Baby has Arrived!

My little princess has arrived. Iyana (pronounced ee - ana) was born September 20th at 11:45 a.m.. It was a natural birth and my baby (coming from a "pescavegan" womb), was 7lbs9oz. Iyana is healthy and alert with a full head of hair and chubby chipmunk cheeks. How's that for a veganish baby?

New Name

Since I'm no longer pregnant, I've changed the name of my blog to accommodate my new motherhood. So welcome to my new phase and follow me as I face new challenges. If I thought people would be judgmental about my diet while being pregnant, I had no idea what I was in for now that I'm breastfeeding.

Funniest thing I heard: "How can you produce good milk without cows milk?"

Let's stop and think about that one for a minute. We should ask the cows the same question. I'm sure if we spoke and understood cow, they would tell us that they just eat grass. Interesting isn't it.

Now, not only was my baby a healthy weight when she was born, but she's continue to put on weight well with my breast milk as I continue to stick to my diet.

As for myself, I'm still completely healthy and recovering at the same rate as any other mom. I've ventured out of the house the day after I gave birth and people were surprised at how well I looked. Even now almost a week later, I'm passing expectations. The only worry is my iron levels are slightly low but I believe that's due to the fact I had a small-mediumish hemorrhage a few hours after I gave birth.

So now, at the end of my pregnancy journey, I think I've proven, and I'm sure like many other green mamas have already, that you and baby can maintain good health during pregnancy while on a green diet.

I will try to post updates and tips as often as possible (in other words: as often as Iyana will allow me). I can't wait to start this journey of raising a green baby.

Click HERE for my full birth story.

Iron

Now I may not have the same problem as a vegan mother when it comes to iron because I still choose to eat fish, but people still tend to worry over how much of it I'm getting. Before I continue, I'd like to say my iron levels are great, better than meat eating moms even.

That said, there are two key things to keep in mind when worrying about iron, iron, iron.

1. What are the iron rich foods?
2. What will help my body absorb the iron?

Have good iron levels or stores isn't just about how much of it your pumping into your body, it's also about what will help your body absorb it.

Iron Rich Foods:

• Beans and Lentils
• Soy products
• Spinach
• Quinoa

...are a few examples. A quick search will shower you with all the options you have to enhance your diet with more IRONNNNN.

You see, the problem isn't finding vegan sources of iron. The real problem is that iron from plant based sources isn't absorbed by the body as well as the iron found in meat. Which brings us to what we can do to help the body absorb it.

Iron's Best Friend:

Vitamin C

It's that simple. Coupling iron with vitamin C will allow your body to get the most of what you eat.

So, iron isn't this mystical, unobtainable mineral for vegans as people would like to think. Keep in mind, a lot of vegan products are fortified with iron, along with other vitamins and minerals that meat eaters think we're lacking in.