abigail

Disclaimer: I'm not the type of woman to freak out about every tiny hazard during my pregnancy. But I do think this is worth knowing about.

Retinyl palmitate is a form of Vitamin A found in many cosmetics such as moisturizer, hair conditioner, and sunblock. It's also frequently added to food such as breakfast cereal to fortify it.

As most preggos know, too much Vitamin A has been shown to cause birth defects when consumed during pregnancy. We're warned against eating pâté or taking OTC supplements aside from our prenatal vitamins, but how much retinyl palmitate are we absorbing through our skin?

I've stopped using products with RP in it and I try not to eat cereals that have been fortified with Vitamin A. I still get my RDA of Vitamin A with my prenatal vitamins and veggies such as carrots, since A in the form of betacarotene is perfectly safe in large amounts.

Has anyone else heard about this?