Vegan while pregnant?

Anyone had problems getting by on a vegan diet while pregnant?  My husband and I are trying to start a family and I was just wondering what other people's experiences have been like.

I'm sure you already know this but you'll have to be very careful to get plenty of calcium and protein during this time.  It's a challenge for vegans in their normal daily lives, but while pregnant it's even more important and you need even more of those nutrients.  I hope you like broccoli and cauliflower!  (Veggies relatively high in bioavailable calcium.  Soy milk is also a decent source.)

You need to talk to your Doctor about this and see a Nutritionist.

I hate to seem like the bad guy here, but you and your baby need iron/protein/calcium and if you can't get this from a vegan diet, you need to eat whatever you need to eat to make sure your baby is healthy, you can go back to eating whatever you like after nursing.  Obviously talk to a nutritionist, but they may recommend iron shots or something artificial to supplement what you can get from a non-vegan diet easily. 

My sister is a vegan, but went to eating animal products for the duration of her pregnancy because her doctor refused to give her iron shots because of a diet choice that left her lacking in it.  She ate what she needed for her baby and went back to her normal diet after nursing.  Her baby is not fed a vegan diet, because it is very VERY hard to properly nurish a baby on a vegan diet, but my sister is again.

Whatever you decide, talk to a doctor or nutritionist first.  Good luck with a happy/healthy family!

I have been a vegan for many years and continued to be one through out my pregnancy and while nursing my daughter.  We had a super easy/healthy pregnancy and home birth.  I didn't consult a nutritionist or anything like that during my pregnancy. Getting all of your protein, calcium, iron, B12, etc. isn't really a problem.  There are so many fortified foods now a days.  If you have any questions just send me a message.  I love talking about babies and veganism. 

Also, I know several healthy, well fed vegan babies!

I was vegan when I got pregnant and oddly enough, started craving chicken and pork BBQ.  That's actually how I knew something was up.  LOL!  For probably the first 4 or 5 months, I felt like I was starving and the only thing that would make that go away was meat.  So, I just gave into that. 

I have a very close friend and her doctor also suggested she eat some non vegan things (cheese?) (sorry I'm not 100% up to date on veganism).  She did this for her pregnancy and switched back after.

I'm sure there are healthy safe ways - speak with a doctor -they should recommend you to a nutrionist who can help you.  Good luck!!!   :)

I'm not a vegan and wouldn't be for my baby, but I agree that you can do it! (Seems like you're getting hit a little hard by some people here.) I mean, there are about a billion sites that give you advice on what to do to keep you're iron and calcium up. (I believe legumes for iron and plenty of dark greens and fortified soy milks/cheese for calcium.)

The MOST important thing for vegans and non vegans alike is Folic Acid! Start taking it NOW so that you're baby doesn't have any spinal problems.

"Folic acid, sometimes called folate, is a B vitamin (B9) found mostly in leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach, orange juice, and enriched grains. Repeated studies have shown that women who get 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) daily prior to conception and during early pregnancy reduce the risk that their baby will be born with a serious neural tube defect (a birth defect involving incomplete development of the brain and spinal cord) by up to 70%." (http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newbor n/pregnancy/folic_acid.html)

This site also has a lot of information on where to get your vitamins from:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/food/general/veg an.html

Good luck on a healthy baby/family!!!

Thanks to everyone for the advice, I appreciate all of the different opinions!  I will really take it all to heart. 

I'm not pregant, but when I told my doctor I am a vegetarian he told me to eat meat. He said try to eat meat once a month or so, and buy organic. WTF. I'm not sure where all this hatred of vegetarianism comes from but I think doctors are infected by it too. I'm sure you'll be just fine on a vegan diet when you decide to have your baby, people in India have lived for thousands of years on a vegetarian diet so can we. Its not like meat eaters have 100% of all their nutritional needs met by french fries and pork chops.

INKBLUE:

I think that most of the atitude from doctors comes from the fact that MOST vegetarians and vegans do not get enough protein and iron, which are readily found in meat.  If you tell you doctor that you are calculating what you need to get enough of these things, and that you do not need meat to get them, he shouldn't give you any grief for your diet. If he still does, then he's a hater. 

But most of the anti-veg attitude I've seen is more based on the fact that all but one vegetarian I know is underfed and/or undernurished, so I can see where you're doc is coming from.   HOPEFULLY, he has this attitude because he wants you to be healthy and not because he's a jerk.

http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-pregnancy/deal ingwithdoctors.htm

Veg family has a lot of good articles about vegan and vegetarian pregnancies. There is absolutely no reason to give up your veganism as it is perfectly healthy for the baby.

Many doctors don't know anything about nutrition.  See a Registered Dietitian.  Having a healthy vegan pregnancy is very doable.

Original Post by ohtobethinagain:

I was vegan when I got pregnant and oddly enough, started craving chicken and pork BBQ.  That's actually how I knew something was up.  LOL!  For probably the first 4 or 5 months, I felt like I was starving and the only thing that would make that go away was meat.  So, I just gave into that. 

I think this is a more common occurrence than people realize.  I have a very good friend who was vegetarian for years.  During her second pregnancy the same thing happened to her.  She gave in and is now definitely a carnivore.

I just hope the same thing doesn't happen to me some day! :O

I think a lot of these posts are fuelled by pure ignorance, if you are not pregnant yet, you should know that the average non-pregnant vegan female get more than enough protein form her daily diet to sustain a pregnancy.

Also fortified soy milk has JUST about the same amout of calcium as cow milk. And it is FAR better for you.

I never once craved meat during my pregnancy, and you may not either. I don't take meat cravings with a grain of sand during pregnancy either, some people crave ROCKS. So thats really saying a lot about pregnancy cravings.

Original Post by bigbitty:

I never once craved meat during my pregnancy, and you may not either. I don't take meat cravings with a grain of sand during pregnancy either, some people crave ROCKS. So thats really saying a lot about pregnancy cravings.

 Seriously, my friend said her mom baked and ate dirt once while she was pregnant. No idea if that's true... but holy moly. How odd.

Seeing a Nutritionist or Dietician would be a great idea, especially for after the baby is born. I read a horrible article last year about a vegan couple that starved their baby to death because they like only fed it apple juice or something. So sad! Not that I think you'd do that, just make sure you're getting all of the right nutrition for you both!

I actually think it'd be really cool to try, since you'd be avoiding so many hormones and chemicals from meat.. no worrying about mercury from fish or anything like that.

Too bad I only lasted 2 weeks as a vegetarian hahaha.

wow... vegan while pregnat? what a task to keep up with!

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/veganpregnancy.h tm

Here is another great resource:

Hope it helps! :)

I can't speak to the vegan part exactly, but I was on a vegetarian diet before and throughout my pregnancy with my very healthy little boy (10 lbs when we was born!).  I believe your body will tell you what you need (though, by all means, a nutritionist may be invaluable)- I could not get enough skim milk when I was pregnant.  And peanut butter sandwiches.  Best of luck!  

I am vegan and am currently undergoing IVF treatment, my doctor knows im vegan and didnt even question it or tell me to change anything.

Also a lot of meat eaters dont get enough protein or vitamins etc. I dont think you should worry about it just concentrate on getting pregnant!

good luck!

xxxx