You know, many people interested in buying organic only think about the foods they eat. But some personal care products are made with harmful ingredients, too. And these can accumulate in your body over time the same way pesticides do.

If this is a concern to you, look into safer alternatives. And check your personal care products (even household cleaning products!) for any of these ingredients. You should avoid them if you can:

• Parabens
• Phthalates
• Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) - Mostly in shampoos
• Triclosan
• Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)
• Formaldehyde
• Toluene - Also listed as benzene, toluol, phenylmethate, and methylbenzene. NOTE: Pregnant women are advised to avoid toluene vapors as they may put a developing fetus at risk for developmental damage.

A good rule to follow is: If you can’t pronounce it, you’re better off avoiding it!

Vitamin D is sooo important, for you and your baby. In fact, the Mayo Clinic says low levels of vitamin D have been linked to a host of diseases including: kidney disease, diabetes, stomach, intestine and lung disorders, and heart disease.

While vitamin D is important in general, it’s super important for your baby during your 3rd trimester. Because that’s when your baby’s bones are forming — and to make strong bones you need vitamin D!

And here’s an interesting fact about the best way to get vitamin D. Many people think they have to be in the sun. But it turns out eating meat or drinking milk from pasture-raised cows is a better way. That’s because the cows get vitamin D from the sun while they’re grazing. And they also get it from the grass that gets it from the sun. So when we consume milk and meat from pasture-raised cows, we’ll get the benefit of their vitamin D!

And if you’re vegetarian or vegan, your best bet will be to take vitamin D supplements.

Copper is just starting to get some attention. And it should. Because copper is essential to your health. It’s involved in many important functions including regulating your thyroid and adrenal glands, your energy level, even your moods and emotions.

And copper plays a very important role in your pregnancy. In fact, the level of copper in your body doubles while you’re expecting!

But you need to be careful about how much copper you have. Too little can wreck havoc on you and your developing baby. Not enough copper could cause problems such as anemia, a weakened immune system, and bone abnormalities.

You also don’t want to have too much copper! Because that can be devastating, too. High copper levels have been linked to preeclampsia, postpartum depression, and possibly even autism.

Copper pipes could be a problem because you’ll be getting copper with every glass of water you drink. So if you don’t know your body’s copper level, and if you don’t know for certain whether your home has copper pipes or not, it’s a good idea to switch to bottled water.

You can tell a lot about a person’s health from the condition of their teeth and bones. That’s because if a person gets cavities easily or seems prone to bone fractures as they get older, it could very well mean they didn’t get enough magnesium and calcium when their bodies were developing.

And it’s much easier to build strong teeth and bones in the first place than it is to try to strengthen them later! So the best thing you can do for your baby is to make sure you get enough magnesium and calcium while you’re pregnant. It will help lay the foundation for healthy, strong bones and teeth for the rest of your baby’s life.

Okay, I really don’t like to get preachy. But if you’re pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant, it’s really, really important to make sure you have the optimal levels of key nutrients. That includes vitamins and minerals.

Your pregnancy is the only time you’ll have 100% control of your baby’s nutrition. That means both what your baby eats and doesn’t eat. So make the most of it!

Okay, this may come as a surprise, but did you know it’s possible to influence your baby’s gender?

It turns out zinc supports the healthy production of hormones essential to producing a male baby. And research shows low levels of zinc during pregnancy are linked to women who had baby girls.

While there’s no way to 100% influence your baby’s gender, it is important to get enough zinc (especially if you’re having a baby boy). But taking too much can give you the queasies. So knowing how much to take so you don’t get that unpleasant side effect is important.

Iron deficiency is a huge problem for women. And it can cause problems during your pregnancy, especially during your 2nd and 3rd trimester. That’s because you need about twice as much iron when you’re pregnant so your body can make extra blood for your baby. Iron is also important for moving oxygen around your body — and your baby’s body, too.

And when you don’t have enough iron, you feel tired. You could also develop anemia. And anemia is a problem for expecting moms because it can cause premature birth or your baby may be born very small.

The problem is, so many women don’t have enough iron before they become pregnant! And then you need to work extra hard to get enough of this important mineral during your pregnancy.