Vegan and having twins-please help!

Rayme321 · December 2011

Hi All, I just had my first ultrasound yesterday, and was shocked to learn it's twins! I'm only 5 weeks today. I was in such shock I forgot to ask many of the questions I had. My Dr. gave me a packet of info about nutrition needs during pregnancy, but none of it was specific to carrying twins, and it was not geared towards vegetarians or vegans. Any advice about how many extra calories I need a day this early in pregnancy, as well as good vegan foods to eat would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!

dulcinea03 · December 2011

Page Kimarino- I know she is vegetarian and carried twin girls to 36weeks. She should be able to give you some tips and suggestions.

Mrs. Alice · December 2011

Also get Dr. Luke's book on twins, triplets, and quads. She talks a lot about nutrition and I remember reading in there about vegetarian/vegan diets.

allisonmarie22 · December 2011

I suggest seeking out a nutritional counselor who can direct you on how to proceed here. Good luck to you and congratulations to you on your double blessing.

reillyroowho · December 2011

I know this isn't what you were hoping to hear but...being vegan may not be a luxury that you will be afforded much longer. I know with absolute certainty that I would not be able to support my 160g of protein a day diet being vegan. They only way it works for me is with whey powder (soy was not recommended by my MFM) and even then I usually just come close to the 160g on a good day. Welcome to the joys of parenthood, it's no longer about you anymore. Congrats and welcome to the club!!!

besu-chan · December 2011

Mrs. Alice:
Also get Dr. Luke's book on twins, triplets, and quads. She talks a lot about nutrition and I remember reading in there about vegetarian/vegan diets.

I was going to say this but I looked it up and... it's not good news for you, OP. Dr. Luke, in her book called When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads, gives a lot of advice for nutrition with multiple pregnancies including a substantial section for vegetarians and even includes several vegetarian recipes. BUT she basically says vegans should strongly consider adding eggs and dairy because it's impossible to sustain a healthy diet while carrying multiple babies without those.

I agree with pp who suggested a dietician, but depending on your reasons for being vegan maybe this is something you need to consider in the short term for the sake of your children?

I hope you can find someone to help you figure out the best solution.

Rayme321 · December 2011

Thank you so much for your responses. I would be willing to add eggs if necessary. Dairy would be more difficult as I have a severe lactose intolerance. Did anyone's Dr. give them specific advice about how many calories to add a day early in pregnancy. All the information I can find either conflicts or isn't specific to multiples. I will ask my dr. at my next appointment on Jan. 2nd, but I want to do the right things until then. I understand it's not about me anymore, and will do whatever is necessary to take care of my babies. A nutritionist is a good idea as well. I will look into it. Thanks again!

NicoleeBonsai · December 2011

Rayme321:
Thank you so much for your responses. I would be willing to add eggs if necessary. Dairy would be more difficult as I have a severe lactose intolerance. Did anyone's Dr. give them specific advice about how many calories to add a day early in pregnancy. All the information I can find either conflicts or isn't specific to multiples. I will ask my dr. at my next appointment on Jan. 2nd, but I want to do the right things until then. I understand it's not about me anymore, and will do whatever is necessary to take care of my babies. A nutritionist is a good idea as well. I will look into it. Thanks again!

Dr Luke's book (and your dr, obvs) is the best place for multiples-specific nutrition information. i'm pretty sure the recommendation is to increase calories to 2500 per day, but i might be inflating that a bit. i basically ate whatever i wanted, with a focus on protein. i gained 64 of pounds and lost all of it by about 10 weeks PP, so eating what i wanted wasn't really a problem!

if you are lactose intolerant, yogurt would still be a great source of dairy protein. greek yogurt especially has a very high protein content - i ate loads of it while pregnant.

also, something i wish i had known about in pregnancy is barilla plus pasta. it has a ridiculous amount of protein in it, and it tastes like regular pasta - so good. i ate a lot of pasta while PG so this would have been great hidden protein!

keg · December 2011

First of all, congratulations! It's a wild and crazy ride. I'm not vegetarian, let alone vegan, but I recommend meeting with a dietitian. I did and it was incredibly helpful. Instead of focusing on calories, which can be overwhelming, her advice was to eat 100g of protein a day. I did use a whey protein powder a lot (Unjury powder was what my dietitian recommended...it sounds like it may work for people with lactose issues, but I'm sure you could call and check).

besu-chan · December 2011

Rayme321:
Thank you so much for your responses. I would be willing to add eggs if necessary. Dairy would be more difficult as I have a severe lactose intolerance. Did anyone's Dr. give them specific advice about how many calories to add a day early in pregnancy. All the information I can find either conflicts or isn't specific to multiples. I will ask my dr. at my next appointment on Jan. 2nd, but I want to do the right things until then. I understand it's not about me anymore, and will do whatever is necessary to take care of my babies. A nutritionist is a good idea as well. I will look into it. Thanks again!

Definitely check out Dr. Luke's book then- you will find a lot of great info that is very specific! You certainly don't need to follow her plan exactly but I found it so helpful to read some specific information about diet along with why to eat certain food groups etc. It's available on Kindle too if you have one

Good luck as you begin this journey- it's a crazy ride but worth it in the end (or so I'm told- I'm still waiting for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!).

Jen0204 · December 2011

I saw a nutritionist early on in my pregnancy and she said that in the first trimester you really don't need to add in any calories, although you should be eating however many calories you would consume to maintain your weight (in other words, if you were dieting, you need more calories). She said in the second and third trimesters to add in about 300 calories extra a day. This was before I knew I was having twins, so I'm sure that number is low. With being vegan and lactose intolerant I would really recommend seeing a nutritionist. Mine was covered by insurance, but if it wasn't it would have cost $60, which isn't too bad.

