Branded Mommy needs to halt her love for Red Vines :-(

I just found out that the California health department has found that Red Vines black licorice has high levels of lead and is advising pregnant women as well as children have their levels tested. Ouch! Pretty scary stuff! I will admit have eaten about 4 pounds of Red Vines during this pregnancy, but thankfully my love is only for the red licorice. I still might get tested to be on the safe side...

LINK

To our Red Vines^® Consumers,

Yesterday we heard from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that some of our  one pound (16oz.) bags of Red Vines^® Black Licorice Twists contained traces of lead that were above the acceptable level for food products.

16 oz. of Red Vines® Black Licorice Twists

Only one pound bag (16 oz.) of Red Vines^® Black Licorice Twists with a “Best Before Date” of 020413 are affected by this recall. The “Best Before Date” is located in black ink on the back of the package. American Licorice is notifying consumers not to eat this candy and asking they return to their place of purchase for a full refund.

In light of the information, we immediately separated all 16 oz. Red Vines^® Black Licorice Twists in our warehouse and have issued a public press release announcing an immediate voluntary recall of this product.

Safety is the number one priority for our company. We are taking every possible precautionary step to make this situation right, including working diligently with our retailers and public health officials in an effort to keep all Red Vines^® consumers as safe as possible.

Information on lead poisoning prevention is available from the CDPH website, including places to be screened for potential exposure.

We sincerely apologize to any consumers affected by this recall.  If you have questions or concerns, please call our Consumer Response line at 866-442-2783.

-American Licorice Co.

How meconium almost took my daughter's life.

When I first became pregnant I did a lot of research on all the thinks that could go wrong in an effort to prevent it from happening. Overall I thought I had worked out all the fears of labor and delivery. However, my worst fears came true when our first daughter was born. After spending 3 days in labor this beautiful life was laid upon me. A life that was quickly fading. I could see right away she was struggling to breath. She was quickly rushed to the table where my husband followed. I could not see her and I had no idea what was going on. My husband came back to me to tell me she was ok. Later I found he was completely lying. Our daughter had meconium in her lungs. This is a link for those that want to know the details of what it is, but it is basically like tar once air hits it. Four hours after delivering my daughter she was sent to Oakland Children's Hospital. I later found out that this was something that was fairly common with one exception. The nurse staff are supposed to check when your water breaks for meconium. Mine did not. So not only had did my daughter get meconium in her lungs, she had been breathing it in for hours up until her delivery. When I asked if she was going to be ok the doctor looked at me with a long stare then said, " It may be a few months before she can go home." I was crushed. The sadness I felt in that moment was the worse feeling I have ever felt in my life.
This story does have a very happy ending though... After a week of being on a breathing machine and having wires running all over her, they took everything off and she let ok a huge scream. Several hours later we were taking her home. Now at 15 months she has some seriously strong lungs and can scream so loud you won't be able to hear for at least 5 minutes. Moral of the story... If when your water breaks it is a a dark brown color. TELL YOUR DOCTOR ASAP... Had the doctor know that there was meconium in the water he would have had a special machine that would suck it out before she was able to breath in air...

Oh how my heart burns... From this stupid HEARTBURN!

Heartburn during pregnancy in my opinion is the MOST annoying thing about being pregnant. It drives me crazy. I think in my entire lifetime I may have taken Tums a handful of times. While I'm pregnant, I am taking them by the handfuls.Thankfully I don't mind the taste of them. However, I have heard that some women can't stand them and are even sickened by them. To the best of my knowledge Tums are the only OC medications that you can take while you are pregnant, but you should always ask your doctor if Tums just aren't cutting it or you can't stand them.
Remember to be proactive in preventing heartburn also. If chili cheese fries gave you heartburn before you were prego more then likely it is probably gonna be even worse now that you a baby pushing your stomach up into your lungs... Now I will admit that I LOVE spicy foods, so it is no surprise for my poor husband to find me crying in the kitchen over some sliced pepper-jack cheese. It is a daily struggle... Thankfully the Tums work great for me. Foods that are highly acidic can also cause you problems. Things like lemons, oranges, and sorbets are just a few. Greasy foods, high fat foods, and just about everything on the late night fast food menu will also start to give you heartburn once your little one starts getting bigger in your belly. The good news is it will stop the day your baby is born. So hope is not lost!
The best advice I can give for this nuisance is keep your Tums handy!
Hope this helps!

Being Pregnant with Hashimoto's Disease

I am not a Doctor and all statements are base on my personal experience. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your daily routine. 

