Why Babies Appreciate Their Vegan Mamas

It's no news that people question my dietary choices. People accused me of caring only for myself and not for my unborn baby and now my baby. I'm not providing enough calcium, iron, protein, and so on. Now of course, being vegan the right way is hard enough on it's own. Yes, it becomes a lot harder when a child is involved  but if it's done responsibly, I believe vegan mamas can raise healthy, environmentally friendly people.

The Benefits of Having a Vegan Mama

1. Baby doesn't have to find out if dairy makes him gassy and/or colicky: How many mothers do you hear have to give up dairy because it makes their baby gassy or colicky? Plenty. That says a lot about the "benefits" of dairy doesn't it. ;)
2. Baby's mom is more energetic: being vegan allows your body to be more efficient. It spends less energy on digesting foods it was never meant to digest and leaves more energy for you. Logically, this helps out considering sleep becomes a luxury. 
3. Baby wont be exposed to hormones and antibiotics: Livestock, whether eaten or milked, are pumped full of hormones to grow or lactate faster. Then, they are pumped full of antibiotics because they live in poor conditions so that disease is rampant. Everything is left behind in the meat and meat products that are consumed. All this gets passed along to us.
4. Baby has a nutritionally conscious mom: Being vegan doesn't equal being healthy. Being vegan and not getting sick requires diligence and responsibility, forcing you to make better food choices. McDonald's french fries are vegan right? Because two major food groups have been cut you do need to make the most out of your food. This knowledge and habit get's passed along to your child.
5. Baby's mom is more environmentally friendly: I could write a book about the environmental benefits, but this is a blog, not book. In general, livestock are bread to massive, unnatural numbers. This affects soil from grazing, more water is used, more emissions are created, forests are cut down, and the list goes on. (Maybe I'll write a post dedicated to the environmental benefits sometime in the near future.) Baby can be proud of having a smaller carbon footprint.
6. Baby is a better start in life: This sort of ties in with baby learning to make better food choices. Breast is Best! as it gives children a good start. How about we continue that thought on through toddlerhood. By avoiding meat and meat products, baby's digestive system will be able to continue on its efficient way. Baby will consume less cancerous foods and food that hinders the body's efficiency.

It's always great to raise a vegan but remember, it is not a joke when cutting out two major food groups society has relied heavily on. A child's body is still growing and developing so it is important to make sure he/she get's everything he/she needs from green sources and to supplement for vitamins and nutrients you can't get in a plant based diet.

Side Note: If you haven't read my earlier posts or didn't get the hint from my name :P, I do still eat fish and other seafood. It is the only non-vegan food I consume. Here's WHY, if you're interested. Based on my research (my general finding are in the post I've linked), fish is a healthy choice to use as a source of protein, iron, and the omegas. It's a great food to keep in your diet IMHO ;).

Obstetrician/Doctor vs. Midwife: From A Vegan's Point of View

Now I'm not sure how it is in other provinces, but in Ontario, midwives are covered by OHIP. Which is nice because it gives moms-to-be options.

The Doctor


Before I say anything, doctors these days are generally more open minded about the holistic approach to health. I find where you live can largely impact just how many doctors think this way. Keep in mind I don't live in a rural area but definitely don't live in a city like Vancouver or Toronto.

My first prenatal appointment was with a nurse practitioner at my clinic and it was a train wreck. I had just had my pregnancy confirmed earlier that week and was still excited and some what in disbelief, that I was actually pregnant. I cried, I laughed and I cried some more when I found out. Not knowing how everything worked, I walked through the first few steps laid in front of me by my clinic.

They booked me in for my prenatal appointment after confirming the pregnancy. I went to that appointment and was asked a gazillion questions about family history and my lifestyle. I was handed a bunch of requisitions that weren't quite explained to me and handed over a couple vials of my blood.

It all seemed so...clinical. It didn't feel like the most amazing thing in my life was happening to me. It felt more like I had a disease that needed to be monitored instead. What was worse, the nurse threw this obscene statistic in my face that 50% of pregnancies end in miscarriage! So now, I was giving my blood for God knows what tests and I was an emotional wreck because this woman put it in my head, that keeping this baby was a fifty/fifty chance.

I was around seven and half weeks pregnant when this happened, and the next few weeks after were probably the darkest weeks in my life. I feared every cramp and would check my panties for spotting every few hours. Looking back, that woman must have been one bitter b**** to say something like that to me.

Some may say she may have felt she was just doing her job but I made it clear that I WANTED this baby. The stress I went through from the fear in no way benefited me. What's worse, what she said wasn't even completely true. The statistic included unknown and chemical pregnancies, pregnancies in women over forty, etc. This number included every situation possible; situations that didn't apply to me. This is something I didn't know then and would have been nice to be included with the number she whipped at me.

*Side Note* Don't rely on Google too much for answers. People are motivated to share the stories with bad endings, not good ones. So you'll find a lot of what went wrong rather than right. Avoid the stress and always ask your doctor or midwife if you have any concerns. It'll save you the heart ache and worry. Stressing yourself is bad for you and your baby so avoid it!

The Midwife


Around two weeks after that nightmare appointment and about a week after finding out there was another option, I decided to start hunting for a midwife. Most clinics were booked in my city for my due date (reassuring but also frustrating). I had called the last option that was half an hour outside of town and I got the same answer, "We can put you on a waiting list."


I gave up and decided I would stick with the bitter nurse practitioner and wait and hope. An hour later, I got a call back from my last hope and was told they could, and would take me. I was nervous about switching but I felt it in my bones that I would regret it if I didn't.


