Vegan Pregnancies (was Re:Tempeh & Vitamins B-12)

May 13, 2001

In a message dated 5/13/01 1:26:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time, rr-jr writes:

I have some questions about vegan pregnancy for those of you who have gone through one....My husband and I will probably start a family in the next couple of years and I am trying to eat a vegan diet starting already. Has anyone consumed soy products during their pregnancy and also during breastfeeding? When you wean your baby, what do you give them if not cow's milk--do you give

them soy? I

I had a vegan pregnancy with my 3 month old and am still vegan eating LOTS of soy while brerastfeeding. My other daughter is on rice milk (she is almost 2).

May 13, 2001

Hi Sara,

I have some questions about vegan pregnancy for those of you who have gone

through one....My husband and I will probably start a family in the next couple

of years and I am trying to eat a vegan diet starting already. Has anyone

consumed soy products during their pregnancy and also during breastfeeding?

When you wean your baby, what do you give them if not cow's milk--do you give

them soy? I'm just a little concerned about the recent bad reputation that soy

is getting, especially for children eating soy formulas, products etc. Thanks

in advance for sharing any experiences with vegan pregnancies and soy

consumption.

Rhonda

> I had a totally vegan pregnancy, I did take a vegetarian prenatal but I felt

> like my diet was healthy enough that I didn't have to make any changes

> (except for my love for dark chocolate, too much caffeine). I have an

> extremely healthy 17 month old who is bigger and healthier than his peers, he

> is in the 95th percentile for growth (probably from all of that yummy

> breastmilk, which has some b12 in it!). I am lactating also, I still take

> the prenatals and we are both fine.

>

> Sara

> Colin's Ap Mama

> A baby will only spoil if you leave it on the shelf.

> Come see us at <A

HREF= " http://www.sos.state.mi.us/election/elecadmin/2000web/index.html " > </A>h<A

HREF= " http://members.tripod.com/colinsapmama/ " >ttp://members.tripod.com/colinsap\

mama/</A>

May 13, 2001

I was vegan while pregnant with my daughter, but didn't have the book by

Michael Klapper, M.D. about children and vegan nutrition during pregnancy at

that time, so I had a couple of cheese pizzas, and then some marjarine in a

few week period. This was not necessary, I learned later. I was worried

about B12 and my daughter having defects. Now, I would just make sure my

multi vitamin had plenty of iron, b12, and folic acid, which prevents birth

defects. B6 might help also. It's good to get all of the b vitamins and a

prenatal vitamin that has the quanitities you need.

I read books, like what to expect when you're expecting. and the farm, in

tennesse has one called spiritual midwivery, I think. They are vegans and

have wonderfully healthy kids. My daughter is the healthiest of all my

children. She was raised on breast milk for 3 years. She never needed

formula. My boys used soy formulas, similac, I believe, before soy had a

bad rap. They were always sick. She was never sick and didn't have candy

til almost her 2nd birthday when an idiot gave it to her.

She was raised on grandma's avocadoes, eating them whole. Didn't even use

baby food, or a bottle. She has been my healthiest today. My kids are not

vegan, but I don't buy ice cream. I buy yogurt instead. When they get

school age it is hard to control their diets. She used to come home with

chicken bones in her lunch box. I found out my whole juices and healthy

snacks were being traded for junk food, because we don't have it in the

house! I believe vegan pregnancies are better for the mother. She was the

biggest, healthiest baby, born with pink, instead of the blue skin that

lacks oxygen. She was only two oz more than bro, so don't let that scare

you. She was the best baby, and didn't have all the problems like I did

with her brothers being sickly and cranky or colicky so much.

Good Luck! Please get the books and reread them if you like. I read daily

on what I could do, taking short walks daily and just trying to do all the

right things. I was not throwing up with her at all, but I did feel

nauceous the first trimester and didn't like avocadoes like I normally love

them. Just the smell of food made me sick. I was lucky not getting sick

like others. Maybe it was from eating healthy.