In 2008 I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto's is said to be a genetic disease of the thyroid that causes a person to have both low thyroid and high thyroid activity. This disease typically does not effect a person until their senior years, however I was diagnosed at 26 and after some minor investigating by my doctor I had been not only showing physical signs but blood test confirmed I had it since I was 21. If you are wondering, YES, I was livid with my previous doctors not catching this.
While there are many things Hashimoto's can cause the one associated with this blog is infertility. For many years I could not become pregnant and had no idea why. While it was not something I was hugely concerned about my husband and I did notice it. It wasn't until after three years of being treated for my Hashimoto's was I able to conceive.
With my first pregnancy I had no complications with my thyroid. I took my medication everyday and had blood test every 30 days to monitor it. Not a single problem. However, with my current pregnancy I have not been so lucky. Along with the typical symptoms of pregnancy I had all of them intensified by my thyroid going haywire. I even spent a day in the ER for dehydration from all the vomiting. I was tested weekly to monitor my thyroid and it seemed like they were never going to get the dosage right. It wasn't until about a month ago that my thyroid levels became more stable.
Now you are probably wondering what type of complications this can cause with pregnancy. Well there are many. Everything from a miscarriage to brain abnormalities are possible if the thyroid is left untreated during pregnancy. I know all that sounds scary, believe me I was terrified when my doctor told all the things that could go wrong. Despite all of that there is good news. Very good news. The medication used to treat my thyroid is nothing more then a hormone supplement. It gives my body the extra amount of hormones needed to function properly and for the baby to grow healthy. There are no side effects from taking my thyroid medication.
If you have Hashimoto's or any other type of thyroid dysfunction be sure to take your medication as your doctor prescribes. If you are looking for a more holistic solution to your thyroid there are many out there that have proven successful, HOWEVER, ALWAYS TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR FIRST!

Hope this Helps!

Dealing with Back Pain During Pregnancy

First I have to disclose that I am not a Doctor and that all information below is based on personal experience. Always consult your Doctor before making any major changes to your daily routine.

I think that back pain is something that every women is going to experience at some point of her pregnancy. I know for me back pain was another reason for me not to have children. After being in two major car accidents I found that I had a "narrow spinal column". In other words, where most people's spinal cords would have room to swell from a traumatic injury I had none. This also affected the outlets of my spinal cord. 

When I became pregnant my #1 concern was how I was going to deal with the increased pressure on my spine. I think the fact that I spent many years prior to pregnancy building a stronger core  played a huge role in curbing the pain. However, I still had a lot of pain to deal with, especially in the last 2 months. In my final month the only place I could sleep semi pain free was the couch. So if you are suffering from back pain just know it is normal and your not alone.

In the beginning my pain was limited to the right side of my lower back. For that I found leaning to the left gave me the most relief. It was explained to me by my doctor as "opening up the nerve outlets more" thus relieving the pressure on them. At night I found that if I placed a thin pillow under my belly and one between my legs also helped relieve the pressure on my back. I also wore crocks and rested when I started to feel the pain taking over. If you decide to do any of this RESTING is probably one of the most important. It is easier to control your pain when it's mild then waiting until it's unbearable and out of control. 

As the pain increased with my belly growing larger I did end up resorting to taking Tylenol on a regular bases to help reduce the swelling. I also preferred heat over ice, but used together they can provide pain relief. Another key factor in dealing with the pain was reducing stress. It is well known that when we stress we tense our muscle and that indirectly will increase the pain. So take a nice warm bath with the lights out and some candles lit! Works like a charm!

Things you should always look out for or avoid when it comes to back pain during your pregnancy.

• Climbing or reaching for things that shift your body weight in a unnatural position
• Taking any medications other then Tylenol unless advised by your doctor
• Hot tubs ( while then seem like a source of relief they can cause serious complications)
• Massages ( should only be done by persons with prenatal massage training)

Those are just a few things off the top of my head. If I think of more I will add them.

Hope this helps!

Skin Reaction to Ink After Delivery??

This happened to me with my first pregnancy. After our daughter was born I suddenly started getting itchy welts on the areas of skin that were tattooed. It was rather painful. I was breastfeeding at the time and didn't want to use any type of steroid creams so I tried a more homeopathic approach. I found that aloe vera gave me the most relief, however I still had some scabbing in the more tender area of my tattoo. Specifically on the underside of my arm. All in all it took about 6 months for it finally heal. I am hoping this time around that I don't have the same problem.
Along with the Aloe Vera I also used Epson salt, calamine lotion, and ice packs to help reduce the itching and swelling.