2007-09-06 09:57:01 · 21 answers · asked by shaina k 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
Do about what exactly?
Hopefully, you are of sound enough mind to begin visiting an obstetrician and follow the guidelines set forth by her/him for your dietary needs and how to balance them with the nutritional requirements of a growing baby. If you haven't started doing so, you really should, don't put that baby at any risks of diseases or malformations due to substitutes in your diet. The baby comes first. If you haven't figured that out already, you know now. Your needs are not important any more, everything you will do for at least the next 18 years will be for that child. Good luck and congratulations.
2007-09-06 10:08:09 · answer #1 · answered by Hot Coco Puff 7 · 5⤊ 1⤋
As others have said, it is important to see a nutritionist and to find an obstetrician who is familiar with your diet. There is no reason that you cannot have a perfectly normal pregnancy on a vegan diet, but there are some things, significantly B vitamins and probably calcium and iron, that it will be even more important for you to supplement.
If you are truly vegan--no animal products of any kind--then you probably don't get any B12 in your diet. Your baby needs this vitamin and can only get it from you, so you need to make sure you're getting it, and continue to do so after the birth if you're breast-feeding. There are lots of other nutrients you'll have to make sure to get enough of, but the doctor or nutritionist can help you with the specifics.
Congratulations!
2007-09-06 10:16:09 · answer #2 · answered by Marie 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are lots of books out there, one of my favorites is "raising vegan children in a non-vegan world" it explains a lot of the nutrition necessary. Also (from personal experience) don't let ANYONE, not even your doctor, harass you into compromising your beliefs. There are THOUSANDS of children who were vegan from conception who can vouch that a healthy vegan pregnancy is possible. Also, I would talk to a dietician or nutritionist before going to see your doctor, I've read that most docotors have less than five hours of nutrition their entire time in med school!
2007-09-09 19:10:58 · answer #3 · answered by Elizabeth J 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should make sure to eat around 2300 calories a day and get all your food groups in the same way you did before you were pregnant.
If you weren't good about getting all your protein before, now is the time to start doing it. There are lots of vegetarian forms of protein and calcium, as I'm sure you know.
Like all pregnant women, you should also start taking a prenatal vitamin. You might want to be extra sure you get one with a good amount of calcium in it, since you don't do dairy.
Your needs while pregnant are no different than anyone else's. You just get your nutrients from less common forms. It was the same case before you got pregnant.
Good luck and congrats!
2007-09-06 10:20:42 · answer #4 · answered by kittiesandsparklelythings 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well, the vegans I know are pretty knowledgable on the foods that they consume because you need to make sure of all the vitamins and minerals you need. So, you need to amp it up a bit. Take the prenatal vitamins...otherwise, you should know what to do. Good Luck!
2007-09-06 10:14:51 · answer #5 · answered by Roz 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would talk to your doctor about meeting with a nutritionist. It's so important to make sure you're getting a balanced diet. Prenatal vitamins are important, but even more important is being well-nourished. Being a vegan, you will have to be diligent in making sure you're getting complete proteins and enough healthy fat in your diet to support fetal development. Folic acid shouldn't be too hard to incorporate, since it's present in so many veggies.
2007-09-06 10:08:07 · answer #6 · answered by Evin 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This would be a great issue to talk with your doctor about. I would assume you might need some extra supplements on top of your prenatal. Make sure to get plenty of protein, iron, and calcium from food sources as they always absorb better than supplements.
This might help some.
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/veganpregnancy.htm
For those who asked a vegan is a person that does not eat animal products(meat, milk, cheese, eggs......).
2007-09-06 10:06:52 · answer #7 · answered by Melissa S 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
check out websites or your local natural store to find out options. do you eat nuts? I'm not a vegan but I understand the only concern is getting enough protien. other than that you probley dont have to modify you diet much. oh and PRENATAL VITAMINS!
2007-09-06 10:13:05 · answer #8 · answered by garynandra 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i guess the only thing really to do is consult with a dietician and perhaps they can give u the best advice on what sort of foods may make ur baby stronger or what vitamins u need
good luck
2007-09-06 10:33:06 · answer #9 · answered by mummy of 2gorgeous boys 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Vegan, ok, no animal anything...hmm...Definitely take your prenatal vitamins and talk to your Doctor.
2007-09-06 10:01:14 · answer #10 · answered by violet_selky 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