A pregnant friend, and me with my non-existant vegan bump!!
Having been married for exactly 141 days now, I have also been on the ever-so-annoying ‘bump watch’ for about 140 days. (I ate a freakin’ sandwich people and I am ‘glowing’ from walking up some damn stairs!)
Besides being on ‘bump watch’, I have been asked repeatedly about what I am going to eat when I’m pregnant with my currently non-existent baby. My answer is always that I will stay vegan! Of course I will do research on the proper nutrition that is needed when you’re eating for two, but I have never in my life felt better than when I’m eating vegan. So why wouldn’t I want to be my best self if I’m growing a mini-me?
Despite my best efforts, these conversations tend to get a little hostile since the person asking my about reproductive plans usually expresses doubt about having a ‘vegan baby’. It’s like I’m expected to have done the research on vegan pregnancy even though I’m not pregnant.*
Ok, I’m getting a little worked up here, and you’re just an innocent reader! Apologies; I obviously have some built-up aggression on the topic, but you can feel my pain, right?
And so you might imagine (correctly!) that I felt a little vindicated when I saw that Huffington Post not only included ‘faux meat’ in their Top Food Trends for 2013 but they also included ‘vegan babies’!
In recent years there have been more and more resources on vegan pregnancy, and on raising vegan children – with increasing statistics showing the value in both.
Studies have shown that vegan children are less likely to get runny noses, infections, and inflammations. Some studies have even suggested that vegan children have lower hypertension. However, I realize that whatever the diet, parents should do some research to ensure that their children are getting adequate nutrition.
But I also realize that I will need to be prepared. Mothers can be a judgmental group - just check out the comments section of any ‘Mom’ blog like the one referenced in this article that has moms labeling vegan parents raising vegan babies as ‘criminal’.
But I think we vegans can be just as bad, even if we don’t like to admit it. (Picture your face when you see someone walking past you on the street in an enormous fur coat….see?)
I’m getting a bit off track. My point is this: No, I am not pregnant, so please don’t assume that when I wolf down fajitas. Yes, I will be having a vegan baby because we live in a beautiful free country. And yes, my baby will still be vegan if I breast feed. (This is like the ‘where do you get your protein?’ question of the vegan pregnancy world). And to all you current and future mothers, bring on your judgments because I’ll probably be too tired care.
*As of this blog going to print, Lindsay is Vegan confirmed that she is pregnant- just kidding!
Lindsay is a vegan in Vancouver who spends her time cooking, drinking soy lattes, and writing about our relationship with animals. 
