Vegan diet while pregnant

[Veegster]

Hi all - are there any vegetarian or vegan pregnant ladies out there? I am getting pressure to eat fish and meat from relatives and questions about my nutrition generally and would like to find out ways of proving to people that this diet is OK for pregnancy. I am 16 weeks, no probs so far, high iron levels at first blood test. I am almost totally vegan (have relented in that I am eating quorn which contains egg) but apart from that I am vegan. I am being asked questions such as 'you would take advice if the doctor said you should eat meat' and tbh, I would not because I think it is totally unnecessary. 'But you would if your baby needed it'. This is difficult ... ! Can you get tests for your nutrients on the NHS?

Any ideas welcome! Thanks.

I am vegetarian and have been for 25yrs. I think I asked about it at my first midwife appointment, and they couldn't have been less bothered! I had good iron levels throughout pregnancy and afterwards even though I had lost a fair amount of blood from an EMCS.

You could speak to your midwife about it, and then tell your annoying relatives that the midwife is fine about it.

I was Vegan/Vegetarian during my first two pregnancies but never got into 3rd term with them (nothing to do with diet) this pregnancy I have eaten meat & eggs.
The first two times booking in I was asked to write down what I ate, standard everyone did it, and it was never once brought up by the consultants or midwives. So I would tell you family to wind their news in on that point.

I'm not to sure if you can, I would ask for a B12 test that would be the most important one IMO it can have serious repercussions. Are you taking a B12 supplement?

Are you making sure you are getting enough calcium? I've found when pregnant (even meat eating I don't eat diary due to intolerance) I drink loads of Koko milk I'm thinking it because its enriched with calcium.

One thing I would say family and media are obsessed with that pregnant women eat so if it want Veganism it would be something else they would focus on.

That shoud have read
Tell your family to wind their necks in on that point.

Thanks! Nice to hear from you. Yes the midwives have been wonderful about it. Trying to be generous, the relatives just don't know any veggies and don't understand. I will raise it again when I see the midwife. In the meantime, I will keep munching the kale and just have to grin and bear it and say I will eat meat if advised, because I don't think anyone actually will advise this.

Thanks littlebairn. I will ask about vit b12 test. I am glugging down soya milk by the litre which has calcium and vit b12, and eating lots of fortified cereal, nutritional yeast etc... X

Most people I know who are vegan have a diet far better than anyone else, as they tend to be more mindful of eating a balanced diet.

I have always been a vegetarian, and so is dd, and we are both strapping healthy lasses! I was vegan for a time, but not during pregnancy, and I did have an hb low enough once to be refused to donate blood. However I think this was mainly due to heavy periods.

I think iron, vitamin b12 and calcium and vitamin d are what you have to be careful about, but there are ways to get them in your diet and you could take a supplement suitable for pregnancy.

As long as those things are covered there is absolutely no reason why you can't both stay healthy.

I am a doctor too fwiw!

Vee then I wouldn't worry about the B12 that much you probably have way more in your system than a meat eater.

Thanks guiltygirl! That's good to know. Lovely to hear the veggie experience from you all too.

Why are you worrying about this? If you are a committed vegan then I would hope it's because you have done your research and you believe it's possible to eat a complete, balanced, adequate diet based on all the food groups in the correct ratios (whatever you believe those to be) and still have optimum health.

If you really believe that it's perfectly achievable and the default way that human beings should eat, then the fact that you are pregnant should be neither here nor there.

If you are now having a wobble and are concerned that you should perhaps be eating differently for the wellbeing of your incubating foetus then perhaps you should rethink veganism as an ideology. You obviously have doubts about its ability to sustain a human being adequately.

Oh for goodness sake, DailyFail, pretty much every pregnant woman worries about some aspect of being pregnant! The OP is simply after some reassurance, and some suggestions for how to handle her irritating relatives. She sounds perfectly happy with her diet, and just wanted blood tests to prove to her relatives that she is eating well.

She is having trouble with her family going on at her to eat fish & meat, DailyFail, and looking for ways to get them to stop it.

It is distressing to have people you love going on at you that you are not doing it properly and you could be harming your baby, even when you know that you are fine, and so looking for ways to get them to accept it and shut up is perfectly reasonable.

