My twelve-almost-thirteen year old daughter and my eleven year old son were both extremely healthy babies and I was completely vegetarian throughout both pregnancies.  Both were born
8 lbs.   I had to deal with a lot of nonsense from the families also as to whether I was doing the right thing by continuing my veggie diet while pregnant.  I think people are sometimes just afraid of what they do not really understand. 

This is such an inspiring story- so much that I am writing for the first time EVER on any blog/website/etc for advice!! Here is my dillema- I am 7 weeks pregnant. About 2 months before I found out I was preggers, I had purchased The Kind Life and was a full fledged Veggie and "flirting" with Vegan. My problem? I HATE beans. Really, really, hate. It wasnt a big deal before since I could supplement with Tofu and lots of veggies, nuts, nut butters... but now I have nausea allllllll the time ( seriously- from the time I wake up to time I fall asleep!!) and I have started eating chicken becasue Im very worried about the protien intake. I keep reading that it has to double during pregnancy but everytime I eat meat I want to cry and it makes me feel extra sluggish and just all around crappy. . I had committed myself to a veggie diet and now I feel like Im letting myself down.  I also dont think its healthy to limit my diet to tofu everyday. Does anyone know the truth behind how much protien we need during pregnancy and if its reasonable to stay on a veggie diet with out incorporating beans??

OH- and the kicker is that we're living with my in-laws right now who are total carnivores!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I would think having a few cage-free eggs would be a kinder way to get in some extra protein than from chicken.  You can keep trying out new beans, but I wouldn't let your aversion derail you completely. That's ideal, but a cage-free egg seems like the lesser 'evil' of the two.

Wish you the best!

This is interesting. When I was pregnant, I was repusled by meat and that is when I began flirting with vegetarianism.

A note to Alica or the author, etc. Can we get some blogs about breastfeeding vegans on here? That would be amazing! Thank you.

Hi Esperanza,

Start your own blog, they are free.  I'm not a mama or never have been one but, I know blogs are free and I've seen a lot of posts about breastfeeding here.  I'm trying to create my own blog and I'm not blog "savy" but I'm giving it a shot.

Hi, Michele.

While I am pretty knowledeable about breastfeeding, I am only a flirter when it comes to veganism and I would not want to give some bad nutritious advice to a mother when I am not even vegan myself. But perhaps I can look into a blog with the intention of at least giving the benefits of bf'ing and the harmful effects of formula.

Good luck with your Savy blog!

There's so much info on the net. here's a few starter pts:

During pregnancy and lactation, your need for protein significantly increases. Protein is necessary for development of all new cells. For the duration of pregnancy, experts recommend that protein intake be a minimum of 60 grams per day. Women having twins or a multiple pregnancy need even more. Protein is required for the physical growth and cellular development of your baby.. It is also required for the placenta, amniotic tissues, and maternal tissues. Further, a woman's blood volume increases by 50% during pregnancy, and protein is needed to produce new blood cells and circulating proteins.

For example, you can get the 71 grams of protein you need each day during pregnancy by having three cups of milk or soy milk, one cup of firm tofu, a veggie burger on a bun, and a cup of yogurt or soy yogurt. Also, as B12 is mostly found in animal products, you should probably buy a good prenatal vitamin-and-mineral supplement. Look for one that contains at least 100 percent of the daily requirement of iron, zinc, and B12.

You can get your calcium from calcium-fortified foods like soy milk, tofu, soy yogurt, and fortified fruit juices, as well as naturally calcium-rich foods like molasses, collard and turnip greens, kale, bok choy, and tahini (Alicia S. has a ton of recipies in TKD). You could also ask your dr. to be referred to a nutritionist to review your diet and make sure your blood sugar is regulated.

Hope that helps.

Tati

Inspiring