Vegan Pregnancy

When I got pregnant with my first child, people (and family members) immediately started asking me if I would start eating meat now; Because apparently a diet that had been working for me for decades and had made me feel strong, healthy and happy was all of a sudden *not* going to work for me while I was carrying my child *insert sarcasm here*. In all honesty, I did not know any fellow vegan pregnant women though, and my OB did not know the first thing about a plant-based diet, so I simply had to educate myself about vegan pregnancies. Obviously I wanted my child to grow strong and healthy during those 40 weeks in my belly, so I did everything I could to ensure the best possible environment for my baby. I ate my usual variety of fresh, whole, organic foods and I started taking vegan pre-natal vitamins and a vegan DHA supplement along with some liquid vitamin B12. The coolest part about a plant-based pregnancy is that you don’t have to listen to your doctor recite a huge list of foods you can’t eat because all of them are animal-derive products, fish and meats. If that alone doesn’t tell you something then I don’t know what would, but let’s just say I am convinced being on a plant-based diet while pregnant does wonders for the female body and the growing fetus! I had a lot of energy, there were no complications whatsoever, I did not develop GD (Gestational diabetes) and I was able to work out up until the day I gave birth. Those plants sure felt like the ultimate fuel for my body. After I had delivered my first baby, I started breastfeeding her immediately, and I continued to breastfeed her until she was 18 months old. Once again, there was no sign that my body *needed* meat or animal products in order to produce a sufficient amount of breastmilk. If anything, I had a SURPLUS of milk which I ended up donating to other moms in need. My second pregnancy was just as healthy and happy as my first one and the breastfeeding also worked like a charm- and no animals were ever harmed in the process of making and nourishing two beautiful babies!