Cindy Strnad on sun 11 nov 01
Dear Sally,
Unless you're in poor health for some reason,
there are no substances in the studio that are
safe at other times, but become dangerous during
pregnancy. If they're dangerous, they're dangerous
all the time. Wear an *approved and well-fitted*
respirator, vent your kiln, be careful what and
how you lift and bend over, never eat or drink in
the studio, and make someone else empty the
kitty's litter box.
Some chemicals may be able to cross the skin
barrier. Personally, I'm extra careful with
lithium and ingredients containing lithium,
barium, and manganese. Also, anything water
soluble that I've forgotten. There are others, but
I don't use them: lead, vanadium, cadmium,
uranium. I would use the cadmium, btw, with
precautions, but I'm just not big on red.
Once you start to get bigger, you'll feel
off-balance. Unless you're confident and careful,
avoid climbing up on stuff to reach things. If you
insist on climbing, don't do it the way I did a
couple weeks ago: one foot on an empty picnic
cooler, with a cell phone in the left hand,
talking to my mom, and reaching way out to the
right with my other hand, trying to grasp
something I couldn't see. Bad idea. Trust me. And
it's an hour's drive to my chiropractor.
Never, ever lift away from your body. If you can't
lift that 50 lb. box of clay close because of a
big tummy, get someone else to do it. Being young,
you may get away with this at other times, but
it's a worse sin to lift wrong during pregnancy,
even if it's only "just this once".
Congratulations. Enjoy your pregnancy--it's an
incredible, productive, joyful time. I don't want
to do it again, but I do remember it with good
feelings.
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
USA
cindy@earthen-vessels-pottery.com
http://www.earthen-vessels-pottery.com
sally hovey on sun 11 nov 01
I am looking for research or information on pregnancy
and glaze materials. Most curious to hear from other
mothers, did you continue to work in your studios
while trying to conceive, while pregnant, while
nursing? What materials did you absolutely avoid? Are
gloves and a respirator enough protection? Wondering
about personal experiences. Thanks.
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Find a job, post your resume.
http://careers.yahoo.com
Dannon Rhudy on mon 12 nov 01
At 05:44 PM 11/11/2001 -0800, you wrote:
>I am looking for research or information on pregnancy
>and glaze materials....... Are
>gloves and a respirator enough protection? .......
It has always been the policy at the schools where I've
either attended or taught that pregnant potters take a
leave during the pregnancy. The clay is likely not a
problem (and many continue to hand-build at home).
But some glaze chemicals might be a problem, so why
take a risk? It is not THAT important to stay in the studio.
A healthy newborn is of prime importance. So take a
few months to look, read, draw, plan. Clay and glazes
can come later. If clay withdrawal makes you nervous,
take a workshop or two that are NOT hands on. Ask
your library to get some videos for you through interlibrary
loan, etc etc etc. Lots to do, time flies.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
chris clarke on mon 12 nov 01
I stopped working in the studio completely when I found out I was pregnant,
my doctor told me too. Which was nice, I didn't feel guilty about sitting
on my butt = ) chris
temecula, california
chris@ccpots.com
www.ccpots.com
Earl Brunner on mon 12 nov 01
Yeah well, it used to be the policy that women had to quit ANY work when
they got pregnant. Children were not allowed to see a teacher that was
"showing". Perhaps this is the case with pregnant potters and school.
Do they make them quit oil painting or any other activity that "might"
put them at risk? I think that reasonable precautions would be sufficient.
Dannon Rhudy wrote:
> At 05:44 PM 11/11/2001 -0800, you wrote:
>
>> I am looking for research or information on pregnancy
>> and glaze materials....... Are
>> gloves and a respirator enough protection? .......
>
>
> It has always been the policy at the schools where I've
> either attended or taught that pregnant potters take a
> leave during the pregnancy. The clay is likely not a
> problem (and many continue to hand-build at home).
> But some glaze chemicals might be a problem, so why
> take a risk? It is not THAT important to stay in the studio.
> A healthy newborn is of prime importance. So take a
> few months to look, read, draw, plan. Clay and glazes
> can come later. If clay withdrawal makes you nervous,
> take a workshop or two that are NOT hands on. Ask
> your library to get some videos for you through interlibrary
> loan, etc etc etc. Lots to do, time flies.
