With Mayo Clinic certified nurse-midwife Mary Murry, R.N., C.N.M.

In my first blog entry, I wrote about all the new and different things available for newborns and babies. I mentioned baby bottles. Recently I have become aware of news about this product. You may have read about it too. I wanted to share the information with you.

BPA is a component used in making plastic sport water bottles, sippy cups and baby bottles. Concerns have been raised that the chemical could present long-term cancer risk. There is nothing definite.

A quote from "The Wall Street Journal" summarizes the current state of knowledge the best: "Though the evidence isn't entirely clear, it's possible that exposure to the chemical during infancy could cause changes in prostate and mammary tissue that raise the risk of change later in life. The latest analysis goes beyond two others from last year, both of which concluded the chemical was safe in low doses."

There is more investigation under way, but for now BPA in plastic baby bottles is under advisement until more is known. As moms and soon-to-be moms, we want to do what is best for our babies. So what does this report mean in our world? It means you get to go shopping!

There are plastic baby bottles and sippy cups that do not contain BPA. On the Web, they seem a little pricey. Wal-Mart, meanwhile, has announced that it will convert its entire U.S. stock. They currently stock BPA free bottles. Others will do the same.

I used glass baby bottles back in the dark ages. I recommend them based on my experiences. They are easy to clean, have no plastic smell and are better for the environment. It's hard not to worry about so many things during pregnancy and afterwards. We have a precious little person who depends on us for everything. Don't let it all overwhelm you. Learn what you can, make decisions based on information and then relax and enjoy these days.

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