Any vegetarians that ate meat once pregnant ?

[User1987654]

I'm a vegetarian but thinking I should eat meat once pregnant. I'm taking pregnacare conception vitamins and will continue with the pregnancy vitamins once preggars. I need to have regular b12 injections and due to being a fussy eater, my diet isn't balanced enough. I worry about brain development etc and think I'd be better off eating meat during the pregnancy.

Did any other vegetarians feel the same way? I have been a meat eater in the past, so eating meat won't bother me.

I stayed vegetarian throughout my pregnancy but I got a bottle of omega-3 oil and had a tablespoon every day either in a smoothy or as part of a salad dressing (mustn't be heated too hot so best not in hot food). Omega-3 oil doesn't have to be from fish - in fact the original research that showed it helps brain development used omega-3 from flax seed - it's just that fish have a more powerful marketing lobby than flax.

And yes my DS is very very brainy so I think it worked

Craved meat absolutely loads but stayed vegetarian. Ate a truck load of Linda McCartney mozzarella burgers though - soooo meaty. Properly sorted out the craving.

Phoebe didn't! (sorry, Friends fan here!)

Nope, and when they tested my iron levels she said it was the highest she'd seen in a long time! Though I put that down to feeling so nauseous all I could eat was cornflakes...

I took vegetarian omega-3 capsules too.

No, I couldn't have stomached meat or fish while I was pregnant.

Didn't seem to affect the babies - one 10lb 3, the other 10lb 6!

Why do you have injections? Are you already anaemic? Think sort that first through diet before pregnancy

I'm a veggie and didn't eat meat at all during pregnancy, I had low iron but nothing abit of veg couldn't sort, I now have a very healthy ( chunky ) 9 and a half month old who weighed 8lb 3oz at birth, it's a personal decision but there are loads of meat substitutes available if you don't want to eat meat hope this helps!

I'm vegetarian and haven't needed to eat eat in either of my pregnancies. I have taken pregnacare all of the way through but only because I didn't realise there was a vegetarian alternative.

Sorry to jump in to respond to pinkgeek! Phoebe ate meat during her pregnancy and made a deal with Joey that he would give it up for her!

I'm not a vegetarian and I've found I'm the opposite - I just can't face the idea of meat and fish at the moment. I thought it might be a first trimester thing but I'm 28 weeks now and it's not gone away!

fenella I'm the same! Was a staunch meat eater, and now it makes me gag. I've discovered so many amazing veggie meals- will continue to feature heavily once the baby is out.

no although I was craving cheeseburgers at one point lol

Ooh will need to look for the vegetarian omega 3 oils.
Itsbetterthanabox. Well last year I was feeling tired and thinking my iron was low but actually iron is fine. Apparently they should have gave me injections then for b12 but told me to take tablets. I had a test a few months ago for other things and b12 came up low again ( iron fine) and have been told I should stay on injections. I used to eat eggs all the time but due to stomach issues ( acid reflux)I have been feeling funny towards eggs ( could do with that) and also went through a period of not having multivitamins because of the A issue and forgetting to take pregnacare at my main meal. My thyriod is fine and so no real reason why I should be deficient other then cutting back eggs ( cows milk doesn't agree with me and we use veg marg) and having a period of not taking vitamins. Now back on vitamins. When they do a blood test next, my b12 might be okay again.

First pg I ate a chicken breasted because I thought I ought too. Threw it up, and barely stopped throwing up for 18 weeks. I had hyperemisis and have pondered whether this was triggered by eating meat. Once I was able to eat again, I ate whatever I felt like, and this never included meat. Second pg I also had hyperemisis, and craved tuna in the later weeks, which I did eat.

I know I several vegetarian mothers, and only one of them opted to eat meat during PG. AFAIK, all the DC are in normal health. So it's very much a personal choice.

Have you tried goat's milk? It's got a different structure and is reputed to be more digestible than cow. Might be worth a try, at least.

Marmite is high in B vitamins, and as think Floradix is OK for vegetarians and safe in PG and has useful ingredients.

I think a poor omnivore diet is just as much of a problem as a poor vegetarian diet

Thank you so much everyone. It's really put my mind at ease. I will stick to my vegetarian diet. :)