I’ve seen quite a few strange products for new and expecting parents, but I can’t remember seeing promotional material that actually made me sick to my stomach…but in a good way. When you are selling products for expecting mothers with morning sickness like Morning Chicness Bags, you might as well go all the way and tell it like it is. In their

words:

Not only is this the first time I’ve seen the word “vomit” used in a slogan, but it looks like the logo is getting ready to hurl as well. You’ll find all six sophisticated barf bags available online, each with leak-proof polyethylene lining and horizontal closure clips. Bravo Morning Chicness Bags, bravo!

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

> thanks to Springwise

The studies are in and the researchers are giving a lot of advice to pregnant women covering everything from Vitamin E to the dangers associated with being overweight. In short:

• Vitamin E: A study by Dutch researchers is showing that the likelihood of having a baby with a heart defect was 70 percent higher for women with the highest vitamin E intake from diet alone. Including the use of a supplement to already high levels increased congenital heart defects by as much as 5-to-9 times as high. (see full story)

• Obesity and Birth Defects: A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that babies born to obese mothers can increase the risk of serious birth defects. Babies born from overweight mothers have an increased risk of water on the brain “hydrocephaly” is up 68 percent, and heart problems shoot up by as much as 30 percent. Their advice is to seek pre-pregnancy counseling before you are pregnant to put yourself on a healthy nutrition plan. (see full story)

That’s a lot of statistics for one day, but I’ll be sure to post updates as additional information becomes available.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

In related news, I released a controversial report on Sunday which reinforces previous findings regarding pregnant women and fruit balancing. I stick to my original position

that the practice of balancing fruit is “still probably okay, when practiced responsibly.” The FDA has not yet responded to the announcement, but inside sources tell us that the EPA has once again slammed my position on fruit balancing as “unfounded quackery from a moose.” My response to the EPA’s alleged comment was “hey, take it easy.” Inside sources tell us that the EPA’s response to my rebuttal was “no…you take it easy.”

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

> also see: AP’s FDA reconsiders consumer advice on fish

Today’s healthy dose of fun is sure to be a “must have” baby shower gift for new moms in the future. It’s still in development, but the Beforme MP3 Stethoscope will be the hit of the baby shower if designer Robert Majkut is able to make the leap from concept phase to finished product. Not only will this gadget pick-up baby’s heartbeat and display it on the screen in graph-format, but it’s designed to send the information via USB and/or Bluetooth for saving and sharing. Very cool, I’ll be sure to let you know when the Beforme is available!

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

(thanks to The Design Blog)

Daddy Types had a great post about the Australian-made Tummy Shield which was designed to reduce the risk of injury during a car accident (to baby and mother) by repositioning the seat belt over the thighs instead of the belly. There are many products like this on the market, and they all sound great…but few of them have readily available crash test data to support their safety claims. Below are just a few related products along with their safety notes and sources:

• Tummy Shield (seen above): a platform placed on the car seat guides the seatbelt between the legs and off the belly using a hook positioned between a pregnant woman’s legs (Crash Test Info: Unknown/Unclear)
• BeSafe: a Norwegian designed product designed to secure the lap portion of the seatbelt in the appropriate postion and off the abdomen. (Crash Test Info: Yes)
• Safe’n'Comfy (seen above): a Florida-based company with a product designed to secure the lap portion of the seatbelt in the appropriate postion and off the abdomen. (Crash Test Info: Unknown/Unclear)
• The Maternity Seat Belt: another repositioning device, the Maternity Seat Belt claims to be the “only tested and patented product that provides pregnant women with the necessary means to benefit from the support and safety of the vehicle’s existing seat belt, while giving pregnant women additional comfort and piece of mind.” (Crash Test Info: Yes)

Let us know if you’ve used one of these products (or a related product) by clicking on the comments bubble above. The manufacturers of the mentioned products were invited to comment, so perhaps they’ll provide additional safety test updates or additional product information not found on their websites. They all appear to be useful products, so I’m looking forward to learning more.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

It’s beginning to warm up as summer approaches which means that our very preggo readers out there (you know who you are) are finding it increasingly difficult to get comfortable. I can’t help you with the temperature, but I did come across a way to battle a bulging belly button while wearing form-fitting T-shirts and dresses.

Miss Oops has come to the rescue with their latex-free Popper Stopper strips! Popper Stopper’s hide the “outtie”, but don’t pop out like the old band-aid system. Find them (5 in each package) for $13 at MissOops.com.

Stay cool out there!

Dr.MOZ

Thanks for participating in the Dear Dr.MOZ giveaway everyone, and don’t forget to drop by in a few days to see this week’s great prize!

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

• Jan 18-24 Roxie Cinema, San Francisco, CA
• Jan 26-27 Laemmle, Santa Montica, CA
• Feb 17-21 Circle Cinema, Tulsa, OK
• Feb 29-Mar 6 Siff Cinema, Seattle, W

If you don’t happen to be located in one of these locations there are many community screenings scheduled across the US, or you could host your own screening as many childbirth educators and related groups are doing.

Please click on the comments bubble above to advertise your screening of The Business of Being Born, or to share your review. I’d love to hear what you think!

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

The findings are still being debated among those in the medical community, so hopefully

we’ll see larger studies on the topic in the near future. Read more about the study in the San Francisco Chronicle or let us know what you feel about the recent findings by clicking on the comments bubble above.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