October 28, 2008

FarmWife Answers

Kork starts off the fun this week with: What is your take on Organic for Baby? Inkling I know how you feel...and I'm curious how Farmie feels about going organic and green, being in the middle of the Midwest as she is.

Oddly enough, being in the Midwest (surrounded by farm land & all things good in nature) organic is not a word you hear often around here. Yeah, you can get Gerber Organics at Wal-Mart and a few select fruits & veggies that are certified organic in the produce section, but it's rather limited. Honestly I haven't given organic a great deal of thought. Maybe if it were more readily available or didn't cost twice what "regular" food does around here, I'd have considered it closer....and maybe if Kraft Mac & Cheese were organic....no, really, I think if you have the resources Organic is good. Just be careful what you decide to invest in. There are many things that being organic doesn't really change. And things that may say organic, but aren't really. Research.

And in a similar thread, Zann asks: Why is it that organic milk in the smaller containers lasts for...like forever.. but the larger jugs only last the same amount of time as regular milk? What is so special about those smaller cartons?

Um...Can't say I knew this was an issue. I used to buy Lactaid milk (during a time I believed I was lactose intolerant...turns out it's more of a sugar-in-great-amounts intolerance) and it was "ultra pasteurized." That milk would keep for weeks if unopened. Turns out, it's the same with Organic milk. According to Scientific America, UHT (ultra high temp. pasteurization) is used on organic milk because often times it must travel farther than regular milk to get to consumers. You may want to check the larger containers to see if they're marked ultra pasteurized, or if they're done the old fashioned way. (Incidentally ultra pasteurizing can also cause a sweeter taste in the milk which is why it's not done to all types of milk.)

Oddly enough, this is an article I found while Googling Organic Milk. It's an older article, but then this one showed up as well. It sounds like the rules for Organic milk are rather vague & easily avoided and there is no actual difference between organic and non-organic milk in make-up. It's all about the cows, not the milk.

An unnamed reader asks: Why does sticking your finger in coke fizz cause it to dissipate quicker?

My uneducated guess would be that your finger gives resistance to the tiny bubbles & breaks their surface tension quicker than if they're left alone. According to Self Serve Science, the oil in your skin may make the difference. But they also suggest pouring into a slightly wet glass. The dust & detergent that builds up on the surface of a glass act as a surface for bubble formation. If the glass is newly rinsed, this shouldn't be a factor.

Inkling starts us off with a pregnancy question: Why was chai tea okay to drink when I wasn't pregnant, and I loved it, and why does it cause me in this glorious beginning of the third trimester to feel like puking is imminent? Is there some weird chemical or spice that is contraindicated in pregnancy or something?

I have to say, I doubt it has anything to do with spices or chemicals. I think what you are experiencing is a food aversion. Plain & simple. With B.B. I couldn't stand the sight of Chinese food. With my other three pregnancies, I could have eaten it every day. With B.B. (in the second trimester) almost any liquid made me sick at my stomach. I could eat with no problem. I could drink if I was eating. But I could not sit down with a glass of anything & just drink it. It's a wonder I wasn't perpetually dehydrated.

Her second question is one I'd really rather not answer for fear of terrifying the poor girl. But, she asked and I'm obligated. That whole pubic bone softening thing that causes one to feel as if her bone down there is separating in two with each step is kind of painful. How long does it last? Why is it so painful? And does it cause pain when it's getting back to its normal state post-delivery?

Good news first: I don't remember pain post-delivery as the bones are shifting back. But then, it may have been over shadowed by the pain that comes naturally with post-delivery.

And now for the crappy news: Uh, it's going to last until Grasshopper gets here if you're like me. With BabyGirl the pain began when I was 39 weeks along. I delivered her at 41 weeks, so I only had 2 weeks of agony with each step. With #1 Son it began at about 36 weeks. With B.B. at 32. With Bitsy I think it began around the moment of conception.

It's actually the ligaments loosening up to allow the pelvic bone to spread so Grasshopper's (hopefully bullet shaped) head will have room to descend. As to why it's so painful, I think it's an individual thing. Since it hurt like the devil for me, and you are also in pain, I'd guess we can blame it on Grandma and Grandpa M&M's genetic make-up.

I can tell you, laying down makes it worse. If you have a recliner, try sleeping in it instead of your bed. If not, invest in pillows. Lots & lots of pillows. At least 2 under your head (because it's going to start happening in your rib cage soon & that will make it painful to breath if you're laying on your left side with only one pillow under your noggin), and a big fat one between your knees. That will help support your hips & lessen the pain.

She also asks: Where did "shake your booty" arise from anyway? Didn't booty once mean a type of loot? So when did it start referring to the nether regions of a woman's backside?

While I can't seem to find out exactly how the change came about, I did find information that states booty has been slang for buttocks since the 1920's. It's possible that it's a shortened form of bottom. The "Shake your booty" thing you can credit to KC and the Sunshine Band's 1976 #1 Hit song.

So that's it for this week's episode of Ask FarmWife. Maybe by next week I'll have made a button I'm happy with. We'll see.

3 comments:

Sarah @ Ordinary Days said...

Well aren't you just miss smarty pants! Here's one for ya: Do you still have a home phone? I hear they are becoming a thing of the past with cell phones everywhere.

Kork said...

Good answers...let Zann know that she needs to be REALLY REALLY careful with organic dairy products.

The federal regulations state that only 51% of feed has to be organic, and certain antibiotics are actually still allowed to be used on the cows...scary when you think about it, but then, to be labeled "non-toxic" only 51% of the ingredients have to be "safe"...hmmmmmm...

zann said...

the only reason I was buying organic milk (sorry to those who are firm believers in organic is best) was because it didn't expire as fast. DH and I just didn't drink the non-organic fast enough to not have to throw half of it away, but now we've started drinking more milk it seems, or I'm baking more or something so I looked at the gallon jugs the other day - gess we'll just switch back to regular milk now that we're drinking more