My first appointment was night and day compared to my previous experience. The clinic was comfortable and no where near as clinical. The rooms where you meet with the midwife were set up almost like a living room. The first thing that was given to me was a folder filled with information on midwifery, pregnancy, and support numbers. I was walked through their philosophy and any tests I hadn't taken at that point were explained to me and thoroughly discussed with me so that I could understand what they were for. What was great was that I was told, that in the end, I was the ultimate decision maker.


Nothing is rushed, every one gets to know you and you get to know them. What I loved most is that I was told that "Pregnancy is a state of health." Sounds a lot less like the disease I was starting to feel I had after my first experience.


Bonus: You can't just page or call up your doctor when you have a concern. With a midwife, you have your midwife and the midwives in the clinic there to speak to you whenever you have a question or concern. I have my midwife's pager number. Do you have your doctor's?


In the End


My experience with the nurse practitioner may be an isolated case as I'm sure there are lots of doctors who are more personable and have better people skills. Still, midwives devote their health care profession to pregnancy and child birth. My advice is to give them both a try. As a "Pescatarian," I find they are more open to holistic medicine (midwifery is a holistic alternative in itself after all).
When I explained my dietary choices to the nurse she sort of just rolled her eyes, sighed and said she would have to set me up with a nutritionist. When I explained it to my midwife, she understood and stressed the importance of monitoring my diet. Two completely different attitudes. One being more supportive, the other more skeptical and exasperated with my choice. At my midwife clinic, I am respected as a decision maker and not just another patient who knows nothing. And I must say, it's kinda nice.


My advice is to give both a chance to see what's best for you. Just be careful, you can't see both at the same time. At least in Ontario, OHIP will only cover one primary care provider.

Why I'm Vegan and Choose to Stay Vegan

First I wanted to clarify how vegan I am. It's hard to say what category I fall into because I'm not quite vegetarian either. Some will call me a pescatarian (yes that word doesn't exist so maybe when it's put in the dictionary I'll get some credit), and some will say I'm none of the above. I don't eat land animals or their products such as dairy, eggs, broth, etc. but I do eat fish.

And this is why.

I read the book The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone, which I would recommend to anyone who is or isn't vegan. This book changed my life. Her arguments aren't only for the animals but for your health and the environment. I wouldn't even call it an argumentative book. Not once does she say "you should become vegan because..." Silverstone neatly presents the facts for you to interpret on your own. It's not just another celebrity book. She put a lot of effort, thought and care into it because it is a cause/topic she is passionate about.

The book unveils the misconceptions about meat and meat products. It is hard to have to turn around and try to believe that everything you learned in school, about the damned food groups, and everything your parents taught you was not quite true. The scary truth about meat and meat products is overwhelming. I've even had arguments with my husband about it because he believed milk and meat is good for you. Why? Because it just is. Meaning it's just what we were conditioned to know. Every time some one asks me "Why?" and I start off with, "Well do you know what milk does to you?" I get shut down. I'm told they don't want to hear about it or what ever I learned is not true. No one wants to hear the truth or to challenge what they thought was true their whole lives.

So back to why I still eat fish? Well that's because there really isn't anything bad about it. The only downside to eating seafood in general is the high cholesterol found in some species and the high amounts of mercury (our fault, not the fish) they contain. If you include farmed fish then the high amounts of antibiotics is something to think about as well.

By choosing to still eat fish, I've mostly eliminated canned and farmed fish. I don't eat it often, maybe once a week or every two weeks. Sometimes I'll go much longer than that. There are times when I'll eat it more often because of the holidays but it's something that's been reduced in my diet along with the elimination of all other living things and their products.

Why do this?

I like animals, but I don't love them enough to not eat them. I love chicken and I miss it everyday. I do this for my health. I'm asthmatic and suffer from mild depression. Through the book, and testimonials, I learned that a lot of health problems decrease or are eliminated by taking on a vegan diet. Here's my testimonial.

I became vegan-ish (took that term, which she uses for her husband, from Kathy Freston who wrote the Veganist) on January 1st 2010. It was my New Year's resolution. About two months into it, I saw a dramatic improvement with my asthma. I took absolutely no medication and my asthma was controlled. By the end of February, I had enough energy and motivation to start exercising on top of my new diet. By the end of May, I had gone from 190 lbs to 145 lbs. I was a lot happier, felt lighter, and most of all healthier all around.

When spring time hit, I had to start taking my asthma medication again as it was triggered by my allergies. By August, I got discouraged and went back to a regular diet. That was the biggest mistake of my life. I felt heavy and sluggish. I didn't realize it until then, that even though my asthma had come back, it was no where near as bad as it could have been. Not even two weeks after returning to my previous diet, I went from using just my controller medication to using my quick relief medication at least one to three times a day as well. Once I returned to my "Vegan-ish" diet, my asthma was back to being under control. When snow fell and and allergy season was over, I didn't have to take any medication at all again.

Why I choose to stay Vegan....ish?

For two reasons. 

One: After only a half a year being on the diet, going back was harsh on my body. It hit me hard. I was sick, my digestive system was thrown off, and my health went from great to terrible. It put my body through a terrible shock even though I eased myself back into a regular diet slowly.

Two: I'd rather put extra work into getting calcium, iron, and protein than to do it the easy way and have to take loads of asthma medication. By being vegan-ish, I'm decreasing the amount of medication going into my body hence, lowering the amount my baby is being exposed to. What's worse, medication or my diet? You tell me.

So for everyone who continues to question or doubt me, think twice before being closed minded. I do what I feel is best and I'm doing it with the guidance of health care professionals. Meat and dairy isn't everything. They may have some good in them but they have a lot more bad.