Day 3 Blog Post

Today Olivia and I found out we are having a girl! We were both overjoyed because raising a baby girl is every girl's dream. We would have been thrilled if it was a boy as well. I just want a healthy baby. My friend Gabby might be having a miscarriage. It is a very sad thought, but there are other options! First and foremost, you have to make sure the mother is mentally and physically alright. Next, you can discuss options on conceiving another baby. Artificial insemination is one way to get pregnant. Artificial insemination is a technique that can help treat certain kinds of infertility in both men and women. In this artificial inseminatin, sperm are inserted directly into a woman's cervix, fallopian tubes, or uterus. Adoption is another way to have a child. Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another who is not kin and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents. A disadvantage of adoption is that your child does not have your DNA or chromosomes. In vitro fertilization is another way to conceive a child. In Vitro Fertilization is is a process by which egg cells are fertilized by sperm outside the body. You can also just try to get pregnant again the natural way.

Day 2 8 Weeks Pregnant

Alot has changed since my last blog post, The head is now 1/3 of the entire baby. The respiratory system has started to form, which includes the trachea and lungs, at 5 weeks reprodutive organs started forming and handplates and wrists started developing. At 6 weeks cerebral hemispheres are growing, the embryo moves, the external ear starts to form, blood cell formation has started as well. The diaphragm has started forming too. The handplates are flattening. Brain waves can be detected. The elbows have distinct bends, nipples are formingm, and handmovement has begun and the fingers are seperating. At 7 weeks, the embryo can hiccup, the legs can move and the heart is fully complete. The embryo's heart beats at 167 times a minute. Doctors can now detect the wave pattern of the heart. The ovaries or testes are identifiable. The retina of the eye is forming. The fingers are now seperated and the toes are adjoined at only the bases. The hands and feet can come together and move and the knee joints develop and bend. Now it is 8 weeks, the baby has a complex brain, in fact, it is half of the baby's body weight! You can determine left/right hand/ambidextrous dominance at this point. The embryo can roll over because of the low gravity in the amniotic fluid. The baby is physically active alot now. The upper and lower eyelids are forming. The baby has many breathing motions and the kidneys produce urine. Joints and limbs are now developing. The skin loses its transparency because it develops and becomes thicker and this is the end of the embryonic stage. The baby is made up of about 1 billion cells now. The baby now exhibits 90% of structures an adult has. The mother(me)'s body is changing because the stomach has expanded a small amount. The odds of having identical twins are about 3.5 in 1000 universal. The odds of having identical twins are 11 in 1000 in the United States. The odds of having triplets are 1in 8100 chance in white americans and 1 in 9800 in black americans. You also have to choose a doctor or midwife. You choose a doctor or midwife depending on your pregnancy and type of help you want. High risk pregnancies usually need a Perinatoligist or Obstetriciian. You can use a family practitioner, midwife, nurse midwife, and obstetrician. You do research on each one and find which kind of care you prefer. Then you locate the providers you need in your area. You should meet with them and if you do not feel comfortable you can switch.
Here is my list of tips for a safe and healthy pregnancy:

• Do not consume any alcohol during pregnancy
• Do not smoke cigarettes or any street drugs
• Eat Healthy foods
• REad pregnancy books
• stop changing cat littler
• drink 6-8 glasses of water a day
• add 300-500 calories to your diet
• take a birthing class
• find a doctor you feel comfortable with

Mommy Daddy Blog!

. Since fertilization the embryo has formed a blastocyst, implanted itself into the uterus, gotten oxygen through the placenta, their has been 3 specialized tissues the ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm, the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain have started growing along with the digestive system. During 3-4 weeks the body emerges as well as the brain and spinal chord. The embryo is now 4 weeks since fertilization  The Embryo's heart beats 113 times a minute now. Amniotic fluid protects the embryo. The baby is going through rapid brain growth at this time. The lower limbs begin to bud. As of now, the skin is transparent because it is only 1 cell thick. Above is what our embryo looks like. It is about the size of a sesame seed or 4 mm long and 0.4 g in weight. The child's heart is evolving slowly into a four chambered heart. :) The liver and bilary tract are also developing. The neural tube begun development! I (the mommy) am starting to feel extremely tired and am also very moody at times. I have started being more conscious of what I am eating. My husband is also starting to watch his health. We are overjoyed. We are now calling our relatives and telling them the good news. Yesterday, we went to the store and bought many books on pregnancy and the development of our child. This is such an exciting time.

Task 2 Part 2

"Should there be government regulations to protect the environment from genetically engineered crops?"
                    

            I am a consumer advocate. A consumer advocate is one who is dedicated to protecting and promoting welfare and rights of consumers. I believe there should be strict government regulations to protect the environment from genetically engineered crops. Our environment is very precious to us as consumers and we should keep it that way. The government should take strict precautions against harming our environment.

            The definition of genetically engineered foods are foods that are grown, manufactured, processed or otherwise produced or altered with techniques that change the molecular or cell biology of an organism by means or in a manner not possible under natural conditions or processes. Some examples of genetic engineering are recombinant DNA techniques, cell fusion, gene deletion and doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and changing the positions of genes. My position on Genetic engineering is that Genetic Engineering has a lot of potential but it requires a lot more research than what is provided now. According to the FDA and the USDA there are over 40 plant varieties that have completed all of the federal requirements for commercialization in genetically modified foods. I believe that they should still monitor these 40 plant varieties.

            Genetically engineered crops could easily cause problems to our environment. Unintended harm to other organisms is one of these issues. For example, pollen from b.t. corn caused the death rate of monarch butterflies to increase dramatically An additional difficulty is a genetically engineered food could take over an original plant and harm the ecosystem. One downside of genetically engineered crops would be gene transfer to an unintended species. For example, as the GE crops pollinate weeds, the weeds will become stronger, creating the need for stronger pesticides. There could also become a dangerous or harmful mutation of GE foods.

