Pregnant Vegans ~ Fall/Winter Thread - Page 3

[Jelinifer]

Originally Posted by Lydiah

I think I am done. I just started bleeding today.

Thinking of you mama... hope everything turns out okay

[Jelinifer]

Originally Posted by Juise

Hi guys May I jump in? I am due(ish) July 5th. We've been vegan for.. oh, around 6 years or so, I'm not entirely sure.

I wanted to add to the protein front here, I don't know how justified the protein push really is, but I reeallyyy crave high protein items when I'm pregnant. I don't normally eat all that much processed soy stuff, or want to, but when I'm [regant I really want the Bocca burgers, Chick'n patties, Gimme Lean "soysage" tofurkey, all that crazy stuff. I still try not to eat too much if it, but one thing I like to use to balance that meatesk soy protein desire is seitan. Boiled or baked, I make huge batches of this stuff and devour it. I have to admit, when I have it made, sometimes I have a hard time wanting to grab anything else in the fridge

My favorite easier tofu is probably sliced, glazed, baked and on a sandwich But my favorite favorite is probably in spanikopita mmmmmm

Seitan is fantastic. Totally craving some seitan "beef" stroganoff right now

[cocoanib]

Originally Posted by Lydiah

I think I am done. I just started bleeding today.

[Onthetrail]

Originally Posted by Lydiah

I think I am done. I just started bleeding today.

I'm sorry...I had a previous loss at 7 wks. Like others have said, be easy on yourself.

On the other hand, I know many mommas who have bled early on and gone on the have healthy, normal pregnancies. I hope your story is the same.

Hugs.

[MountainMamaGC]

It hasnt turned into heavy bleeding yet. Its more pink than bright red. I do have a dull ache in my uterus. I just wish I knew what was going on. I am scared to take an HPT. I had 2 BFPs before this and I dont know what to think of the results, if I test right now anyway. I will probably test in the morning.

[Juise]

and a big to you, mama, I hope everything is okay.

[Onthetrail]

Originally Posted by Lydiah

It hasnt turned into heavy bleeding yet. Its more pink than bright red. I do have a dull ache in my uterus. I just wish I knew what was going on. I am scared to take an HPT. I had 2 BFPs before this and I dont know what to think of the results, if I test right now anyway. I will probably test in the morning.

Do you have a caregiver to talk to?

Even though it was early for me, it was nice to have my midwife ready at the phone if I needed to talk or ask questions.

I hate to tell you this, but don't waste $ on HPTs now. Mine took 2 weeks before being negative after my loss...

...but this can still be OK, too.

Take care Momma.

[cinnamongrl]

racheloperasinger on January 7th

stardust on January 10th

TSomm on January 27th

PoetryLover on January 29th

Keeta on February 10th

VegMomma on March 3rd

cocanib on March 6th

bubbagirl on March ??

sprouthead April 14

HoneybeeWaterfall on May 3rd

Jelinifer on May 8th

indignantgirl on May 13th

surginess on ??

To-Fu on May 31st

Onthetrail June 10th

Juise on July 5th

Lydiah on July 10th

Sorry everyone, I apparently can't keep up!
Thanks for all the congratulations & love
Welcome & Congrats on all the new BFP's!!! whooooooot! (did I get you all on here?)
...would any of you current preggo mamas like to take over the list until you have your babe in arms?

update? Thea is doing great metabolic tests all came back normal, she's gaining weight & growing (bittersweet, right? They can't stay babies forever, but why does it have to happen so fast?) I had forgotten how time consuming these little ones are. I have basically cleared the calendar of everything until at least January! Still able to homeschool the 6yo, albeit slowly. But sometimes it's just so hard to stop oogling this precious little being that found her way into my arms.

[sprouthead]

Lydiah- I'm hoping that things go well for you!!



