Dairy free pregnancy

[Myheadsfullofjam]

Hi everyone, I have just found out that I am pregnant with my third child. DC are 7 and 8. Since being pregnant the last times I have changed my diet and am almost entirely plant based. I'm not worried about my vitamins as I am careful to eat a balanced diet and have had my iron tested etc. However, I am worried that this may result in the baby being dairy intolerant. Does anyone have any knowledge on this? We are pretty much dairy free as a household but that is through choice and I wouldn't want to cause an allergy to my unborn baby. My mum has suggested adding dairy back into my diet for this reason but I am reluctant. Any thoughts or advice please? X

I don’t think you will pass lactose intolerant to your baby by eating a dairy free diet. I’m vegan and have discussed diet extensively with my midwife and she has never mentioned this as a possibility.

It’s worth mentioning that most people are lactose intolerant to some degree - just usually not enough to prevent them from eating it. So your baby may well end up lactose intolerant but that isn’t related to your diet in pregnancy.

You do need to make sure you’re getting all your vitamins and nutrients, so make sure you take a pregnancy supplement that includes b12. Your midwife will keep an eye on your iron levels. Lots of vegan foods (especially milk and cereals) are fortified with b12 and iron, but a supplement is helpful regardless.

Thanks @TheAquaticDuchess I appreciate your reply x

Both my daughters have cows milk allergy, with one pregnancy I ate vegan and the other I ate dairy. X

I had two healthy meat and dairy free pregnancies. They are 11 and 8, and super healthy, no allergies etc.

My husband and I are vegan too. Our son is 2 and a half and vegan his whole life. He is healthy and super smart (he has started reading words as we do Alphablocks phonics cards and books) but enough gushing from me hehe. We eat things sometimes that May Contain dairy due to potential contamination in factories using same equipment for many different products. So I'm sure we accidentally consume trace amounts. Sounds like your mum's worry hasn't been researched. Perhaps a dietitian with knowledge of plant based diets could advise?

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate the responses and am feeling reassured

I am mostly plant based myself but have halted my full transition to veganism until after I have given birth.
This because I was informed by a medical professional that vegans often have their babies prematurely. I don't know how true or accurate this is but have found some supporting articles online. I didn't want to take any chances as I have a Group B Strep infection which is more of a risk to my baby if she is born premature.

Completely limited to me and my two children so not representative in any way. With ds1 I had zero dairy, and actually very little food did to HG. He is diagnosed lactose intolerant and can't tolerate any dairy at all. He also has severe allergic reactions to two foods.

Ds2 the hg wasn't quite as bad and I had a bit of dairy, he's fine and has no food intolerances.

@TheAquaticDuchess lactose intolerance in different to being intolerant/allergic to dairy as lactose is the sugar and the other issues are caused by the cows milk protein.

I have family that follow a really religious Hindu diet which is vegan for 95% of the year (they only drink milk from their own cows for a few weeks every year!). All of the children have some kind of dairy allergy or intolerance as a minimum - most actually have very severe dairy and nut allergies (latter is really rare in India) which are next to impossible to control in Mumbai and so they are home educated. The specialists there suggested it had more to the mothers’ susceptibility to allergies rather than their vegan diet itself - so provided you are okay and don’t have ezcema / asthma / autoimmune conditions you should be okay.

I'm vegetarian & dairy free & have had 3 healthy pregnancies & none of my DC have any issues with dairy. They are standard vegetarian & not dairy free.

Beware of health visitors, they told me I wouldn't be able to breastfeed because of my (perfectly healthy) restricted diet. I fed all 3 dc for 9 - 10 months each with no bottles/formula top ups. Obviously that's your choice but it's perfectly possible.

Congrats on the pregnancy

Also my babies came at 10 days late, 2 days late & 1 day early. All in the low 8lbs. 1 has mild asthma but getting better with age. I have mild asthma & can't remember the last time I needed an inhaler.

Their percentiles are now 6th, 16th & 50th. Petite frames run in DH's family & larger run in mine so dc are pretty similar to their cousins etc.