--
Earl Brunner
http://coyote.accessnv.com/bruec/
bruec@anv.net
Karen Ami on mon 12 nov 01
I have 3 beautiful sons, ages 14, 10, and almost 1 year. I worked in my
studio through the pregnancies (and consequently at least 12 months of
nursing) of all of them, using common sense. I did not use a mask or gloves,
but I don't mix my own clay and glazes. I avoided lead glaze and clay dust.
I worked up until the birth of my children, although I could not load the
kiln by myself because my belly was in the way! Also, I avoided picking up
heavier items, like 50 lb. boxes of clay.
What I found most interesting was how, as my body transformed, so did my
work. My "preggo" work is pretty curvaceous and a wonderful record of those
passages in my life.
Best Wishes
Karen Ami
Mudhouse Studio
Chicago
Jennifer F Boyer on mon 12 nov 01
Financially I couldn't shut my pottery business down during
pregnancy. I charged right along, using the usual safety
precautions I always have to protect myself(and company): vented
kilns, respirators, clean studio floors, no fumey hot wax,
change out of studio clothes while in the house. I don't use
the commonly defined "dangerous" chemicals anyway. There are
lots of other environments containing questionable chemicals
which pregnant women are exposed to: I've never thought too
highly of copier toner for instance. And who knows what's in a
good whiff of nail polish remover?
Being pregnant isn't being fragile, in my humble opinion. You
can do the things you are used to. I threw pots til the last
month with no problem(except that the bathroom was 2 floors up).
I stock piled bisk so I could just glaze and fire glaze kilns
while the babies were teeny. I wanted to spend the first few
months at home with them and didn't want to try throwing during
naps of questionable duration! They both started part time
child care at about 3 months.
I think bringing a baby into a studio isn't good. Baby lungs
shouldn't be exposed to that kind of dust. My babies are 17 and
25 an seem to have survived just fine...
sally hovey wrote:
>
> I am looking for research or information on pregnancy
> and glaze materials. Most curious to hear from other
> mothers, did you continue to work in your studios
> while trying to conceive, while pregnant, while
> nursing? What materials did you absolutely avoid? Are
> gloves and a respirator enough protection? Wondering
> about personal experiences. Thanks.
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Find a job, post your resume.
> http://careers.yahoo.com
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
--
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jennifer Boyer mailto:jboyer@adelphia.net
Thistle Hill Pottery
95 Powder Horn Glen Rd
Montpelier, VT 05602 USA
802-223-8926
http://www.thistlehillpottery.com/
Never pass on an email warning without checking out this site
for web hoaxes and junk:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Carl Finch on mon 12 nov 01
At 05:44 PM 11/11/01 -0800, Sally Hovey wrote:
> Most curious to hear from other mothers,
> did you continue to work in your studios
> while trying to conceive, [...]
As I remember, at the moments when my wife and I were trying to conceive,
we both found the bedroom far more comfortable. All that mud and slip were
bad enough, but she found centering just impossible!
--Carl ;-)
Dannon Rhudy on mon 12 nov 01
At 08:27 AM 11/12/01 -0800, you wrote:
>Yeah well, it used to be the policy that women had to quit ANY work when
...pregnant. Do they make them quit oil painting or any other activity
that "might"
>put them at risk?.....
No one "made" them do anything. But all of the art studios
where one might be handling/absorbing/inhaling toxic substances would
suggest that pregnant women take a leave, do art history,
or otherwise NOT take unnecessary risks to the fetus. Since
no one knows what some of the chemicals might do, why risk it?
That included painting and printmaking as well as ceramics,
yes. But it's up to the woman involved.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
vince pitelka on mon 12 nov 01
> It has always been the policy at the schools where I've
> either attended or taught that pregnant potters take a
> leave during the pregnancy. The clay is likely not a
> problem (and many continue to hand-build at home).
> But some glaze chemicals might be a problem, so why
> take a risk?
