Vegan and Preggy

teresasands

Hey everyone! New here. Wanted to see if there's any fellow vegans on here. How are your cravings and nutritional intake is taking a toll on your pregnancy. Are you taking extra vitamins ect? I'm 19 weeks and have been vegan 2 years. Veg for 6. Everything seems fine aside from the extreme fatigue. TY !

wendyneilson

Hey! I am! Well... minus a few recent CRAZY cheese cravings that I gave into (that I'm still regretting as I immediately broke out!)

I've been veg off and on for 10 years and fully vegan for the past 3. I've had so many cravings and am finding it hard to get the recommended 70g protein/day so I'm really struggling. I'm only 9 weeks and am having lots of aversions too which I am hoping will subside soon. I used to love salads and fresh fruits and veggies - I can't stomach them now! The only fresh thing I can eat is fruit smoothies... So I try to have one every morning (and sneak in spinach). 

It's been tough, but I am hoping that after the first trimester it'll be better and I can get back to my normal eating habits! I'm committed to staying at least vegetarian, if not fully/mostly vegan for the remainder of the pregnancy :-)

cakeisgood

I was vegan up until my 1st pregnancy in 2012. Then I gave into my cheese cravings. The same for this pregnancy.

I plan on going back to vegan after this baby (vegetarian atm). It's easy to make yourself feel very guilty if you break the rules but it doesn't do any good to anybody.

If you find you slip up, cop it on the chin and try and go back when you feel up to it. Good luck!

MommyMorrison

Hey I have been vegan just over 2 years now and veg for 4. I am pregnant with my second. I actually became vegan during my first pregnancy because cheese, eggs and milk etc grossed me out so much! But of course this time around I am craving very naughty desserts so I have indulged in cream filled donuts or even French toast here and there. Dealing with some serious guilt afterwards . It's definitely hard sometimes.
As for extra vitamins I am only taking my prenatal. During my first pregnancy my iron was super low so I had to supplement that. But this time around everything is looking awesome!

mwerren

It's difficult! I'm quite anemic as a result of this and I am taking iron supplements. Also cereal is a great source of iron. A bowl of frosted mini wheats has 90% of the iron you need in a day. Best of luck!

runawaylaurel

I was vegan for about a year pre-pregnancy (vegetarian for 10 years) but I don't think I'd have made it second tri without cheese in my life, so I'm back to being veg for right now. I'm on an iron supplement, but I was pre-pregnancy too. 

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Marieke3000

I have been vegan since I was 19 and am now pregnant with my first baby at age 39. I haven't had any issues whatsoever and my doctors haven't had problems with my diet, either. One did ask about my protein sources, but when I started rattling them off, she said "okay, okay, you're okay." I think I was already meeting pregnancy protein requirements pre-pregnancy because I am one of those people who need a lot. I'm taking a prenatal vitamin designed for vegans and an algae-based DHA supplement. I usually make my own soy and cashew based cheeses but haven't felt like it, so have tried one of the new Daiya block cheeses and found it hit the spot for me for quesadillas and grilled cheese, which i have really been craving. I also like making smoothies for getting lots of fresh fruit. I usually make them with homemade soy yogurt. Good to see some fellow vegans here! Oh--I'm not perfect, btw...I have given into a few donut cravings and there are no vegan donut places near me.

Maebb

I am not vegan, but you may have already seen this blog. I've been following it for years, and she is 38 weeks pregnant now, so she has some good recipes and tips for eating vegan while pregnant.

https://ohsheglows.com

pearldee

Vegan here...my doc was actually quite happy when I told her we were vegan. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of iron! And make sure to drink OJ. Lots and lots of beans, seeds, tofu...

crunchymamaof2

This was the closest I could find to vegan prego,



As long as your doctor is okay with your diet and you're getting enough iron I don't see the problem.

KatieKuzy

Just vegetarian, but I've been supplementing iron and doing a lot of protein bars! (Strangely I've craved chicken wings... and I'm ready for that craving to go away!)

ashera4

Blackstrap Molasses is great for iron. I take a tablespoon everyday with an orange juice chaser (the vitamin c helps with absorption)

StacyJYay

I'm neither vegan, nor veggie, but here's a hint my vegan RD friend shared with me: when taking iron supplements, take them with vitamin C.  The vitamin C really boosts iron absorption.  She also takes extra B complex vitamins (even when not pregnant).  Hope this helps!