics has a user friendly description on the definition of organic and what it means to you.

Reading food labels and understanding what I was ingesting became exponentially more important to me when I found out that I was pregnant.  I was so shocked when I went to my OB-GYN and he told me that yes, I can drink 1 cup coffee/day and eat sushi, cold cuts and bleu & feta cheeses all in moderation.  BUT he cautioned me - "NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!". "Why?", I asked. "Because they're not natural." Thinking that the world would surely come to an end when I had to give up my two packets of equal in my coffee, I was surprised to see that PureVia and Truvia, from the stevia plant would be sufficient for my morning joe.  P.S. if you're reading this and you're pregnant, your doctor may have different guidelines around what is/isn't safe to eat, so listen to your OBGYN and not this blog before you eat that spicy tuna roll!

While most pregnant moms have been concerned about what they eat and consumers as a whole are becoming more educated about reading their food labels, there is still a lot of misinformation around skincare and safe ingredients during pregnancy.  Many new moms and moms-to-be are also under the impression that "All Natural' means safe, when it doesn't.  And, actually, when it comes to pregnancy skin care, "organic" doesn't necessarily mean safe. 

Belli uses many natural, organically grown ingredients.  But we strongly disagree with the notion that natural/organic somehow guarantees safety—some of the strongest allergens and poisons in the world come from plants.  And, many natural, organically grown ingredients have been proven in research studies to be harmful during pregnancy.

Here are some examples of "all natural" ingredients that should be avoided:

• Vitamin A and Retinol (from milk, eggs, and dark green vegetables) are strongly linked to birth defects such as hydrocephaly (enlargement of the fluid-filled spaces in the brain); mcrocephaly (small head); mental retardation; ear and eye abnormalities, cleft lip and palate, and other facial abnormalities and heart defects. Women who took very high doses of Vitamin A also had a higher risk of miscarriage.
• Salicylic acid (from herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables) is linked to higher rates of fetal malformation and fetal death in animal studies.
• Aloe Vera (from the aloe vera plant) is linked to increased frequency of embryonic death and birth defects.
• Caffeine (from the coffee bean, cocoa bean, guarana berry, and kola nut) is linked to miscarriages, low birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and heartbeat abnormalities. 
• Rosemary oil, an organic herbal ingredient known for its anti-oxidant effect, is linked to increased fetal death in animal studies.

These are just a few examples of teratogenic natural ingredients out of the dozens we’ve found through Belli's teratology screened ingredient database.   In light of that information, Belli's strategy is to choose the safest ingredient for each function in the formulation, whether that ingredient is natural or synthetic.  Though many prefer brands that are “all natural”, consumers should be aware that unless they’ve taken the time to examine all the teratology research then there is no way they can know how many of their ingredients are actually linked to harmful effects during pregnancy.

My Silly Monkeys is hosting an It's Time! Labor Bag Giveaway - with some of the most amazing products on the market. Check it out here and enter to win!

Simply Beautiful Essentials Bag pictured above.

Pampered Beautiful Essentials Bag pictured above.

Very exciting! Growing a Baby in Seattle Reviews blogged about a number of Belli Skincare products! You can read the review here.  Be sure to check out the giveaway and promotional codes in the article!

This week I closed out my first trimester - I thought the day would never come.  What a hard secret to sit with for these past months!  I was excited to share the news with friends and co-workers. 

According to my trust "What to Expect" book, this is the month that this baby is really going to start growing. It's a little intimidating to think that I am going to start putting on weight and my skin will start stretching like a rubberband.  But let's face it: stretch marks and pregnancy are a fact of life for some women.  As for stretch marks being a heriditary thing, I have 4 sisters and in speaking with them, I think that some of them have experienced stretch marks and others haven't.  My mom had 7 kids and did not have them. I have experienced stretch marks from losing/gaining weight, so I am not really sure how the tables will turn for me in this pregnancy.

In wondering about how to be proactive and prevent pregnancy stretch marks, I sent Dr. Rubin an email asking him, "When do I need to start using the Belli Elasticity Oil?" because I wasn't sure if I should start using it before my belly starts bulging or as soon as it starts.  Here's what he said:

In the research study on the ingredients in Elasticity Belly Oil, the women started using the product daily from the second month of pregnancy through delivery. We also have many customers who started using it later with great results, but the science says two months.

I don't want to take any chances, so even though I'm 3+ months in, I am going to start using the oil now and will keep everyone posted on the results!