i'm interested in the good or bad impact of a vegan or vegetarian diet during pregnancy. for those of you who are raising vegan or vegetarian children, this topic must have been considered. also, what is your doctor's opinion on thise. furthermore, what are the pros vs cons for such a diet during pregnancy? comments are welcome.

there's lots of informtaion out there if you do a quick search on the variosu vegetarian web sites such as vegetarian research group and what not.



some doctors are supportive, others are not. but it's like this with everything.

The important part is eating a wide variety of food, getting all of your nutrients, consuming vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and having lots of water. You don't need meat, dairy or eggs to make babies, fortunately. Just take good care of yourself, and make sure you know all the nutrients you need and their sources.

there are people on here that have had vegan pregnancies. just learn a lot about nutrition--as anyone should with pregnancy IMO. no prob with it as long as nutrients are being met which is not hard. i was not vegan while pregnant but if i chose to have more kids i would be and very easily so. my kids have been vegan since 3 and no probs there either---i wish i had been vegan thru pregnancy and them for their whole lives. good luck!!

I wasn't vegan through my pregnancy, I started off ovo-vegetarian and fell into a lacto-ovo state which i now regret. Basically, you can start off with the best intentions to eat well and the first trimester can knock you for six... I had horrendous nausea and eating was a battle, so I found myself eating junk food... and then stuck in a food court with rising nausea I ended up having to eat something with dairy as there was nothing else I could eat that didn't have meat. I really believe this contributed to my bub's early reflux, she was sensitive to the dairy.



It is much healthier for your baby if you do not consume dairy while pregnant. It is easy enough to not eat meat while pregnant (you may find your haemoglobin decreases, thus making you borderline anaemic, but this is usual even for meateaters and most pregnant women supplement their iron intake anyway). Eggs and honey are unnecessary too, so no problems there! Make sure you're getting enough ALAs (omega-3s) for brain development. There is contention over whether flaxseed can actually increase DHA levels or not... I'm no expert, you'd have to make up your own mind on that one.



My B12 levels also dropped, that may also be a supplement that is needed. My midwife was supportive of my diet, though I think she would have preferred if I ate fish. But as long as you eat a healthy vegan diet I think it is better than the average pregnant omni's diet, which largely consists of fried takeout and icecream LOL.

can you explain this statement please? i'm lacto-ovo (cutting down on dairy) and planning on being preg soon so i would like to hear more...

I had a completely vegan pregnancy, carrying twins and working full-time plus a 40-mile a day commute and I worked up to 2 days before giving birth at 36 weeks (twins often come early). My obstetrician predicted I'd be on bedrest by my 16th week or so because of carrying twins and being overweight to begin with yet every week, he'd just shake his head and tell me how great the babies and I were doing. I have no proof, of course, but my belief is that if I was not vegan during my pregnancy, his prediction would have come true. My 20-month old vegan twins are doing great! Very healthy, active and happy.





marina 13: dairy contains growth hormones, antibiotics, pus and other nasties. I certainly would not have wanted to have exposed by unborn children to those items and I doubt it would have been good for them. Plus, globally, 80-90% of the world is lactose intolerant though many people don't know it or ignore the symptoms. Pregnancy already takes a toll on the body, I don't think adding extra stress on the body is such a great idea.

yes, i consider all that "common knowledge", i just wanted to make sure that i wasn't missing some information

I am 23 weeks pregnant and have been vegan for the past two years and veggie a lot longer. My OB says I am perfectly healthy, the baby is perfectly healthy and the right size and weight for her age.



I never even considered eating dairy during this pregnancy. I don't think I could even though I did crave cheese a few times which was seriously wierd.



I eat a huge range of foods and also take a pregnancy supplement/multivitamin which has plenty of calcium, B12 and all the other stuff they like you to take.



Pros: Not comprimising my beliefs. Continuing to choose compassionate living when I have the choice, a healthy vegan baby growing inside me



Cons: None I can see as long as you are healthy.



Best of luck!