Dannon -
Although a pregnant woman will certainly want to take special precautions in
most situations, and will want to avoid exposure to toxic materials, it is
easy to carry this to an unrealistic and impractical extent. I agree with
Cindy Strnad. Whatever is safe for any clayworker is safe for a pregnant
clayworker and the baby inside her. I do not think it makes sense to
isolate pregnancy from particular vocations and avocations unless there is
real danger, and I do not see any in the ceramic studio, other than the
common sense and easily avoidable ones Cindy mentioned.
I would imagine that a pregnancy could offer an extraordinarily productive
and memorable period of time in the studio.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Lois Ruben Aronow on mon 12 nov 01
I worked in the studio during both my pregnancies. during the second,
I felt my very best - more energised, less ill - while I was in the
studio. 5 months ago I had a beautiful bouncing boy, who is perfect.
My doctor was fine with it. Use your common sense - keep dust to a
minimum, and wear a paper mask if you are really worried (I wasn't).
Wear a respirator when mixing glazes. Stay out of the studio when the
kiln is really stinky, like when you are firing a glaze and the wax is
burning off. My studio is very well ventilated, but got slightly
fumey for about a half our. My studio mate works with lustre, and I
stayed away while she was both applying it and firing it.
Otherwise, I threw up until the week before delivery. Don't ask me
how - I was huge. I invested in a really good stool and I think that
helped.
Have a good pregnancy....Lo
Anita M. Swan on tue 13 nov 01
This was back in the 50's and my mother ran a lab for the US Bureau of Mines until
6 weeks before I was born. She only quit when the men who worked for her started
keeping water boiling at all times over the bunsen burners. Who knows what she may
have been exposed to maybe that's why I turned out the way I did.... ;-) Nita
Dannon Rhudy wrote:
> At 08:27 AM 11/12/01 -0800, you wrote:
> >Yeah well, it used to be the policy that women had to quit ANY work when
> ...pregnant. Do they make them quit oil painting or any other activity
> that "might"
> >put them at risk?.....
>
> No one "made" them do anything. But all of the art studios
> where one might be handling/absorbing/inhaling toxic substances would
> suggest that pregnant women take a leave, do art history,
> or otherwise NOT take unnecessary risks to the fetus. Since
> no one knows what some of the chemicals might do, why risk it?
> That included painting and printmaking as well as ceramics,
> yes. But it's up to the woman involved.
>
> regards
>
> Dannon Rhudy
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Katheleen Nez on tue 13 nov 01
When I was in school, I was potting...and painting...I
remember loading an Alpine and grabbing the kiln door
everytime I had a labor pain and breathing in and
breathing out...and then continuing loading. And then
I candled the whole mess and shuffled over to the
Indian Hospital next door and had my first child a
girl the very next morning. 21 years ago...She still
seems to be OK, along with her brother & sister, who
pretty much grew up in the same
environ...Unfortunately it was Good Friday, so I
couldn't get sprung until Monday after Easter...
__________________________________________________
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Find the one for you at Yahoo! Personals
http://personals.yahoo.com
John Baymore on tue 13 nov 01
Let's see...... =
Centering problem........... ask Mayor mel.
Glaze formulation problem...... ask Ron Roy.
Mold making problem...... ask Jonathan Kaplan.
Ceramic tool problem...... ask Vince Pietelka.
Glaze leaching problem....... ask John Hessleberth.
Pregnancy problem........ ask an OB/GYN MEDICAL PERSON.
Seriously...... there is information about this exact subject in print. =
Check "Artist Beware" by Michael McCann and also contact Monona Rossol =
at
Art, Craft, and Theatre Safety in NYC. Both are specialists in the healt=
h
end of the arts with decent professional credentials. Research the issue=
yourself. Check the Clayart archives.
THEN............
......... make a list of the materials (with all chemical contents) that
YOU routinely use in the studio and describe the form in which you handle=
it. Take this written list, the stuff from the books and ACTS, and any
other information you collect to your obstetrician. Peruse it all
together. Describe your exact studio situation, your work habits, and th=
e
possible exposures to him/her. =
Let him or her sort it all out and suggest your course of action. You ar=
e
already trusting his/her opinion for the rest of your care. That is thei=
r
job.
Best,
..............................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)
JohnBaymore.com
JBaymore@compuserve.com
John.Baymore@GSD-CO.com
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop 2002 Dates TBA"=
John Baymore on tue 13 nov 01
Otherwise, I threw up until the week before delivery. =
WOW!!!!!! I thought that usually stopped after about the first trimester=
.
