Vegetarian mum-to-be

[sel2223]

I've been vegetarian for over 10 years.

I'm 5+2 and have recently been having a bit of a debate with my partner (who is not a vegetarian) about this as he wants me to start eating meat for the duration of the pregnancy. He thinks I'll be depriving the baby of certain nutrients and it's selfish of me not to give the baby a varied diet with everything it might need.

What do you think? Is he right? Should I start eating meat again? Not sure I could stomach red meat but i'd probably be ok with chicken or white fish if I thought it would be good for our baby.

I was vegetarian through both my pregnancies and both children were born full term above average weight. As long as you eat a healthy diet you should be fine. His thinking is a little out of date.

As long as you ensure you’re getting a good dose of protein and iron (along with a general varied diet) then there’s no issue with a vegetarian diet.

I was vegetarian before I got pregnant ... baby had other ideas as I’m now eating meat due to craving steak and chicken 😂 that happened at about 11 weeks!

I think as long as you are a healthy vegetarian eating a variety of protein sources, vegetables, etc etc its fine. If you are vegetarian who just eats tomato pasta and some cheese probably lacking somewhat.

But same can be said for meat eaters tbh

We had Vegans in our NCT, they had an easy pregnancy and have a lovely chunky healthy baby.
As long as your diet is good and you take the supplements then no need to eat meat.

I was pescatarian before I fell pregnant and craved chicken so so much I now eat it, usually just once a week or so. I just tell myself as soon as babies (twins - they clearly love their protein!!) are here I can revert right back. I do eat fish anyway but just one or two portions a week.

I only say this however to make you not feel guilty if you do go for it, or find you crave it - it’s only for a few months. That said, as others have mentioned it’s perfectly fine to have a very healthy veggie pregnancy - just keep a close eye on protein and iron sources (I was getting very very tired so now have loads of pulses, spinach, usually in stews etc).

Congrats and good luck!

I was vegetarian when I got pregnant with DS1.

Once my morning sickness finishes I lived off steak and burgers

It's just what my body craved.

See how it goes.

Your partner is talking rubbish. As long as you're not eating just cheese sandwiches and pasta then you crack on. You're probably eating more healthily than him!

You really don't need to start eating meat just because you're pregnant!
The midwives here (not UK) were beside themselves when they found out I didn't eat meat. The blood tests came back with excellent iron levels - I eat a lot of leafy green vegetables.
They also panicked that I didn't eat enough bread.

Much of the worlds population eat little or no meat. Its not automatically a problem. I had a veggie friend with much better iron levels than me when pregnant.

I was a vegetarian for all my pregnancies and it didn't affect my babies at all. Your boyfriend is wrong in his thinking.

I’m vegetarian & don’t eat much dairy due to intolerance. I’ve had 3 babies
1 - 6lbs 2 but I had sepsis during third trimester
2 - 8lbs 2
3 6lbs 11.

All born around 38 weeks & healthy, midwives didn’t even know I was vegetarian.

Take pregnancy multivitamins & iron.
Eat a fortified cereal daily & you’ll be fine. I didn’t even need to take iron as I was inhaling Rice Krispies which are fortified.

Your boyfriend doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
I know meat eaters who are on terrible diets & now struggle to give their kids healthy food as they don’t eat it themselves.

Yes, your partner is ignorant and talking non-sense. You can have a very healthy vegetarian diet. My one recommendation would be to supplement with the Omega 3 from microalgae as it's rich in DHA unlike other plant sources.

I've been vegetarian all my life, only problem Ive had with pregnancies is low iron which Ive been given iron supplements for. Your mw will take blood at your booking appointment and tell you if you need it. Honestly meat eaters think the world evolves round meat!

I’m veggie and at almost 35 weeks all is going well and iron etc normal.

I had quite bad morning sickness which wiped me out and once that had gone I really craved meat. Had a roast in the pub and a mcdonalds cheeseburger (i know, I know) shortly after, but was quickly back to full health and energy and being a veggie.