Temp123197812503460 · December 2011

Congrats! I was a vegetarian prior to pregnancy for a long time and I craved red meat like crazy during pregnancy. I decided to just listen to my body and eat what I wanted.

allisonmarie22 · December 2011

I am also lactose intolerant. When I wasn't pregnant I avoided it like the plague but after finding out I was having twins I started drinking Lactaid. It tastes ok for milk. I also agree with PP about the Barilla pasta.

Rayme321 · December 2011

Thank you all so much. I only found this website three days ago, and already it's been so helpful! I am definitely going to find a nutritionist, but I am concerned about making sure to find someone I can trust. For those of you who met with a nutritionist, how did you find someone who had experience working with women who are pregnant with multiples? Thank you again!

kelliwill · December 2011

allisonmarie22:
I suggest seeking out a nutritional counselor who can direct you on how to proceed here. Good luck to you and congratulations to you on your double blessing.

I would do this and I also second Dr. Luke's book ! GL! Twins are amazing!!

sweetclementine · December 2011

Congrats from one vegetarian expectant mom of twins to another! I am also lactose intolerant and a vegetarian. I had to add egg and some cheese back into my diet to maintain protein..I am also hypoglycemic so having a protein sources that I didn't have aversions to is vital, even eating every 2 hours I'm still finding it challenging. I do recommend Dr.Barbara Luke's book. She does support a carnivorous diet but includes recipes and tips for veggie mamas. I don't think you will *have* to add meat back into your diet..and if you are anything like me digesting it would be a nightmare, if I could get passed eating it I would never be able to keep it down! I spoke with the dietician that my OB suggested but find myself sticking to the calorie/weight gain goals in Dr.Lukes book. Good Luck!!

Shelley-Bean · December 2011

Congratulations! I agree with PP - talk to your OB. I can tell you when I was pregnant, I craved beef. Chicken turned my stomach - I only wanted beef. Listen to your body, too. You need the extra protein and iron. GL!

Jen0204 · December 2011

Rayme321:
Thank you all so much. I only found this website three days ago, and already it's been so helpful! I am definitely going to find a nutritionist, but I am concerned about making sure to find someone I can trust. For those of you who met with a nutritionist, how did you find someone who had experience working with women who are pregnant with multiples? Thank you again!

I wouldn't worry about finding a nutritionist who has experience with women who are pregnant with multiples. Considering how few women have multiples (compared to singleton pregnancies) and then how few of those seek out a nutritionist during their pregnancy, I would be very surprised if you could find one who specializes in it. I would guess that any nutritionist would be trained to deal with pregnant women and vegetarians/vegans. Like with any doctor, just try one out and see how you feel. The one I saw I really liked because she gave solid suggestions and explanations, but also understood and encouraged eating "bad" foods, but in moderation. She stressed balance and coming up with an eating plan that can be implemented permanently.

tmrochekelly · December 2011

I'm almost 27 weeks with twins and vegan and I feel great! It is not necessary for you to add animal products if you don't want to. Both my boys are exactly on track in terms of growth and development (the same size or slightly larger than singletons at this point) and I've been blessed with a relatively easy pregnancy so far. No morning sickness or any of the usual digestive issues (heartburn, constipation, etc.) that everyone says I should expect, no signs of anemia or any other things that everyone warned against early on. I'm huge, but still able to exercise a fair bit and much more comfortable than all the other twin moms I've talked to have been at this point. I could go on, but in general, I have to say I think the way I eat has served me incredibly well and I feel it's giving my babies the absolute best start possible. That said, I have adjusted my diet to accommodate these two growing guys that are sharing my body. I try to make sure that I have protein every time I eat a meal or snack especially at breakfast. So, a wide variety of nuts and seeds, beans, whole grains (quinoa, especially), tofu, tempeh, seitan, etc. There is a wonderful line of breads and cereals (Food for Life) that is made from sprouted lentils and grains and has a ton of protein, something like 9g in every slice of bread. I swapped my usual bread for that around 8 weeks and it's really helped and tasty to boot. It was recommended to me that I shoot for 100 grams of protein and 1 gallon of water every day, so that's what I have been doing without much difficulty. I don't count calories, I just eat when I'm actually hungry and try to make sure that the food I'm eating is nutrient rich and not just calorically dense (skip the fries in favor of a big grain salad). Nutritional Yeast in soups and grains is another good protein add in and I've found green juices, green veggies in general and sea vegetables to be a life saver. Yes, it takes some effort and focus but for me, it's worth it. It should be said that I'm lucky to live in New York, so I have a lot of options for ingredients and restaurants that make everything easier. Working with a nutritionist is a good idea to be on the safe side (as it would be for carnivores as well!) but try to find one that is used to working with whole food and vegans- it's shocking how uninformed some can be. I saw one before becoming pregnant that recommended soy cheese for calcium and all those fake meats as part of my daily routine- not very helpful. There are lots of great resources on line if you want some more advice. The Kind Life and Girlie Girl Army both have good pregnancy sections. I found a great personal vegan twin blog early on that I found really comforting, I think I googled "vegan twins". Sorry to go on, I just know it can be a lonely road and you should know that you don't have to start scarfing cheese and eggs if that's not right for you and your family. Based on my own experience, it would probably not help you that much in the long run anyway.

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