[athansor]

I saw there was a TF pregnancy club, and so I thought I'd see if there were any other pregnant folks here. I ate a little meat with ds, but my diet has improved a lot since then. I was planning on making the ransition to veganism, but I think I'll keep with a bit of dairy until the new little one gets here.
So anyone else here? Or, anyone who just wants to talk about thier experiences with veg*nism while pregnant?

 

[askew]

I am not pregnant now, thank god, but I was vegan when I got pregnant last year. About 2 months into the pregnancy I started eating loads of dairy. I never craved meat, but it had been 15 years or so since I last ate meat. I think my body needed the protein or calcium. Not sure. I did eat organic and raw dairy. I thought it was easy enough. Congrats on the new baby!

 

[oceane]

I hope to be pregnant very soon, and then it would be a vegan pregnancy (as long as I am comfortable, obviously, since I've never been pregnant I have no clue what's in store).

 

[Ianthe]

I had a 100% veg pregnancy! Super healthy and now i am almost back to pp weight!

i started out vegan, but i also really craved cheese. but meat grossed me out than ever before!

 

[AmyLaz]

Ooo! Ooo! So glad I found this thread! DH and I plan to TTC #3 in about a month, and this will be a vegan pregnancy. My first two were not vegan b/c I wasn't vegan at the time (not even veg

: ), so I'm really excited about this one being vegan. I have been searching for vegan pregnancy resources, and here are a few links folks may want to check out:

http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-pregnancy/index.htm
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/pregnancy.htm

I'd love to hear about other's experiences with a vegan pregnancy!

 

[ShadowMoon]

I had a completely vegan pregnancy last year. No complications and felt wonderful throughout, I took a prenatal vitamin (whole foods brand), ate tons of whole grains, veggies, fruits, and cut down on processed foods (besides non dairy ice cream and soymilk that is).
I have been vegan for over 7 years and was vegetarian for a few years before that. I never craved meat or dairy.....but I don't consider those items to be "food" in any way whatsoever. I made sure to drink plenty of water and to eat small meals throughout the day. A vegan pregnancy can easily be done and , in my opinion, is the healthiest pregnancy there is. Good luck everybody. Sending peace and veggie vibes your way

 

[boogiemonster]

I'm vegetarian, not vegan (yet). There are a number of other veg*ns in my DDC, so we're out there (and taking over the world, mwaa ha ha).

 

[veganf]

I've been vegan for 15 years. All of my pregnancies were vegan and free of any complications. All of them were homebirths.
The only problem I have is horrible morning sickness just like my mother and sisters. I can't wait to have a fourth, but the 1/2 a year of "stomach flu" symptoms is absolutely horrendous.
Best of luck to you!

 

[counterGOPI]

im vegan and pregnant with #2.ive been vegan for.. i dont know 13 years now i think...
i was vegan obviously with dd too

shes vegan since conception.

i had a hard time at first but that was only b/c we were in korea and i didnt know my ways around yet so there wasnt a lot to eat. then we found a wonderful buddhist temple and they ate vegan

i was in heaven!

but yeah no complication in pregnancy i had the best pregnancy ever with dd, a wonderful birth and a perfect breastfeeding relationship. my dd is smart as a whip and super tall (37" at 24 month

) and strong.

 

[captain crunchy]

I am a strict vegetarian -- I eat limited organic dairy but of course, I don't qualify as a vegan!

I am not pregnant at the moment (that I know of

) but I have been a strict vegetarian (flirting with veganism on and off) for 11 years --

My pregnancy was without any complication whatsoever and I had a homebirth -- dd has been a vegetarian since birth with periods of veganism (based on her preferences at the moment) since birth and is very healthy

Hope that helps!

 

[Mahre]

I am 34 weeks pregnant! I am vegan except in my 2nd and 3rd month of pregnancy when I had morning sickness organic hard boiled eggs helped my sickness. I think I was not getting enough protien. When I ate the eggs I felt much better. When I started feeling sick again in those months I ate an egg or two and felt better. I know I needed protien. My fault. I must have not been eating enough beans, nuts, grains, and seeds, or I wouldn't have had that.

My midwife does not support my vegan diet, but does choose to let me make my own decisions and respect me with little to no pressure. She does not monitor my diet. I do that.

I take a prenatal supplement and a calcium/magnesium liquid supplement, and a Natues Way probiotics. My calcium levels are low, my hgb is great!

 

[mamapickles]

I was vegan for my dd (born this July). I took a prenatal supplement. My OB made me take a battery of tests solely because I was vegan (total protein, albumen, vitamins B, iron). All came back well within the normal range.