If I ever fancied meat I would definitely eat it - I think your body does tell you what you need - and I’ve definitely eaten more dairy than usual.

I'm a vegetarian and remained vegetarian during pregnancy. We are raising our daughter vegetarian, and she's 5 now. She's very healthy. I did have to take iron supplements during pregnancy, but that's no big deal. If you need them, take the slow release ones as they're less likely to cause constipation.

He’s an idiot and a bully. It’s your body and you put into it what you want. Millions of vegetarian women have babies all over the works with no issues at all.

Concerning he’s being so horrible to you, you’re not selfish at all and he’s being bang out of order. I hope this isn’t a sign of his behaviour becoming controlling towards you at a vulnerable time.

I've been vegetarian since birth (raised vegetarian by my parents) and am currently on the final stretch of my second pregnancy, all my pregnancy blood tests came back fine and I am generally pretty healthy - no deficiencies etc. I have never heard from a medical professional that a vegetarian diet is in any way harmful to a developing baby, and as far as I understand the only vitamins/nutrients which are harder for vegetarians to get are some of the B vitamins (particularly B12 - which is in marmite if you can stomach it).

A diet which includes meat has just as much potential to be unhealthy, but although its obviously good to eat a varied diet during pregnancy (and any time!) I wouldn't get too caught up in it. During the first trimester with DC1 I was so nauseous all I could eat was really small amounts of MacDonald's fries and plain Mcflurrys, I lost quite a bit of weight and was worried baby wasn't getting enough nutrients but blood tests all came back fine with above average levels of iron - midwife said you have enough nutrients stored that the baby will just leech them regardless of what you are eating at the time.

You might find nausea/MS kicks in shortly, in which case jthe meat decision will probably be based more on whether you can stomach it!

I am veggie (well with a little fish). Often eat vegan as my Dh is. No problems at all. I have been eating a bit more fish than usual for my own peace of mind really. Was open to the idea of eating meat only if my body really craved it as I think we should listen to our bodies.
Around 12 weeks (my only craving, now 28 weeks) I had 2 days craving lamb chops. Was weird. Figured it was the iron, so ate lots of veggie iron things like leafy greens. Craving went and never came back. Don’t expect to eat any meat now!

How ridiculous of him. A quick Google will prove him wrong!

If been veggie for around 8 months before falling pregnant.

Unfortunately I had low iron and was fatigued and my gp recommended introducing meat into my diet again. I'm now 6 weeks post partum and planning to phase out meat again as iron levels are now normal.

To be honest I was craving meat so was happy to oblige but I don't doubt I'd have been able to avoid meat if I'd really wanted to.

Listen to your body. I would if you have been veggie for a long time, the last thing your digestive system needs during pregnancy is a big change in diet.

Eat what feels good and supplement if you think you need to

I was vegetarian, well almost vegan for the duration of my pregnancy. We had a healthy baby. I did make sure I was taking good vitamins as I was pretty nauseous and not eating that well in the beginning.

I've been veggie for over 20 years and currently 22 weeks pregnant. Haven't had any cravings for meat, doctor has run all the bloods and I'm fine (in fact she was amazed how healthy they all were - way better than average, and I'm not a gym freak or anything).

If you're a long time veggie you know to be sensible, know what you need in your meals and so you'll be fine without supplementing your meals with meat.

Worth noting that I had awful sickness so from weeks 6-14 I ate mostly mash and beans, and we're both still fine!

Don't worry about it - stick with your normal diet and you'll be fine

Also worth mentioning that most of India is vegetarian so people have been having vegetarian pregnancies for hundreds of years - it's nothing new

Thank you for all the responses ladies, it's much appreciated.
I think I'll just stick to my normal (fairly healthy) diet but will listen to my body if it starts telling me any different.
I think it's my MIL putting crazy thoughts into his head to be honest!