I have no idea how you got what you did from her OP, which couldn't have been clearer.

OP TBH I don't think you are going to be able to "persuade" them though, I wouldn't start getting tests to try and make a point if they are set in their views then they aren't likely to change their minds.

I'd just change the subject when they start, or say I know what you think I don't want to discuss it, that sort of thing.

Is it close relatives, do you see them often?

I don't have doubts about the diet at all, thanks for backing me up csdw and pp. I am wobbling about keeping the relatives happy and trying to understand their perspective. If they had not said anything, I wouldn't be posting here!

been veggie my whole life and am trying to be vegan at the moment

when i was pregnant and veggie it wasn't an issue at all! My LO turned out fine.

I took the usual pregnancy supplements; and a DHA rich omega supplement too - you can get a vegan version - make sure it's got DHA in it; important for brain /eye development etc.

ignore anyone who says it's not a healthy diet - they are wrong. Provided you are getting balanced meals, all areas of the food groups, it's probably a damn sight healthier than eating animal products of any kind (have you read the China Study?).

I don't know enough about veganism and pregnancy but assume it's entirely possible to be a healthy vegan whilst PG

Do not compromise on what you believe in for other people; ignore their criticism - you can even refuse to enter into debate about it. Smile politely and ignore them!

Pilchard Princess, yes, the path of least resistance could be the right path. I see them every two months and speak to them quite often. I just wish they could understand ... Hence trying to prove things.

Thanks miss abc123. I do suffer from trying to please people too much. Will be trying to stand firm. It's just everyone seems to have a claim on you when you are preggers!

oh and one other thing that's really important is vitamin D supplement. I had anxiety for years and then found I was D deficient (apparently most people are, even non-veggies!). When I took a supplement my anxiety disappeared almost overnight.

In the UK it's impossible to get enough D from diet alone during the winter months (even as a meat eater I think), and even in summer you should probably supplement too if you're veggie/vegan.

Miss abc, thanks also for the info on omegas, will ask the midwife. I was having that weird oil before I was pregnant, Udos oil?

horrible everyone thinking they have a claim on you being PG, know what it's like. It seems to be that way for the first few months of baby's life too!! Smile and ignore. Go with your instinct. Also people will give you all sorts of conflicting advice, even midwives - if in any doubt about what they are saying, go with what you personally feel is right.

PS i'm not 100% sure what the score is on pregnancy and vit D so you should ensure you're not taking too high a dose!!

Not heard of Udos oil!

the vegan DHA is not cheap but the best deal I found is here
opti3omega.com/ - you can buy 3 for 2.

The DHA is the important part of Omega supplements and can only be obtained from Algae sources. Other non-algae veggie omega supplements (e.g. flax) don't contain it, so aren't really worth taking.

Noted on the vit D dose!

Hi,
Am nearly 36 weeks with my second vegan pregnancy, no issues whatsoever, all bloods back perfect.
Ignore the ignorant people telling you you need this or that. How long have you been vegan? I have been vegan quite some time so by the time I was pregnant with my first, people knew full well that I knew what I was doing.

I know three midwives, one is vegetarian, the other two are vegan! (And also, all three have chosen home births!)

Come join this group for people who know what it's like: www.facebook.com/groups/270959229775655/. One of the vegan midwives I know is in this group.

I'm not vegan but had hyperemesis twice so my diet in pregnancy was massively restricted. For a while I lived off ciabatta and granny smiths, next time it was ready salted crisps and pasta with grated cheese. So nowhere near as healthy and varied as a vegan diet and both babies were fine. I took vit d, b12 and folic acid but couldn't stomach any other vitamins or supplements. Everyone loves to have their say though - just tell them the midwives are happy with your diet and that's that.

Thanks absintheclub. Good to know. I have been vegan for only five months, so maybe that's why they're worried. The Facebook group looks great, but I'm not sure we will be raising the child vegan, so I will bear it in mind. I hope we will raise him or her vegetarian, at least.

thanks jelly dinosaurs, that's really interesting. Sorry to hear you had such trouble though.