Sorry...... couldn't resist .
Best,
..............................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)
JohnBaymore.com
JBaymore@compuserve.com
John.Baymore@GSD-CO.com
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop 2002 Dates TBA"=
Marianne Lombardo on tue 13 nov 01
When I was pregnant with my daughter in 1970 I was fired from my office job
when I was large enough to show I was "expecting". And I was told it wasn't
appropriate to have expecting mothers working, it didn't fit the corporate
image, by the boss. One never used the word "pregnant" in those days.
Someone else was hired. There was no job protection like now.
With my son, In 1973 it was politely suggested that I should resign now due
to pregnancy so I would not have "fired" on my job record.
Marianne
> >Yeah well, it used to be the policy that women had to quit ANY work when
> ...pregnant. Do they make them quit oil painting or any other activity
> that "might"
> >put them at risk?.....
>
> No one "made" them do anything. But all of the art studios
>
Des & Jan Howard on tue 13 nov 01
Sally
I defer to Jan on this one as she reckons my memory is flawed.
Des
To set scene:
Small valley, no electricity, wood stove, wood heater, wood fired kiln, gas lights,
kick wheels, milking goat herd,
We planned on a winter pregnancy, one for my comfort & secondly a warm weather born
bub has a better chance to develop physically without being bundled in heavy
clothing.
The Adelle Davis pregnancy supplement was taken from conception throughout the
pregnancy.
No morning sickness, the only nausea experienced was once at month 5, 2 AM after 40
miles on a corkscrewing mountain dirt road following a big dinner of duck & red
wine.
No analgesia, only had one headache, declined to take anything.
We didn't do drugs anyway, well, apart from occasional small amount of alcohol,
smokes cut to max. 5 thin roll-yer-owns daily, (mine, not Des's).
Body temp increased from month 5 on, summer nightie worn, Des froze when bed
coverings kicked off his shivering body.
Slept well at night, (Des's chattering teeth ignored), afternoon nap of a couple of
hours from conception to month 6.
No change in work patterns, goats milked, wood collected, 2 Bourry box kiln stoked
until week before term, altering centre of gravity did make for stubbed toes under
dining area table & belly did get in way of checking lowest air inlet on kiln.
Leach type treadle kickwheel used until belly didn't fit.
Only clay body/glaze materials used were feldspar, limestone, kaolin, silica, bone
ash, iron oxide, talc, dolomite, no especial precautions taken, never did make big
dust clouds anyway.
Nothing changed after Lara was born, except I could get closer to things.
Jan
Des again:
Considering the above mentioned environment readers may
wonder why the bub was not called Possum or Moonshine or
Peaceloveonearthandgoodwilltoallmen.
'nother day
Des
sally hovey wrote:
> I am looking for research or information on pregnancy
> and glaze materials. Most curious to hear from other
> mothers, did you continue to work in your studios
> while trying to conceive, while pregnant, while
> nursing? What materials did you absolutely avoid? Are
> gloves and a respirator enough protection? Wondering
> about personal experiences. Thanks.
--
Des & Jan Howard
Lue Pottery
LUE NSW 2850
Australia
Ph/Fax 02 6373 6419
http://www.luepottery.hwy.com.au
Steve Mills on tue 13 nov 01
Sally, There must be lots on this in the Archive; this thread has been
around before.
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , sally hovey writes
>I am looking for research or information on pregnancy
>and glaze materials. Most curious to hear from other
>mothers, did you continue to work in your studios
>while trying to conceive, while pregnant, while
>nursing? What materials did you absolutely avoid? Are
>gloves and a respirator enough protection? Wondering
>about personal experiences. Thanks.
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Find a job, post your resume.
>http://careers.yahoo.com
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
Nikki Simmons on wed 12 dec 01
Sally,
You asked about pregnant or nursing potters some time ago on Clayart. Your
question has been driving me crazy and I decided to email you so that I can
have some peace!
A comment was made that if it is safe for a human then it is safe when you
are pregnant. I have been giving this statement much thought. For example
respirators are contraindicated during pregnancy, due to the restricted
oxygen intake (an issue if you mix your own clay or glazes, or spray
glazes).
