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vegans and shorter gestation?

884 Views 21 Replies 19 Participants Last post by  Helen_A
I contacted a midwife because I'm already searching for someone for when I get pregnant with #2. Anyways, in the email, I asked if she was okay with a vegan diet because that's important to me and I don't want a midwife who pushes me to drink milk or eat meat while pregnant (I was lacto-ovo while pregnant with my daughter). Anyways, she said it is fine, but vegans usually deliver early, around 37 weeks. I've never heard this before. I'll have to ask her more when I meet up with her, but I'm wondering, has anyone heard of any studies linking a vegan diet with short gestation?
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er...i'd ask her for some documentation of this supposed fact?

i was vegan with my daughter's gestation and she went to 41.5 weeks.
christacular I have to say over the last few days I've looked forward to seeing your replies!

I wonder why it would equal shorter gestation.....that just seems off especially since it was by a couple weeks. I could understand her saying that if it were a substantial number of weeks earlier and had proof. Let us know what she says at your meeting...I'm interested to hear what she has to say.
LOL! That's ridiculous. Both midwives on my team are vegan themselves and didn't say anything about it. If you haven't picked her already, and there are other options, I would probably keep looking if I were you because I wouldn't want a quack delivering my baby :p

Seriously, though... I hope she IS right. It would be like, totally, way more convenient for me to deliver early May than late May
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I've never heard of that either. I'm interested in where she got that info.
I don't know... I am a lacto veggie and delivered at 38 weeks according to my period. (ultrasound said 36 weeks) I was not induced. However, I also worked night-shift (I slept VERY poorly) during my pregnancy and did a lot of heavy lifting right up to the end, and walked a few miles per day. That may have also had something to do with me delivering early.
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Never heard that one!!!!

I was vegan thru all three pregnancies and all my kids were "over-due".
I think a baby comes when s/he is ready!!

Congrats too!!
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Quote:

Originally Posted by love2all View Post
Never heard that one!!!!

I was vegan thru all three pregnancies and all my kids were "over-due".
I think a baby comes when s/he is ready!!

Congrats too!!
Not pregnant yet, just looking in advance
I had a hospital birth with an OB for my daughter and I want something different for the next child

I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian for my pregnancy with my daughter and she was born 8 days "late"
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Perhaps it's because she thinks vegans are protein-deficient and therefore deliver prematurely? For what it's worth, dd1 was born at 37 weeks after a mostly vegan pregnancy (some dairy, because I craved it) and dd2 was born at 41 weeks, 5 days after a pregnancy that was vegetarian. I'd say it was liked vegan but with some dairy...obviously not vegan really, but not tons of dairy.

Now I'm eating meat and it is working better for me, but I get quite peeved when people make assumptions about things they aren't familiar with. During my first pregnancy I crossed one team of midwives off the list because they wanted me to keep a food diary since I was vegan. Since I knew significantly more than they did about eating vegan, I didn't see that their paranoia or my keeping annoying lists was going to help me have a joyous and healthy pregnancy.
She might have delivered 2 different vegans moms who both went 37weeks and now all vegans go 'early'
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i'm a vegetarian (can't remember if i was doing vegan) and my kids went at 37 and just about 38 weeks.

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I was vegan during my pregnancy and had to get induced at 38 weeks due to a bunch of other issues. (ftr, my dd weighed almost 8 pounds at birth, and I had gained over 40 pounds during the pregnancy)
I was omni for both pregnancies. Ds at 37 weeks (7lb 15.4 oz), dd was 36 weeks (7lb 11.6oz). I gained about 35lbs with each.
My second pregnancy, which was mostly vegan went the longest, at nearly 42 weeks. My first pregnancy (vegetarian) I was induced 9 days past my due date. My third pregnancy, and the only one where I ate meat, was actually the shortest at 40 weeks, 4 days.
Both my sucessful pregnancies were vegetarian
DD came at 34W4 days due to pre-eclampsia
DS came at a day before 37 weeks all on his own
Well, these are all anecdotes, but I'll add to the pile
. I have been vegan for about 18 years now. Dds are 8 and 6, so both vegan pregnancies. I am sure on the dates of conception as dh was living 1000 miles away and we only saw each other every few months for a few days at the point when I got pg with both girls.

Dd#1 was born after a horrible 3 day induction at 42 weeks. Dd#2 was born within 3 days of her estimated due date. I've never seen any studies that found vegans to be more likely to deliver pre-term. I'd be inclined to see if there have ever been any studies done at the Farm in TN as that seems to be the largest vegan community with any health studies having been done.
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My 3 vegan pregnancies:
#1 - 40weeks, 3days - 8lbs. 4oz.
#2 - 43.5 weeks (we thought he was 37.5 weeks at first but we were way off on dates) - 9lbs. 5oz.
#3 - 37.5 weeks - 8lbs. 4oz.

All born at home, healthy, etc.
ds midwife birth @ hospital (while vegetarian) - 42 weeks
dd midwife birth @ home (while vegan) - 41 weeks
DD1 - 43 weeks (vegetarian, but waters broken)
DD2 - 44 weeks (vegetarian but no cows dairy as couldn't face it, left to get on with it)
DS - 45 + weeks (vegan)
how silly.

vegan for all three pregnancies!

DS on his due date
DD1 37 weeks, because of an abrupted placenta, possibly linked to the fact that i was severely anemic due to depression/poor eating habits in general
DD2 10 days "late" and a 10 pound pumpkin (and a VBAC yay!)
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