vegetarianism and ppd

[Alana]

Not to start a debate...please... Ive been reading through a bunch of threads about previous vegetarians who went back to eating some meat. Im just wondering if there is a link for "some" people. After my dd was born I felt good....then we went veg when she was 2 mo. Thats when ppd hit me...really badly. With my other 2 pregnancies I never experienced that and felt really good afterwards. I still feel like crap, and dd is 19mo. I have had tons of blood workups done, and nothing shows up.

[counterGOPI]

i replied in your other post about the same thing

[toraji]

I definitely noticed my PPD going away after I switched from vegan to omni. Another mama, Gale Force, had severe PPD on a vegan diet and got tested for nutrient deficiencies, came up that she had really low amino acid levels which, once corrected, got rid of the PPD. Do a search in this forum for PPD and amino acid and you should pull up her thread.

I think we are all different, and if you can't absorb nutrients on your current diet then you will most likely have nutrient-related depression. You can get a hair mineral analysis done through a naturopath or chiro office, and that may help with getting you back up to optimal levels. There is of course the possibility that your depression has nothing to do with nutrient levels, but I think it's a pretty good shot.

Good luck mama! It's so hard when you feel terrible, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

[junaleda]

Here is my experience: I was vegetarian for many years before having kids, I had ppd after my first which was untreated and then got way worse after my second. I wondered if it was related to my diet and started eating meat, because I was willing to try pretty much anything at that point. I only ate free range meat, but I ate alot of it, for several months and it really didn't seem to make any difference at except for weight gain. I know for some it has helped, I think your best bet is to try eating meat and see if it helps, or you could analyze your diet and see if something is missing that you could make up in some other way- not enough protien, omega-3's or b-12 perhaps? I take a ton of omega-3 capsules, which seems to help alot. Hope you find something that works! PPD sucks.

[Millie Ivy]

I posted on your other thread as well. I know I was getting very depressed when I was a vegan, and my babe was 2 years old. I think every one needs their own diet, as long as you get whole foods like your fruits, veg, whole grains, legumes. Some people need meat, I believe. Just like some people probably need soy. I personally cannot do soy at all. Soy is death for me.
I would at least cut the soy out and see if that helps. If you can be a vegan and be healthy, great! But it isn't doing you or your family, or the vegan movement if you adhere to vegan principals and aren't healthy.
***Please don't flame me! This is just my opinion and I firmly belive that everyone should have the right to their opinions!*** (Ducking the flame throwers, lol)

[cathe]

There is a really good book called "Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health." The books is mostly about posturtun health and nutrition and how it is related to ppd. You might want to check it out.

Also, I ppd has been linked to low levels of omega-3 fatty acids - you might want to start eating flax seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds or oil.

If you feel that animal foods might help, you could try eggs from a local farm or someone that you know is raising the hens humanely and does not have a rooster so the eggs won't be fertilized. That way you can determine whether adding animal protein will make you feel better without feeling that you are hurting any animals.

[G&B'sMama]

I second what Cathe had to say. I had ppd after my son was born. He is allergic to milk, which we found out pretty quickly, and I don’t like eggs, so it was essentially a vegan diet. There were several factors, not just nutritional, that fed my depression. However, I did notice that once I started taking flax oil (adding it to smoothies) there was an easing of my symptoms. Amazingly, at one point I even craved eggs- which is highly unusual because I have always detested them- and found them even palatable when covered in salsa, or added in higher concentrations to things like pancakes. Now I am back to really getting grossed out and not liking eggs again and I can’t explain what changed- only that I was able to eat them when I really needed to. Eating the eggs and the flax seemed to help me. It wasn’t like a magic cure, but it did help somewhat.