I had a great pregnancy with no non-vegan cravings. In fact, the smell of morning bacon in the cafeteria made me feel quite ill!

 

[athansor]

Did any of you take (or are taking) a vegan DHA supplement? I was thinking about taking one. Right now I take a vegan prenatal and flax seed oil (or just ground flaxseed) when I remember to.

 

[mamapickles]

Yes ... I forgot to mention that in my above post. I used DEVA's DHA supp.

 

[Googy]

I'm 33 weeks pregnant and a vegetarian. I've had a super-healthy pregnancy--my MW has told me that I'm one of her "most perfect pregnant women"! Everything is going great, and I've actually had a much healthier pregnancy this time as a veg thatn I did 4 years ago with DD as an omni.

I do take Rainbow Light one-a-day prenantals plus a veg DHA supplement, plus Floradix Iron + Herbs.

 

[veganf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamapickles Yes ... I forgot to mention that in my above post. I used DEVA's DHA supp.

Me too. Though I couldn't take it while pregnant. Just opening the bottle made me throw up in the kitchen sink.

 

[rootzdawta]

I was a strict vegetarian for my first pregnancy and it was a complication free, blissful pregnancy and normal birth. I did seriously crave fish but I never gave in and started to make lots of dishes with kelp and other sea vegetable in them. I was faithful to my Floradix Floravital Iron & Herbs, my flax seed oil (for Omega 3's) and my prenatal vitamin.

I'm vegetarian now (I eat eggs and small amounts of dairy) because I had to cut out all soy from my diet to see if I could rectify some issues. Those issues haven't resolved from being soy-free so I still eat it from time to time but try to stick to minimally processed stuff. I've added hemp seed oil to my diet this time around.

Anyway, I know you wanted responses from vegans but I just wanted to encourage anyone who wants to have or is having a vegan pregnancy that it is 100% possible to do!! Congrats to all the pregnant mommas!

 

[AmyLaz]

Wow - I just had the most horrible experience! I went to the OBGYN practice I've always gone to for my yearly exam, and I saw a new doctor. We have decided to start trying for #3, so I disclosed up front that I am vegan now. I told the doctor that I know I will need to take a vegetarian DHA supplement for this preg, and asked if there were any other things I needed to do (besides the DHA and prenatal vitamins) or additional tests I would need to get (my hemoglobin was 14.5 today - they want it between 11 and 16, so I'm good) when I get pregnant. The woman proceeded to verbally assault me, telling me that I couldn't possibly be healthy, couldn't possibly be getting enough protein if I wasn't eating meat, and that people in societies where little or no meat is consumed are too small. She also told me that I would lose all my muscle tone and my skin and hair will look bad. I can assure you, my muscle tone, skin, and hair were all better than hers. Then she flipped through my chart to find an old drivers license photo and asked me if my hair used to be light brown, the assumption being that it's blonde now b/c my diet has somehow drained the color from it. I told her that I get it dyed. Needless to say, I felt really comfortable and safe during the pap smear that followed!

: As I was leaving, she gave me samples of and a prescription for a fish-oil based DHA supplement. WTF? Ignorance.

 

[Seana]

Sorry your OB was so jerky to you! If I were you, I'd try to find someone a little more educated. (Not sure how far along you are). I am in the middle of my second vegan pregnancy, and no problems except for a little morning sickness and a lot of heartburn. Stella was over 8 pounds, got 9's on her apgars, and is doing great, at two years old. I'm eating more processed food this time aroung than I should (weird Subway cravings) and slightly less protein, only because with my first pregnancy, I went through a Bradley program which prescribes 80 grams of protein a day. With my personal experience, this resulted in me gaining a LOT of weight, which I didn't want to do this time, so I'm doing a prenatal, plenty of fortified soymilk, and a variety of (mostly) organic whole food.

 

[pixiemammy]

Just joining in to add another healthy vegan pregnancy to your collection. DD weighed 8 1/2 pounds at birth and is thriving on mostly breastmilk and the current favourite solid, lentils, apricots & courgettes all mixed together! We're raising her vegan, which has raised a few eyebrows!

I took prenatals weekly during my pregnancy, flax oil, walnuts & brazil nuts, and floradix liquid iron in the last month, as my iron dropped to 10.8, but that's still quite high compared to a lot of meat-eating pg women.

My advice would be to trust your body & read up about nutrition during the pg & for breastfeeding, but that would be the same advice I'd give any pg woman!

I found Feeding your vegan infant - with confidence by Sandra Hood, The Vegan Society's Consultant Dietician to be a very helpful book.

Oh yeah, and lots of b12 & calcium fortified soymilk too, I used to (still do, in fact) have a nightly soy hot chocolate, for the calcium benefits

Hope that helps