The X-factor

One of the more frequently asked questions that I get is "why do you eat organic?". I've been asked on many occasions about our organic eating habits... or about our refusal to spray our house for bugs/pests, or the yard for weeds... or about my stubborn dedication to exclusively breastfeed preemies... Check out these links:

• Environment plays larger role in autism, study says
• Antidepressant use in pregnancy may raise autism risk

As these articles discuss, and which I believe, the presence autism is probably a combination of factors. I think there is probably a genetic predisposition which, speaking about my own children, I would have no way of knowing whether they had an "autism gene" or not. That is out of my control. But if that factor is an unknown, why in the world wouldn't I take every precaution possible to rule out the influence that might be the x-factor? Why wouldn't I breastfeed to ensure optimal nutrition for their developing bodies? Why wouldn't I eliminate any and all toxins from my system in order to be providing pure and natural milk? Why wouldn't I create a home environment free of garbage that I know does my family zero good? If it kills weeds, if it kills bugs, if it kills ANYTHING... there is no way it could be beneficial to us. 

With regard to the article above and antidepressants... the birth of Abby and Elise was NOTHING like what I'd imagined. Becoming a mom for me was scary and sad and defeating and exhausting and SO DAMN HARD... who wouldn't have been depressed? And I went as far as to call my doctor one day, when I thought I just couldn't keep doing it, and she gave me antidepressants. It was obvious to everyone around me that postpartum depression had taken up residence in my system. I picked up the pills and I took them home. And I stared at them. I read the "warnings". I plugged in google searches for "antidepressants and breastfeeding". I knew those pills could possibly pose some kind of risk - no matter how big or small - but it was an x-factor that I could control. It felt so wrong to even consider taking a drug that I would knowingly pass to my girls... so I didn't. 

And that's why we eat organic and use baking soda and vinegar to clean and keep shoes handy for spider-squashing. Because we can. Doesn't it just make sense?