I love this story...thank you for sharing!  Where can we pick up her Yoga DVD's??

http://veganrockergirl.blogspot.com

Thank you so so much for sharing this! I've experienced the same "flack" from a meat eating family in which I grew up in. But I've transfered my lifestyle to one based on a vegan diet and life. I practice yoga daily and am also aspiring to be a yoga instructor. It is so wonderful to hear people such as yourself out there who truly live the balance. Inspiring and just all around great!
Thanks!

Love this story ~ Thank you so  much for sharing... 

I can also reassure people that you can have a very healthy baby being vegetarian. I have had three kids and they were all really big babies, they were all close to nine lbs, and I had them all early!! Had I made my due dates they would have been 10 lbs. I only gained about 35-40 lbs with each pregnancy, but still had big babies. But I know women that eat total junk all through their pregnancies, gain 60 lbs and go on to have really small babies.  I think if you eat nice healthy food you should have no worries that you aren't doing the right thing. I also never had any anemia issues which sometimes happens with pregnant women and the doctors kept thinking i would being veggie, but never did!!   Alot of baby size is genetics too no matter what you eat.  But I was a vegetarian for about ten years before having kids so my family didn't give me any grief because they were already so used to me being vegetarian.  I always craved lemonade when i was pregnant :)  Good Luck to all you veggie mommas out there!!!  And Happy Mother's Day!!!

I love this quote: "I could not think of eating something that carried the energy of suffering while I was carrying in me my greatest blessing."
-Such a powerful statement!

Desi, you are a awesome person!! Thanks so much for sharing your story. If we could only get others to believe you don't need to eat meat to meet your protein requirements. 

Thank you for sharing this fabulous story.  I have been a vegetarian for 24 years and am now a vegan 'flirt' :)  I also caught 'flack' from my mother and mother in-law when I had my first child 8 years ago.  They could not understand, and still struggle with understanding how one lives without meat.  I believe they feel I am depriving my kids of something 'i just don't like' when really it goes so much deeper than that.  I KNOW what I'm doing is right and it is the best possible diet for my whole family!  I make sure to leave "The Kind Diet" lying around, along with some other vegan cookbooks when my moms visit :)  It's so great to know so many of you are out there!  We are doing the right thing :)  Thanks for your inspirational story!

Thanks so much for sharing this!  My husband and I are going to start trying for our first child this fall.  I've been veggie for 13 years and vegan since December (with the exception of a few slip-ups!).  I've been working out a ton lately and trying to get in tip top shape before conceiving.  Thanks for the encouragement that veggie and vegan moms can deliver big healthy babies!

I also was vegetarian throughout my pregnancy. However, I suffered high blood pressure (preeclampsia) and borderline gestational diabetes. Since vegetarianism is carb-based (which turn into sugar, I believe), I often wonder if that had something to do with my health issues as a whole, particularly the diabetes part. No one (not even my doctor) has been able to give me a definitive answer. Anyone? Anyone? I do, however, have a very healthy child--she is SUPER BRIGHT!!-- and in my heart, I feel like my dietary decisions put her on that path to intelligence. Had I done it again, I would have had less processed soy-based products (they have a ton of sodium) and do more of a whole foods, simplistic approach, in addition to making sure I pair proteins with complex carbs and eating smaller meals more frequently to make sure blood sugar is steady. Anyone else here have any of these conditions? Please message me--would love to discuss. THANKS!

Thank you for sharing tyour encouraging story!

I am a proud veggie mama of an 8 month-old baby boy and have also gone through pregnancy without eating meat.  I did get some grief from a few family members (still do actually), mostly with concerns about the baby not getting enough protein.  He was a prefectly healthy 7.5 pound boy, very alert and full of energy yet calm and happy. He now eats solids and of course doesn't eat meat. Once again the family is concerned, but I am perfectly confident that he gets enough protein from beans, grains, veggies and soy.

 I strongly believe that veggie babies grow up to be very calm, mellow, gentle babies whose parents don't have to deal with up and down mood swings and aggressive behaviour, because I do believe that the aggressive death of the animals transfers to our bodies. And of course who needs an 8-year old hitting puberty??? Without artificial growth hormones and antibiotics found in meat we can wait for mother nature to kick in puberty when the child is ready.

Good luck to all you veggie moms and babies out there. 

Desi!
It's so great to hear about the success of your vegetarian pregnancy and I'm thrilled to know you are a vegan Flirt!  I have also been veggie/vegan Flirt for going on four years.  Rob and I recently moved to Dallas, Texas where I continue to practice Pilates.  We are planning on starting a family in the near future and it is so inspiring to hear how gracefully you handled the experience.
You are a most kind person- I will always cherish the advice you've given me!
All love,Nicole Stewartwww.pilateswithnicole.com

Aww, that's awesomee:))
Yeah, Alicia should totally write a book on that:
The Kind Life for Kids.
Lol, that'd be a best seller ;)

hey sunshine girl
i think leaning more towards superhero diet would be the safest most awesome way to eat when pregnant....thats what i plan to do....and nadia ,yes will document and write all about it also if you eat the kind diet and superhero way you have far less to worry about your kids getting proper nutrition...they will be healthy and strong and its the kids eating the"normal " way that im worried about regarding nutrition...they arent getting the calcium they need cause animal protien is sucking them dry of it...they eat all the nasty foods and we know what that does to us...so id say you will have far less headache raising children safely and protecting them and building strong little beings....embracing a plant based lifestyle....
cheers to you all
happy mothers day!!!

That is really a brave choice! Coming from the family of meat-eaters and meat-eating in-laws, it has been difficult to face questions about my choice in food nearly EVERY TIME we eat... Frustrating. When I'm alone in charge of my children's diet's I do give them healthy vegan meals. However, as the rest of our family offers food, that's a whole different thing. I have not forbidden my sons meat, I do want them to make their own decisions. I am serving them mostly vegan meals, but at daycare and school they eat meat as well. I also still have some questions about the nutrition for the benefit of the children in a wholly vegan diet. In Finland, where I come from, people do not tend to eat that much processed foods. We have a diet which includes lot of fresh vegetables, berries and fish as well as non-wheat bread. Definitely no sugar or excessive fat. Absolutely no fast food.Many people seem to forget, that the basic reason for a specific diet should not be in the hope of slimming, etc. It should be in avoiding serious health issues like diabetes or cancer. Therefore I was so happy to read Desi Bartlett basically say "eat what your body craves". That, I believe, is the ultimate clue. Listen to yourself!

I had two vegetarian pregnancies that resulted in two big boys, one 7lbs 11ounces and the other over 8lbs, this is big for someone who is only 5 ft tall.  If I were to give any advice it would be, if you are at all worrying about your nutritional needs changing with pregnancy and need support you could probably get it right here on the website - or you can find yourself a midwife who is familiar with the vegan or vegetarian diet.  Pregnancy is such a magical time - and it seems like families feel more than at home to impose thier worries onto you, and then you have the doctors too, and with all the hormonal changes it is sooo easy to get sucked in, but DON'T let them -  get the support you need! No one should have to spend what is such a special time, worrying or fearful,  no one.

Ok I am going to get off of my soapbox now.