Take care,

Maureen

-

<rr-jr

Sunday, May 13, 2001 11:26 AM

Vegan Pregnancies (was Re:Tempeh & Vitamins B-12)

> Hi Sara,

>

> I have some questions about vegan pregnancy for those of you who have gone

through one....My husband and I will probably start a family in the next

couple of years and I am trying to eat a vegan diet starting already. Has

anyone consumed soy products during their pregnancy and also during

breastfeeding? When you wean your baby, what do you give them if not cow's

milk--do you give

> them soy? I'm just a little concerned about the recent bad reputation

that soy is getting, especially for children eating soy formulas, products

etc. Thanks in advance for sharing any experiences with vegan pregnancies

and soy consumption.

>

> Rhonda

>

> > I had a totally vegan pregnancy, I did take a vegetarian prenatal but I

felt

> > like my diet was healthy enough that I didn't have to make any changes

> > (except for my love for dark chocolate, too much caffeine). I have an

> > extremely healthy 17 month old who is bigger and healthier than his

peers, he

> > is in the 95th percentile for growth (probably from all of that yummy

> > breastmilk, which has some b12 in it!). I am lactating also, I still

take

> > the prenatals and we are both fine.

> >

> > Sara

> > Colin's Ap Mama

> > A baby will only spoil if you leave it on the shelf.

> > Come see us at <A

HREF= " http://www.sos.state.mi.us/election/elecadmin/2000web/index.html " >

</A>h<A

HREF= " http://members.tripod.com/colinsapmama/ " >ttp://members.tripod.com/coli

nsapmama/</A>

>

May 14, 2001

Maureen writes in part:

>I read books, like what to expect when you're expecting. and the farm, in

>tennesse has one called spiritual midwivery, I think. They are vegans and

>have wonderfully healthy kids. My daughter is the healthiest of all my

>children. She was raised on breast milk for 3 years. She never needed

>formula. My boys used soy formulas, similac, I believe, before soy had a

>bad rap. They were always sick. She was never sick and didn't have candy

>til almost her 2nd birthday when an idiot gave it to her.

I remember the first time our daughter had refined sweets. I made a

chocolate cake for her on her first birthday. Boy, did she love that cake!

I have the most adorable pictures of her eating it. Her expression was,

" Why didn't you tell me about this stuff sooner! " But then " sweets "

disappeared from her diet again, and she didn't ask for them.

When she was three or for years old, she went trick-or-treating for the

first time. We lived on a dead-end gravel road with 5 other families whom

we knew. On Hallowe'en day, I visited each family and gave them an apple

to give to my daughter when she trick-or-treated (we were remote and no one

had ever trick-or-treated there before). She was absolutely thrilled that

night when, door after door, everyone presented her with her favorite fruit!

Now, as I mentioned in a previous post, she's a senior in college. She's

very healthy, perfectly proportioned, and still rarely eats sweets. She

just doesn't care for them and would rather have fruit most of the time.

Sometimes early parental deception works <g>

Sherry

May 14, 2001

First I want to start by saying that I had the best pregnancy!! I was in great physical shape when I got pregnant and I ate extremely healthy. I absolutely loved being pregnant! I had no morning sickness or any other problems of any kind, I felt like a goddess!! My delivery was a bit tough, but I think that is because it was in a hospital (was supposed to be in a birthing center) and my wishes were not being met, the next one will be born at home. I was already eating so healthy when I got pregnant so I didn't make too many changes to my diet. I added a natural prenatal vitamin and had a couple of extra snacks throughout the day. I don't do caffeine, smoking or any medications of any kind, so there wasn't anything to phase out. I exercised up until the day before I went into labor, it helps avoid miscarrying and also helps to ensure that the baby will come when it is supposed to, it also gets you ready for the marathon of birth! My son was 8lbs 5oz