I come needing perspective from fellow vegans. My MW is giving me a hard time about my diet.. I posted before about the iron thing, and now it's protein. She's convinced I don't eat enough even though every person who's ever met me will tell you I eat more than anyone else they know.. I already feel like I have a lot of high-iron and high-protein sources in my diet, but she wants me to get the actual measurements of how much protein i'm getting every day. I'm feeling like this is ridiculous.. I feel like she's very stuck on numbers (wanting me to drink exactly 96 oz of water a day, and not nettle tea even though nettle helps my energy and supplies iron, etc.) despite the fact that I'm gaining weight, the baby's heartbeat is good, and I'm measuring where I should be. I have my 18 wk ultrasound scan next week so if something looks wrong then, then I will definitely go over my diet with a fine tooth comb and figure out what I could do better.. But while everything looks good I don't want to waste my time fixing what isn't broken, you know?

Anyway, my dilemma is that a good chunk of me wants to change providers. I've talked to other people who've seen her and I get the impression that she's just the kind of person who gets a little stuck on numbers. If it weren't diet, then it's labor progression, etc. And I really want to have a nice, natural birth where I can just trust my body and let it do it's job this time around.. But then part of me is like "What if my diet really is f-d up and my baby's not going to grow and it's going to have problems because of my diet, and if I find a more relaxed provider they won't find those problems??!"

i'm sorry that this is long and it probably sounds crazy, but I feel like I need other healthy, pregnant vegans to guide me here

[Keeta]

Originally Posted by sprouthead

I come needing perspective from fellow vegans. My MW is giving me a hard time about my diet.. I posted before about the iron thing, and now it's protein. She's convinced I don't eat enough even though every person who's ever met me will tell you I eat more than anyone else they know.. I already feel like I have a lot of high-iron and high-protein sources in my diet, but she wants me to get the actual measurements of how much protein i'm getting every day. I'm feeling like this is ridiculous.. I feel like she's very stuck on numbers (wanting me to drink exactly 96 oz of water a day, and not nettle tea even though nettle helps my energy and supplies iron, etc.) despite the fact that I'm gaining weight, the baby's heartbeat is good, and I'm measuring where I should be. I have my 18 wk ultrasound scan next week so if something looks wrong then, then I will definitely go over my diet with a fine tooth comb and figure out what I could do better.. But while everything looks good I don't want to waste my time fixing what isn't broken, you know?

Anyway, my dilemma is that a good chunk of me wants to change providers. I've talked to other people who've seen her and I get the impression that she's just the kind of person who gets a little stuck on numbers. If it weren't diet, then it's labor progression, etc. And I really want to have a nice, natural birth where I can just trust my body and let it do it's job this time around.. But then part of me is like "What if my diet really is f-d up and my baby's not going to grow and it's going to have problems because of my diet, and if I find a more relaxed provider they won't find those problems??!"

i'm sorry that this is long and it probably sounds crazy, but I feel like I need other healthy, pregnant vegans to guide me here

Switch providers. You don't want to be doing battle with your support team for the duration of your pregnancy an CERTAINLY not for the duration of your labor! Just to give you some perspective, when I told my midwife I was vegan, she enthusiastically replied, "Oh great, then that probably means you're very well-informed about nutrition and diet!" I don't even think she's vegetarian, but she knows from experience that most vegans are well-informed about nutrition, since we have to defend ourselves constantly to the world!

I switched care providers in my first pregnancy, and though it was a little stressful to me (I hate "breaking up" with anyone ) it was so for the best long-term. Do you have other midwifery options in your location? Will it be a financial burden to switch? I would make a real effort to find out your options and then get out of there. There is no reason to make you question yourself if your pregnancy is progressing totally normally as it sounds!

[Juise]

I agree, it really sounds to me that she is acting based on preconceived (and erroneous) notions of veganism. Do you feel like she will ever actually agree with you, or change those opinions, no matter what you "prove"?

I think even more importantly, to me, anyway, is the fact that she already threatened your birth experience. Based on iron levels that, although may currently be lower, were within a normal range. That's incredibly scary to me. First off, okay, you want to up your iron, no problem, but it is still early on, easily corrected, and a very common issue for pregnant women to have to address, omnivore or otherwise. Do you really want that kind of thing being hung over your head? I find the very idea that she made a statement like that so early on over something so ridiculous stunning, incredibly rude, and absolutely unsupportive.

