22/03/2021
This belly is growing! Just wanted to share a little bit about how my pregnancy journey has been so far... I’ve been so fortunate to have had a pretty rad, healthy and peaceful experience thus far. I’m feeling good and enjoying the process- which is such a blessing because I know many women who have have had experiences all over the spectrum.
Before getting pregnant I thought for sure during pregnancy I would be 100% on top of my diet and fitness. I thought I would avoid sugar at all costs, keep up my exercise routine and eat all Alkaline all the time. Well that didn’t exactly happen. Being pregnant is WORK. I started with no appetite for anything except fruit, then to a flow blown- I just want to eat all my nostalgic type foods, to normal balanced eating (but with a real good appetite 😉.)
Throughout my pregnancy, the most difficult thing regarding my diet has been simply NOT wanting to cook or be in the kitchen most days. I’ve been drawn to real simple dishes that were my go-to meals when I first transitioned my diet: garbanzo omelettes, soups, salads and the occasional pasta dish. While I’ve been eating healthy foods, taking my herbs and drinking lots of water two issues have risen late in my pregnancy: 1st- low iron (now fixed with plant iron supplement) 2nd- low platelet count (which may need to just catch up.) *Both of these issues are not uncommon in pregnancy with either a vegan or non-vegan diet.
When I first found out my iron dropped to very anemic levels I cried. Feeling guilty that maybe I wasn’t doing a good job in nourishing my body and baby. Scared that if I couldn’t get the levels up, that I would have to change my ideal birth situation of not giving birth in a hospital. And just feeling bummed to receive “bad news” in general. I’ve been so focused on being positive and staying in the mindset that everything is going to be just fine, that honestly I was a little thrown... people ask me what my birth plan is and I’m just taking a “do what I gotta do” approach. And I’ve definitely had to deal with people interjecting their views on staying vegan during/ after pregnancy- telling me it’s “not safe”, “the baby won’t get big enough”, (cont. ⬇️)
