Hi everyone, my partner and I are vegan and have a 4yr old who we are raising as vegetarian until she is old enough to decide for herself.
We are TTC again for our next child and this will be my first vegan pregnancy. I am scheduled for blood tests tomorrow to see how my levels are... but any tips before we fall?
Im taking Deva vegan prenatal multi vitamins too

Really excited to start this new journey!

I would make sure that I meet these requirements to begin with: http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/

 

I don't know if Deva prenatal includes folic acid (but I guess they do). Folic acid supplements before conception and during the first trimester decreases the risk of certain spinal deformities. In "Vegan for Her" i says that a omega 3 supplement from algae is a good idea to take during pregnancy. I recommend that book even though vegan pregnacy is only a section of the book itself. There are also other vegan pregnancy books out there.

 

I know that your iodine need increases during pregnancy and that both iodine and b12 is essential to the fetus' development so make sure you take supplements or eat fortified foods. Also eat a lot of iron rich foods.

 

(no I'm not pregnant or planning, but I find pregnancy facinating :)

I'll chime in later with more on vegan pregnancy but remember that during the conception stage your partner's health is just as important as yours. You can do everything perfectly but if your partner is sick or injured or has a genetic issue then you may not be able to conceive. People tend to think of infertility as a woman's thing but the reality is that over 1/3 of infertile couples are men's issues.

Here are some resources about vegan pregnancy and breastfeeding below. I can’t personally recommend all of them because I haven’t read all of them. But I hear good things about each of these:

Vegan Pregnancy Survival Guide by Sayward Rebhal

Skinny ***** Bun in the Oven by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book by Dr. Reed Mangels Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet by Dr. Michael Klaper

Vegan Pregnancy Cookbook by Lorena Novak Bull and Jolinda Hackett

The pregnancy section of Vegan For Life by Jack Norris and Virginia Messina

 

See more resources about vegan kids at: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/for-vegans-who-want-children/

I'm also looking forward to Alicia Silverstone's book about vegan pregnancy! It comes out in march 2014 I think and revolves around vegan pregnancy and motherhood. I like her.