Numbers are silly, they can give you an idea, but everyone is different. Do you feel that she is going to be a person that will allow you to have a nice, natural birth where you can just trust your body and let it do it's job? Is she going to go by your body, your intuition, your individual birth when the time comes, or is she going to start looking at numbers and stats and say, "okay, you've been in labour umpteen hours, even though things are going fine, if you don't have this baby out by whatever o'clock, we are transferring."

Obviously I don't know her, and I don't mean to be saying these things as in, "This is how this person is, is that what you want!?" but as things to think about and hold up to her. Maybe you hold them up to her and say, no, no that's not her at all. But remember that it's you body, your baby, your birth. If you think there's a reasonable chance of having her ruin your birth experience because your ideas don't mesh, I would suggest switching care providers.

Plus, lady, you already have done this once, right? You know what you're doing! I think I can probably also say you know how to eat Find someone who knows vegan doesn't = malnourished, someone who looks at your body and your baby and bases their care off of those, not off a word.

[cocoanib]

Sprouthead, I would switch providers because I would'nt be a good fit for a MW stuck on numbers. One of the great things about my MW is she takes me as an individual. The only time she starts to worry or presses to change things is when something isn't right.

You seem to be right on target, so she shouldn't have any problems with your diet at all. I know drinking nettles safety varies from person to person, but if it's working for you, why change it.

If she's stuck on numbers now, just imagine what labor and birth will be like!

[sprouthead]

Thanks everyone for your input!! It makes me feel much better! I think I'm going to switch providers because I've talked to other people who have used this MW in the past and they all ended up using other MWs for consecutive births.. I'm getting the impression from them that she's the kind of mw who's always going to be, err, anal about something or other.. And a huge factor that I haven't mentioned here yet is that I don't feel like she listens to me!!! So even if I had the numbers in front of me I don't think it would matter!

I think a big reason that I doubt myself is because even though I've "done this before," my son was 12 weeks early last time, and I think as much as I envision an easy pregnancy and natural birth, I still worry that I'm doing something wrong. This MW is our only option for a birth center birth, and my husband is not comfortable with a homebirth.. Also, her medical tendencies made me feel that my risk factors would be better monitored, but I'd still have the chance at a natural birth as long as everything went well.. At this point I'm leaning towards going to a dr for my prenatal care to make sure that everything is looking good, and as long as I deliver at term, trying hard to recruit my mw-trained friend to assist me at home!

[bubbagirl]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking mostly the past few months due to my phone being my source for internet access, but I can't keep from posting anymore no matter how long it takes or how many typos I make.

I'm due March 10th and just had my first appt with a pretty hands off (if that's possible) hospital midwife in a hospital that is known for its lack of interventions. They are my backup in case of a need to transfer from home.

Sprouthead, I was asked where I get my calcium today.....I don't know why it always seems to shock me when peoplean especially health professionals always seem dubious that anything but animal products can provide us with enough nutrients. I'm so glad you are standing your ground with your initial midwife.

I also find that a green smoothie with parsley and cilantro gives a great amount of iron in my diet. I did get my iron level checked recently and it was close to the bottom of "normal".

Thanks to you all for sharing with us!

[Nicolette507]

Bubbagirl,
I, too, am pregnant with my first and due in early March (8th) It is exciting to find someone in the same part of this journey that is also vegan

[sugahbee]

Vegan preggers!

Hey everyone!! YAY for pregnant mommies and mommies-to-be! I am 17 weeks, due April 22nd with our first. I've been vegan for 10 years and was also slightly concerned about it but after doing some research and finding a supportive midwife, I feel MUCH better!

Sprouthead, don't worry about the numbers on the protein. My MW said that those numbers are usually for people who eat a Standard American Diet (aka fast food and processed foods). The extra protein requirements help to balance out the other nutritional deficiencies from not eating enough fruits, veggies, legumes and grains. So since most vegans usually get plenty of all that good stuff, we're also getting adequate protein and your body will tell you if you're not! Also, after polling two vegan mommies, they didn't have ANY cravings during pregnancy! I don't know if that's a result of eating a very balanced vegan diet, but so far, I haven't had any either, so we'll see!

