Go Green during Pregnancy.

Many people are looking for solutions on how to cut down the environmental hazard that is gradually building up daily. Pregnant women are also part of this movement. They are bringing a new soul to this world, so it is their responsibility to make sure that the environment of the baby is going to stay healthy and green. This will help give your baby a fresh start without exposure to toxic materials. Are you pregnant and you’ve been hearing about going green but you don’t know how to, some of the tips to get started include:

Personal care products you use

Use organic body care products and cosmetics. Many body care products such as shampoo and lotions are known to contain harmful chemicals which can affect the male reproductive system of your fetus peradventure your baby is male sex. Avoiding such products will not only be beneficial for your unborn child, but also for the environment that has to bear the weight of all the toxicity on it.

As pregnant women, your hair and nail color should be in their natural state as hair dyes or nail polish contain solvents that have the potential to harm the baby. You can use organic nail polishes that do not contain chemicals such as dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde or any other phthalates if you feel you can’t do without nail polishes. Check the ingredients of your nail polish bottles to ensure these chemicals are not present there. Use products that contain little or no fragrance and be careful of foreign products as some of them contain a high amount of lead which is said to cause neurological damage.

Use non-toxic sheets

Use bed sheets or linens made from organic cotton. The standard cotton bed sheets are made with a large number of dyes, synthetic pesticides, formaldehyde, bleaches and synthetic fertilizers. Most cotton is also grown using insecticides. Using organic cotton linen and pillows will keep prevent you from inhaling toxic materials when you sleep. Also, washing your laundry with organic soaps is advised too.

How you wash your plate matters

Going green involves saving the earth and its natural resources. Wastage should be reduced to the barest minimum and recycling is advised. How does plate come into this? When you wash your dirty dishes wrongly, you waste a lot of water. Cleaning your plates wrongly involves you leaving the faucet running while you watch. Rather than do that, you should consider either getting a dishwasher which saves about 37 percent of water compared to when you wash with your hand. If you prefer using the hand, then you need to have soapy water on one side and a clean one on the other side of the sink so that when you wash with the soapy water, you can rinse with the clean. This would help you save a lot of water. Use a dishwasher when you have lots of plates to wash so you don’t waste water too.

Buy products with less or no packaging

Rather than buying those grapes packed in a bag, why don’t you have all of them kept in one bag? To save the environment from litters, you should try buying things in bulk quantity. You could buy a bag of nuts or a bigger box of cereals rather than small individually packed ones. You can save up enough money and buy the larger sizes of things. It is even of advantage to you as they are cheaper and lasts longer than the smaller types.

Recycle the wastes

Recycling is no longer a new word or topic of discussion, but a lot of pregnant women are still unable to join the new crop of recyclers. Recycling helps keep the environment less toxic. Keep a separate can, for things you want to recycle; this should be different from your garbage can.

Find out what to recycle and how you can go about it. Do you need to drop it with a recycling agency, or will they come and pick it up like they do with garbage cans? Find out this information and join the recycling circle.

Cut down on the red meat

According to the executive director for the advocacy group center for science in the public interest, Mr. Michael Jacobson, when cattle belch, they emit methane gas that is 23 times more poisonous to the environment than carbon dioxide. That is quite a lot of pollution and could be prevented if we reduce the amount of meat we eat.

Studies have shown that cattle do not only pollute the soil, air or water, they also cause gas emissions which is higher than that of cars, buses or trucks.

Cut down on the consumption of meat to make the world a better place for the baby on its way. You can add a bit of meat to your meal rather than making it a meal by itself.

Plan your grocery shopping

Don’t just drive out anytime to get groceries. You are wasting gas. Plan shopping time and make sure you stick to the date and buy everything you need at once. When going to grocery stores, ensure that you go with a reusable grocery bag instead of getting the usual paper or plastic bags they offer at the grocery stores. If you don’t have a reusable bag, then you can use the plastic bag but ensure that you bring it next time you visit the grocery store.

Conclusion

Keep your home well ventilated. Make use of the sunlight during the daytime rather than using the light bulb 24 hours a day. This will help preserve energy and save light bills.

Save more energy by using the microwave instead of the oven for cooking small dishes. This helps in saving energy that could have been consumed by the oven and the air-conditioner if the room gets hot. Also when cooking, cover the pot or saucepan with a lead to save more energy.

Avoid smoking or sitting around people that smoke. Second-hand smoking is equally as dangerous as it could cause you to go into labor earlier than normal.