Sayward Rebhal - Vegan Pregnancy Survival Guide

The Vegan Pregnancy Survival Guide. Copyright 2011 Sayward Rebhal

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews or articles.

Published by Herbivore Books.

www.bonzaiaphrodite.com

www.herbivoreclothing.com

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN 978-0-9801440-3-1

Cover and illustrations by Leslie R. Magee

First edition 2011

For all my many mothers, here and gone: Heidi, Shira, Barbara, and Lisa.

A huge and heartfelt thank you to

Matthew Ruscigno, MPH, RD, for lending your expertise in all things nutrition-related. This book wouldnt have been complete without your invaluable input and your professional blessing. Thank you!

And very special thanks to some amazing women Linda, Kim, Monika, Krysta, Leigh, Steph, Michelle, Angela, Katie, Lenn, and too many more to name. Thank you for your precious, priceless wisdom.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

Congratulations! Youre about to embark on a truly amazing journey, and Im just tickled that I get to be here to help you along. If this is your first pregnancy: welcome to the wildest ride youve known. If this is your first vegan pregnancy, well then hey there mama! Im so happy to see you here.

My Promise #1 - Things can get pretty complicated.

My Promise #2 - Its gonna be so much fun!

But it can also be pretty daunting. And crazy-makingand overwhelming. One of the best ways to maximize the fun and to minimize the madness, is to always stay a step ahead. The advice in this chapter is aimed at helping you to do just that. Its best to begin it before youre pregnant, but if thats not an option (Yay! Congrats!) just start as soon as youre able. Thats ASAP. The quicker you get this stuff taken care of, the smoother this wild ride will be. Buckle up.

Quit Smoking; Cut Down On Caffeine; Nix Toxic Foods

All your conventional pregnancy books will cover these important points, so Ill spare you the lecture and keep it brief.

1) Yes, please quit smoking - all the way! I was a smoker for 12+ years and I quit a year and a half before getting pregnant. It was the hardest thing Ive ever done. It took me an entire year to completely disentangle myself from cigarettes. But, now that Im on the other side I can assure you that its worth the work. Every second of soul-sucking suckiness was worth the freedom I get to feel now. It was definitely worth my peace of mind during pregnancy. But enough of that. You dont need me to tell you what you already know. Just get on it!

2) And now for some good news: caffeine is not, actually, The Devil. It certainly aint health food, but in true moderation it can have an appropriate place in pregnancy. I personally quit caffeine completely when I got pregnant. Cold Tofurkey. It caused a 3-day-long headache and then that was the end of that. But, if you just cant imagine going without, try to cut back to one dose a day.() Savor your morning ritual and make that single serving really, really good.

3) Food matters. Consider that this is something youre doing at least three times a day, every single day. It has to have an impact! Your good health is in your control; you have all the power. How cool is that? Well get into the nitty gritty of nutrition in the next chapter, but suffice it to say: cut the sugar and sugary drinks, cut the booze and processed foods, and cut the artificial everythings (sweeteners, colorings, flavors).

Start Your Prenatal Vitamins

Many women wait until theyre already cooking their bun, but the truth is that you need those extra nutrients before you )

Find A Veg-Friendly Prenatal Care Provider

Doctors are not dieticians, and unfortunately many of them have antiquated ideas about nutrition. The same is true of midwives. Youd think that the crunchier folk would be more open-minded, but alas when it comes to food, the hippies are often just as traditional. One of the women I interviewed had a naturopathic midwife give her a heartburn aid made from pigs stomach. In her own words, Ew.

So shop around, and make sure you find someone who supports a vegan lifestyle. They dont have to be an herbivore too, but they do have to be familiar with the basics of plant-based nutrition. Most importantly, make sure that they respect your decision to remain vegan. Pregnancy may put you into various vulnerable positions. You need to partner with somebody who you can trust, not somebody who would push red meat if your iron levels dipped. Trust me: do a little scouting now, and youll save yourself a ton of stress down the road.

Get Your Blood Work Done

Ignorance is not bliss! Knowing your numbers will ease the concerns of curious parties (and contribute to your own peace of mind). Its a simple blood draw to test your levels of various necessary nutrients, and insurance should cover the bulk of the cost. At minimum, your panel should include a test of B12, iron, and vitamin D status. Discuss all your testing options with a doctor or naturopath.

If your levels are normal you can flaunt them with confidence. If theyre on the low side thats okay too - now you know where youll need to put extra attention. Either way, its much better to be informed than to remain in the dark. Knowledge is power and in my experience, being able to say Nope, not worried! Ive been tested and my blood is beautiful, was priceless when facing skeptics.

Take A Picture

Your body is about to start morphing in a major way. So take a baseline body picture to reference in the coming months. Put on something skimpy and play supermodel! As your pregnancy unfolds, try to take regular photos of your changing form (I did it the first Wednesday of every month). Lining them all up ten months later offers some incredible visual impact!

CHAPTER 2

Darling, youre building a person! Theres no person thereand then, theres going to be a person there. That will never cease to blow my mind.

Of course, in order to make this magnificent human, your dietary requirements will change. This is true of carnists as much as it is of plant-eaters. Please rest assured: a vegan meal plan provides the full spectrum of nutrients that youll need to assemble your brand new being.() Your job is simply to ensure that youre getting enough of those nutrients -