I asked Clayart your very questions when I was pregnant and so have others.
You might want to check the archives but the most important advice (that I
truly did not understand at the time) was...be prepared for things to
change, change is okay. Becoming a mother has been the most unbelievably
wonderful experience, motherhood can be wonderful and life changing, if you
let it.
If you haven't heard about the book SEQUENCING by Arlene Cardozo, please
check it out. This book talks about how to fit children into your life and
still have goals and dreams. Wonderful book. I hope this link takes you
there.
http://www.lalecheleague.org/Web_store/web_store.cgi?product=Mothers'%20Choi
ces&cart_id=1879616_5863
So how do you decide what is safe? Everything is a calculated risk. I
looked at the MSDS sheets for everything I use. The route that I took was
to stay away from anything that even posed a minute health risk, some people
are willing to gamble but I was not. I felt too much was at stake. If my
pregnancy had not been a surprise before conception I would have: mixed up
enough clay and glaze to last my pregnancy that did not contain anything
questionable like Borax which can enter the skin. I would have meticulously
cleaned my studio so I would have as dust free environment as possible.
Since my pregnancy was a surprise I just focused on throwing, building up a
nice inventory. I figured I could glaze later.
After baby arrived I asked Clayart "How does anyone get any claywork done
with a baby around?" Again I refer you to the Sequencing book, I just
decided I was going to be a mom for a while. You may find a different path,
but I found that I was having so much fun being a mom that I did not want to
make the time for making pottery. It is a decision I do not regret because
I used my time to further my ceramic education.
How I got my education: I stayed subscribed to Clayart, I subscribed to
ceramic magazines, read any book about ceramics I could get my hands on, and
most importantly THOUGHT about making pots. You could say I gave my hands a
sabbatical and put my brain to work. I thought a lot about why I make pots,
how I make pots, what would I like to do different/same. Newborns sleep a
lot (and so did I) when I wasn't sleeping I was reading or watching ceramic
videos. I also visited other potters, talked to other potters, hung out
with other potters. I tried to look at a lot of pots.
When I felt like my daughter could handle some separation from me, my mom
started coming over to babysit. Since they were already close, they did not
need any warm up time, so I would go into the basement for whatever amount
of time the baby was happy. We started at 15 minutes and now at age 3, we
have worked our way up to an entire afternoon. I followed her cues and tried
to meet her needs so that she could be a happy baby. As a result she does
not get upset when I want to work on pottery. As my hands got back into
clay, I could see that my work was dramatically different and better than
before my daughter was born. I am smarter, more thoughtful, and had a lot
of ideas to bring to clay.
I was thrilled to see in your original post, you asked about nursing. One
place that many mothers have found helpful is La Leche League International,
they provide breastfeeding support to moms. They are the world's foremost
authority on breastfeeding and reach families all over the world. Even if
you think my above letter was insanely crazy, please do not let my ramblings
prevent you from checking them out. www.lalecheleague.org They have local
groups all over the US (and the world) where you can meet other moms and get
your breastfeeding questions answered. And yet, the organization is much
more than that. I can't recommend it enough. I would talk to them about
your glazing and nursing questions, they have a breastfeeding resource
center that maintains a library of all scientific literature related to
breastfeeding.
One last thought, my greatest wish is that people would put as much thought
into parenting as they do for their jobs or even buying a refrigerator. If
you really want to be the best mom you can, put some thought into it.
Educate yourself. Take some parenting classes, read any book you can get
your hand on, visit your local La Leche League while you are pregnant, take
a natural childbirth class, hang out with kids, play with kids, just be a
kid. And back to the idea of educating yourself, some issues you might want
to be thinking and educating yourself about...
Does natural childbirth make a difference?
Does breastfeeding make a difference?
Does circumcism hurt?
Do vaccines have serious risks?
Should babies be picked up when they cry?
Is it okay if my baby sleeps with me?
Does it matter if I spank my child?
Does it matter is I yell at my child?
You will find your own answers to these questions, but I answer them all yes
:-)
I hope that motherhood brings you much joy, and that this letter was helpful
in some way.
Sincerely,
Nikki Simmons
nsimmons@mid-mo.net
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