Vegan Pregnancy, by Melanie Ballou, VLCE

Vegan since 2008, when I found out I was pregnant over a year ago I wasn’t concerned with “Is it possible to stay vegan while pregnant?” but more specifically “How am I going to do this right?” Early research into a healthy vegan pregnancy took me in two very different directions – either I needed to be hyper-vigilant about supplements, meal planning, nutrient intake and blood tests; or being vegan was a fertility and pregnancy superpower and I was destined to become a radiant beam of sunshine and forgo all the usual pregnancy ills. Neither sat well with my gut and it turns out that my pregnancy, like everyone else’s, was a personal experience and I needed to find a middle ground in the midst of conflicting and confusing information.

I started by taking my (vegan) vitamins diligently (a prenatal vitamin, calcium, iron, omega 3/DHA, and vitamin D), but nothing about my first trimester resembled sparkles and sunshine as I had hoped and had been semi-promised by the Internet it might be. I began with the best of intentions – I will feed this baby salad and beans and whole grains. I will continue my regular exercise. I will meditate. I will GLOW! Instead, I thought I was going to throw up, twenty-four hours a day, for four straight months. Sometimes I did. I couldn’t look at a green vegetable without turning green, so I lived off crackers and toast topped with jam, and fell asleep on the couch the minute I came home from work —  hardly the picture of the active and healthy vegan I thought I needed to be. Eventually, my appetite for vegetables returned and I was able to resume my regular eating habits – but with more midnight snacks (I got into a serious Daiya single serve yogurt habit), the addition of protein powder to my smoothies, and pre-natal yoga instead of long distance running.

Thankfully, my maternity clinic wasn’t concerned about a vegan pregnancy, birth, or baby, and gave the stamp of approval to my supplements and overall diet. I was even pleasantly surprised when my hospital trays were delivered and everything was vegan (don’t get too excited – it was still hospital food) . Now that my daughter is starting to eat solid foods – and by “eat” I mean mush on her head or throw on the floor – I feel as confident as I think I can be in growing a wee vegan eater, in a happy balance between worried that she might be lacking nutrients or energy and the grandiose expectations of superhuman immunity and perfect health. My pregnancy had required more realistic physical expectations and that was okay – it is probably not the time that most of us are feeling like energetic activists. It is okay to find what works for you during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period – whether it is meals, exercise, or other habits. Our honesty about our experiences is our best tool to spread the message that veganism is for everybody.

As a community, I am wary of the fact that we often promise too much from a change in our diets, that becoming or already being vegan will make everything in our lives run more smoothly. Though veganism and whole-foods-plant-based eating has undoubtedly helped many people achieve their health goals, at the end of the day I know it can really only fulfill one promise: my participation in the reduction of harm to animals — which, when I think about it, is still a pretty big and awesome example to pass on to our daughter.

Vegan Pregnancy/Baby Resources
These are simply some suggested resources that I found helpful, but take and leave the information that is most useful to YOU!

Books:
The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book – Reed Mangels
Vegan Pregnancy Survival Guide by Sayward Rebhal (MSVA Alumni)
Plant-Powered Families – Dreena Burton

Blogs and Websites:
https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/life-stages/pregnancy-and-breastfeeding
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/veganpregnancy.php
http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/vegetarian-diets-for-pregnancy
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/
http://ohsheglows.com/2014/05/05/my-prenatal-supplements/
http://ohsheglows.com/2014/05/07/sample-high-protein-vegan-menu/
https://www.blissfulbasil.com/pregnancy/
https://dreenaburton.com/

Melanie Ballou graduated from the Main Street Vegan Academy in August 2015. She is a secondary teacher in Vancouver, B.C. and author of the blog Honest Beans (http://honestbeans.com/), though she is taking a hiatus from both for maternity leave. She enjoys time spent with her family, hiking, yoga, and cooking and baking all kinds of wonderful vegan foods. You can connect with Melanie on Instagram @Honestbeans (https://www.instagram.com/honestbeans/).