Is there a pregnant vegans thread? If not, let's start one

[catemom]

Hi,

I am almost 12 wks pg with my second, my first is 3 yrs. I'd like to start a pg vegans thread since I've really enjoyed being a part of the vegan community on the TTC side. So, please feel free to join me!

[bodhitree]

I'm 12 weeks pg with my first. Can I join even if I'm not 100% vegan? I eat cheese sometimes but am still mostly vegan.

[Vegan Princess]

Hi there,

I'm 20 weeks pregnant and am mostly vegan. Was vegan until preg and then started really craving hard boiled egg whites in the first tri so I ate them. Have still been having some eggs and some baked goods with dairy here and there but not so much anymore. I actually ate mostly raw for most of this week and felt great. Had been in Panama for 10 days until last Sunday and fresh fruit and veggies were hard to find - ate more rice and bread than I normally do...so I was craving fresh everything when I got home.

It seems everyone I come in contact with that asks about my diet is happy to hear when I eat something non vegan. I truly do believe one can have a healthy (if not healthier) pregnancy while vegan...I just also trust that my body knows what it needs right now and I'm not stressing about it.

Cindy

[catemom]

I myself am not 100% vegan (but am 100% vegetarian). I cook only vegan at home and do my best to avoid dairy and eggs. Recently, I've been indulging cravings for dark chocolate peanut m&ms and cinnamon rolls at Whole Foods bakery, but otherwise I know I feel better when I eat healthy stuff at home. I am feeling like I need to focus more on eating calorie dense foods since I've been waking up hungry at night, but I've been too tired to make anything that sounds good.

It definitely IS possible to have a completely healthy vegan pregnancy--my DS is living proof.

[She2dancer]

I would love to join in!! I am 19wks along with #2...my second vegan pregnancy and I feel great! It will be great to get to know other pregnant vegans

[catemom]

Hi vegan and mostly vegan ladies!


Vegan Princess and She2dancer, do you know the sex of your babies? Do you want to know?

Bodhitree What do you think? Yes or no on finding out the sex.

I'm starting to lose interest in knowing, but if it's a girl, I want to know so that I can get lots of cute girly clothes for her .

I'm going to try to be really good about not eating non-vegan chocolate since it may have contaminated Chinese dairy in it ().

Have a great Wednesday!

[Vegan Princess]

I'm having a girl.

Oh that is a good reason to not eat non vegan chocolate! I am loving coconut bliss chocolate flavored ice cream right now. It's so much yummier than soy ice cream.

Anyone have any fave ways to get in some extra nutrition or protein? I always feel really good (mentally too) when I drink green smoothies. I blend up spinach, water, a banana, another fruit and hemp seeds. The hemp seeds have a lot of protein and DHA.

Cindy

[She2dancer]

Catemom, we are not sure what we are having and won't be finding out until the birth...but I am getting some strong girl vibes....and our first was a boy....so the way I figure it, I have tons of boy and gender neutral clothes already, it won't hurt if I do some girl shopping

Vegan princess, I have been wanting to try that coconut milk ice cream so bad! I have heard great things about it! I have to finish up the peanut butter zig zag and choc/pb in the freezer first though. Shouldn't be hard, as my appetite has suddenly increased to extreme proportions....

....off to find something to snack on

[ColoradoMama]

Originally Posted by catemom

I'm going to try to be really good about not eating non-vegan chocolate since it may have contaminated Chinese dairy in it ().

I haven't heard about that. I see no reason to contaminate god's perfect food with cow excretions though! I'm a chocolate purist.

[lilgreen]

Hi catemom and other vegan/almost vegan mamas!!

I am almost 12 weeks pg and I've been vegan for 11 years and have two boys already. This is my first pregnancy completely gluten-free (celiac disease) and unfortunately something had to give this first trimester. So, I have sadly not been able to eat all vegan for the past few weeks. I have been way more sick this time around. It seems like nothing that is vegan and gluten-free can get past my lips. I crave bread and granola like nothing else! So, I've had to find gf protein bars that I can palate (which are never vegan). I've been living on gf corn flakes and soy milk, protein bars, and apples. That's a far cry from my super salads that I had every lunch and dinner. Oh, and I can't even get near garlic.

I'm seeing a dietician in a week just to see if she has some ideas to help. But I'm hoping to have a more accomodating appetite soon.

This is our last baby and while I didn't find out the sex of my boys, I have to know for this one. I really want a girl. They won't tell you the sex before 21 weeks here (due to gender selection concerns), so I have a while to wait before I know.

I'm busy working on my PhD, but I lurk tons. I'll try to post at least once a week.

Happy pregnancy to you all!!!