            The government should create regulations to protect our environment from these problems. Much more research about environment effect should be required before the production and market of genetically engineered crops. The food and drug administration needs to approve of each GE crop and make sure it is safe for our environment. I also believe the FDA should check up on the crop they approved every 5 years.

            The government has the obligation to protect the earth. The environment depends on accurate, unbiased research in order to flourish and stay healthy for generations to come. Consumer advocates, Scientists, legislators, and environmentalists all need to come together to help preserve or world. The government should set in motion for regulations to protect the environment for the benefit of everyone.

Task #2 Part 1

Task #2 Part 1

            I am the role of a consumer advocate. A consumer advocate is one who is dedicated to protecting and promoting welfare and rights of consumers. Consumers should be adequately informed of what they are buying for themselves and their families.  As a consumer, I believe that there should be government regulations requiring genetically engineered foods to be labeled. On this label the distributors of food products should include information specifically regarding genetic engineering of the product they are selling.  The label should include, short term side effects, long term side effects, why the product is genetically engineered, and if any part of the genetic engineering process would not comply with a certain religion’s beliefs.

            The definition of genetically engineered foods are foods that are grown, manufactured, processed or otherwise produced or altered with techniques that change the molecular or cell biology of an organism by means or in a manner not possible under natural conditions or processes. Some examples of genetic engineering are recombinant DNA techniques, cell fusion, gene deletion and doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and changing the positions of genes. My position on Genetic engineering is that Genetic Engineering has a lot of potential but it requires a lot more research than what is provided now.  There should be a label on Genetically Engineered Foods because people have a right to make an educated choice on what they are eating. I also believe that companies and distributors have an obligation to inform consumers of what they are selling. One negative aspect of genetically engineered foods is a creation of an unknown allergy. 

Religion is another proponent of why genetically engineered foods should be labeled. Many religions ban the intake of meat or non-kosher foods. For example, the Hindus do not eat meat and Jewish Peoples do not eat any food that is non-kosher. Food distributors must respect these people’s cultures and keep them knowledgeable on what they are buying.

Since 1992, the FDA has made these conditions on Genetically Engineered foods, If a bioengineered food is significantly different from its traditional counterpart such that the common or usual name no longer adequately describes the new food, the name must be changed to describe the difference. If an issue exists for the food or a constituent of the food regarding how the food is used or consequences of its use, a statement must be made on the label to describe the issue. If a bioengineered food has a significantly different nutritional property, its label must reflect the difference. If a new food includes an allergen that consumers would not expect to be present based on the name of the food, the presence of that allergen must be disclosed on the label. I believe these guidelines are not specific enough to protect the consumers because we still are not well informed on what we are eating.

As a consumer advocate, I am concerned about the well being of consumers. Labels should be demanded by the government for the good of the people. Japan, Australia, and Europe are all labeling there genetically engineered foods. Why shouldn’t we?

Why has there been a rise in Peanut/tree nut allergies?

I am allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Due to my allergy, I'm interested why there has been a spike of peanut and tree nut allergies in humans. I've done research and one possible reason is the improvement in medicine and treatment, also how much our culture tries to be cleaner. With the use of hand sanitizer and disinfectants, people arent to exposed to as many bacterias and pathogens. This stops the immune system from fighting them off and the immune system from becoming stronger. This can cause the immune system to recognize harmless substances as dangerous and cause a reaction.

Consumer Advocate Statement.

                Everybody should know about how their foods are genetically modified before they eat them. Everyone should be informed and all the foods should be labeled. People must be aware of the many benefits and risks of genetically modified foods. Such benefits include, medicinal foods that could be used as vaccines/medicines, foods with more desirable traits, faster growing plants, increase in food supply with reduced cost and longer shelf life, decreased use of pesticides, disease and drought resistant plants, tastier foods, more nutritious food. Although, there are many risks to be aware of. New allergies, an increase in cost, and unknown effect on human health genetic changes that are unexpected and harmful, Modified organisms may interbreed with natural organisms and out-compete them, this would lead to extinction of the original organism or to other unpredictable environmental effects, plants may be resistant to some pests but not to others are all risks of GMF.

I am a Consumer Advocate!

As a consumer advocate, I believe consumers should know exactly where their food is coming from and how it is genetically engineered. There should be a label specifically stating what kind of genetic engineering is involved so consumers can be aware of what they are eating. In resteraunts and fast food shops on the menu it should state how/what/where/why the product is genetically engineered. From the consumer's point of view the benefits of genetic engineering are mostly for nutrition and convienence. For example I'm allergic to peanuts and treenuts, scientists could genetically engineer allergen-free peanuts and treenuts. There are also some disadvantadges of genetically engineered food. New allergies, an increase in cost, and unknown effect on human health are all examples of disadvantages of genetically modified food. I believe that the benefits outweigh the risks because science could improve the quality of life for many consumers.

Background Information

1. Food biotechnology is a type of genetic engineering to produce and refine new variations of plants and animals for benefit of consumers.
2. Genetically engineered food is food made from animals and plants that have genetically altered DNA or selective breeding.
3. Some advantages of genetically engineered foods are pest resistance for farmers and crops, herbicide tolerating for farming as well, disease,cold, and drought, resistance for plants, Nutrition, and pharmacueticals such as medicine and vaccines.
4. Some disadvantages of genetically engineered foods are harm of other organisms in our ecosystem, pesticide resistance, gene transfer to non-target species, new allergies for humans, and unknown effects on human health.