Anyway, to follow up on favorite ways to eat tofu: My favorite (especially lately!) is tofu bacon. SO delicious. Here's my recipe:

1 block extra firm or super firm tofu, sliced thinly, pressed if needed

start sizzling over med-low heat in a single layer in a nonstick skillet or griddle (I usually don't need any oil or just a spray of oil). While this is happening, make the sauce:

2TB bragg's liquid aminos
1tsp liquid smoke
splash of apple cider vinegar
splash of maple syrup
2TB nutritional yeast
Mix all in a bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, check the tofu. It should be turning golden brown and should turn easily. Flip once this happens and let the other side get nice and golden. I find tongs are the best tool for this. It's best when the edges start to get really crispy and brown and the middle parts are a little softer. Keep flipping if neccessary. This can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. Take off heat. With a silicone pastry brush, brush sauce on all pieces, then turn over and brush on the other side. Voila! Tofu bacon you will want to eat every day!
Enjoy!

[racheloperasinger]

Holy God, am I really at the top of the list now??!!

Well, there have been a lot of changes around here. Last month, I became overwhelmed with the urge to have a homebirth. It was what I always wanted in the first place, but financially, it seemed impossible, so we didn't even try. Little did I know how passionately I would start craving to give birth in my home. So, we tweaked some stuff, found midwives who are willing to let us finance part of the cost and... we're having our homebirth after all!!

Transferring into midwifery care during month 7 has been really interesting and fabulous. I'm on all kinds of supplements now and feeling great and I thought I'd share them, since the previous poster inquired. Here is my daily routine:

Floradix Iron and Herbs, as prescribed on package
Floradix Calcium and Magnesium, as prescribed on package
Emergen-C, one packet per day
Evening Primrose 1000 mg (next month it will 3000)
Spectrum Prenatal DHA, one per day
Rainbow Light Prenatal Vitamin, one per day
Quietude (homeopathic sleep remedy), as prescribed on package
Pink Himalayan Salt (1 tsp of saturated salt solution in a big glass of water)

I think in my last 3 appointments, my midwives have spent more time with me than my doctors have in both pregnancies combined! Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but not by much.

Really looking forward to my ecstatic hypnobirth at home!!

[Juise]

racheloperasinger - How wonderful for you! That is so awesome! I'm so happy for you, it gives me all sorts of warm fuzzies

One question - Did they say anything about your Rainbow Light Prenatal Vitamin? Last pregnancy my MW took one look at them and said that she couldn't understand how a prenatal could be one a day since it isn't possible to absorb all of the vitamins at once, and told me to take one in the morning and one in the evening. This time around, so far I have been confused about the vitamins. Normally I wouldn't worry about it too much at all, because I think I get pretty good nutrients solely from the food I eat, but right now I can hardly keep anything down. Is the one packet of Emergen-C to help balance that? I usually have 2 packets a day, I hope I'm not overdoing it. Right now I have been taking a variation of the Rainbow Light prenatals, Emergen-C, and these New Chapter Perfect Prenatals which are ungodly expensive.

It depends on how my day is going if / when I have been able to stomach a vitamin. I like the Perfect Prenatals better but you have to take 4 a day, which is near-on impossible for me right now. If I haven't been able to take anything / keep anything down all day I take a Rainbow Light and drink some Emergen-C.

I'm also wondering now if I could just cut the Rainbow Light in half and take half in the morning, half in the evening..

Alright, that post really ran away with me (which they they frequently do - sorry! ) but I was just wondering if they'd said anything about this. Thanks

[cocoanib]

racheloperasinger, I'm so happy you're getting the birth you wanted!
The MW's sound great and like they're really paying attention to you and what your body and baby needs.

Not too much going on with me. Babe and I are doing very well. Feeling lot's of rolling, bumping and kicking!
I'm sitting here having a collard wrap as I type. I've uped my iron and calcium intake per MW's recommendation last visit. In addition to my green smoothies, juice and tea infusion, I've been having collard wraps pretty much every other day.

I am so amazed at how fast these months fly by!

[To-Fu]

Jelinifer, your due date is the same day as my birthday. :P

So glad to see someone else from our DDC 'round these parts!

Going to see my (vegan!!) MW in a few minutes. Woo!