[Vegan Princess]

LILGreen: I couldn't stomach any greens or most veggies during the first 12 weeks and found myself eating a lot of startchy carby things that I'd imagine you probably can't have. How difficult!! It was right around 12 weeks though that I could start eating more veggies again - and now I am back to having my huge bowls of kale salad. Hang in there. Sounds like you are doing well with what you have to work with. Are rice cakes gluten free? I found some natural ones that are more substantial than the styrofoam ones and ate a lot of those those first 12 weeks. My midwife assured me the baby is so small during the first trimester that it doesn't matter so much if you can't eat well - that it really matters a lot more in the 2nd and 3rd - and you'll likely be back to eating healthy by then.

Cindy

[ColoradoMama]

Originally Posted by lilgreen

So, I've had to find gf protein bars that I can palate (which are never vegan).

Most Clif Bars are gluten free and vegan - I guess they're not specifically "protein bars," but maybe they'd work?

[calmom]

i'm 5 weeks tomorrow with a completely *unplanned* surprise baby. i've been vegan for years but i get stricter as the years go by. hopefully, this will be my best pregnancy yet because i've never been healthier. i run regularly but recently walking with tiny jogs here and there. so glad to meet everybody!

aren't larabars gluten free? they're just nuts and dried fruit. yummy!

[catemom]

Hello everyone!

Lilgreen, it's great to see a "familiar face." Anyway, I'm sorry that you're having so much trouble with ms, I'm just starting to be able to eat big bowls of mesclun again after having a few wretched weeks of only being able to eat junk food (and having to get up in the middle of the night to eat more junk food). I think the dietitian is a good idea, I hope he/she can help you.

Can I find the coconut bliss at Whole Foods? I'm shocked that I've never seen it since I pretty regularly shop the vegan ice cream area of our local natural food stores. I might try making a chocolate coconut recipe I have from my Vice Cream book.

I bought a Ritter Sport dark choc. w/ marzipan bar at Target the other day and it is looong gone! I struggled to keep a few squares around for DH and DS.

[ColoradoMama]

Originally Posted by catemom

I bought a Ritter Sport dark choc. w/ marzipan bar at Target the other day and it is looong gone! I struggled to keep a few squares around for DH and DS.

You share??? I'm impressed! I'm not good at sharing chocolate. :

[Vegan Princess]

Hi ladies,

I'm loving larabars the past couple weeks. Great for when I'm stuck at my desk and hungry between meals - or having a sweet tooth. They're not huge in the protein dept. They have about 2-5 grams I've found.

I am pretty sure I bought my coconut bliss ice cream at whole foods. Time for me to buy more!

I was out of town the past 4 days - my eating habbits always deteriorate on the road. Can't wait to settle back into my healthy eating now that I'm home.

Just found out a new vegan restaurant is opening this weekend within walking distance of my house - yay!!

Cindy

[catemom]

Thanks for the info on the Coconut Bliss. I plan on buying some as soon as we no longer have out-of-town guests (I'm actually pretty bad at sharing ice cream ).

Anyway, send me positive thoughts today, for some stupid reason I decided to get the nuchal fold screening and I'm pretty nervous about it.

I'll keep you all in the loop!

Have a great day, vegans! :

[Vegan Princess]

Sending good thoughts you way Catemom! At least you will get to see your little one and hopefully get some peace of mind at the same time.

I ate wayyy too much non-vegan chocolate last night that was a prize from a baby shower on Sunday. I am going back on the raw diet today at least through the end of the week.

Cindy

[catemom]

Good Morning!

My u/s went really well once we finally got to that part. We spent a lot of time in the waiting room, and the genetic counselor was reeeaaalllly thorough, which is great, but I was actually dying to get those measurements! Anyway, after going to the bathroom twice and drinking some apple juice, the tech failed to coax the little alien into the right position. So, the doc came in and had measurements within 3 minutes (that is exactly why I go to this particular doc for the u/s, she is really good). All the measurements look really good, and I'll have my blood work back in a week! Once I get some more time, I'll post a pic, we have one that looks like the baby is smiling!



Have a great Wednesday, everyone! :

[pryncess]

Hi everyone. I am not vegan (vegetarian) but my hubby is and therefore all of our meals are vegan. I guess that means I can join the club? I admire anyone who can keep up a vegan pregnancy because i have been craving cheese all of the time... 3am type cravings.

I did want to let you all know about a vegan nutritional shake mix I just bought. It is called Angel Milk. I ordered it on amazon and it is amazing. I got the soy chocolate but they have a variety of flavors and some made of brown rice instead of soy. It is specially formulated for pregnant and nursing women. I also ordered the Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook and made the most delicious "cream" of broccoli soup from it. The cream is cashews and arrowroot.

I am excited about this list.