vegan pregnancy

March 5, 2007

there was a debate on my FU board today about veganism in pregnancy, with

the majority coming out on the side of it not being very healthy and more or

less impossible to get all the protein they need. this is what i posted,

after making it clear that i'm a student of both midwifery and nutrition:

some women who are vegans can indeed have a hard time getting enough

protein, and all other nutrients, and really pregnant or not that is

common. i meet few vegans who have an ideal intake, because they don't work

at it or they are not sufficiently informed. but if you are well-informed

and willing to put the work in, it can be very positive.

my first pregnancy, i was an omnivore for the majority of it. i gained 13

pounds after losing 10 and had a very difficult time gaining weight; for

much of my pregnancy my baby was SGA, until i went on a fast-food binge the

last month, at which point i gained 13 pounds and my son took it all. i had

a 60-hour labor that ended in transport, gave birth to a 8 lb. 3 oz. baby

boy, without drugs but it was still horrible, and i had tons of problems

PP.

the pregnancy that ended 12 weeks ago was very different. i was a vastly

healthier person, but, i would not say it was easier...in fact in many ways

it was harder because i was diagnosed with fibromyalgia after my son's birth

and i had to deal with an incredible amount of pain with no available relief

for my entire pregnancy, to the point of not being able to get out bed some

days; the nausea was more intense and lasted longer; i was exhausted beyond

belief despite having incredible amounts of energy after going vegan; it

just sucked! i gained 25 pounds in this pregnancy and gained weight very

easily, despite the nausea, without resorting to horrid foods. despite

being able to eat almost nothing, i still had adequate nutrition because i

tried very hard to make sure that was i DID eat was nutrient-packed. i gave

birth at home to an 8-lb. baby girl after 9 hours of labor and my recovery

was practically instantaneous.

now, i am not saying that the difference in those births was entirely the

result of my good diet, but i know that some of it indeed was.

IME the most important thing is a carefully planned-out diet, whether that's

vegan or organic or whole-foods or omni or WAP or whatever. but after

reviewing so many studies (especially as regards pregnancy, being a student

midwife) i really think that - much like doctors who instill fear and

self-doubt about episiotomies, drugs, IVs, monitors, etc. - a lot of

midwives do their clients a disservice by instilling fear in them that a

vegan diet would be insufficient for their needs or too difficult to

attempt. i didn't find it to be either, and neither did my midwife, who has

also successfully assisted a vegan woman through a pregnancy with twins - on

over 200 grams of protein a day. anne frye [a midwife who has written the

only homebirth-midwifery textbook] says herself, the best thing is to work

with a woman within the confines of a diet that she is used to and finds

acceptable. that's certainly what i plan to do with my own clients, and i

would not work with anyone who operated otherwise. it's really important

that midwives educate themselves extensively about nutrients in pregnancy

and inform themselves about ALL specific diets so that she can provide

advice to her clients about where she can get her nutrients without going

out of the bounds of her tastes, preferences, cultural/religious beliefs,

history, and lifestyle.

chandelle'

--

" The true aim of education is to awaken real powers of perception and

judgement in relation to life and living. For only such an awakening can

lead to true freedom. "

-Rudolf Steiner

March 5, 2007

I read the book " Your Vegetarian Pregnancy " by Dr. Holly Roberts during my

pregnancy. I was completely vegetarian, and had to cut back on my calcium intake

because of gall stones. I gained 35 lbs and my son was 6lbs 3 oz (born a few

weeks early). My stepsister who is not vegetarian gained 40 lbs during her

pregnancy (we were pregnant at the same time, just two weeks apart!) and her

daughter weighed 2 oz less than my son... she was full-term. As long as you

follow a healthy diet it doesn't matter if you are veg or not. Although in my

opinion, I couldn't imagine feeding my developing baby all the junk that goes

into some of the products people eat.

Jessica, Robert, and Baby Jesse

Life is an adventure in forgiveness.

Norman Cousins (1915 - 1990)

chandelle' <earthmother213

Sunday, March 4, 2007 6:43:35 PM