It’s funny how life can change in the blink of an eye. Seriously. I get things figured out, and the next thing I know it, I’m taking a dip down the roller coaster so fast, I can hardly keep my head.
I was on my long term health plan and feeling good about it. I was enjoying it and learning so much… then one day, things changed. I didn’t think they would, but they did.
I found out I was…am pregnant. I decided right when I found out that I was going to plug along at my vegan diet throughout the pregnancy. Many people gave me an ‘eyebrow raised’ kind of look at the mention of that…but it would have been just fine to continue. For the first few months, I tried my best. The irony was, I just wasn’t feeling good. After a while, the ginormous salads, platters of fruit, and smoothies were making me nauseous. Seriously. I finally got to the point, where if I drank a smoothie, it would wind up down the toilet (I still cannot drink a smoothie and keep it down–my body wants substance in my stomach).
That makes a problem, when you’re trying to grow a baby. *Did I mention that I had accepted that I might not have any more children? It’s funny, when I move on emotionally from the stress of the desire to have more children, with the lack of it happening, I tend to get preggers.*
I digress. Although, I am extremely excited about this little miracle baby!
So, not being able to eat the food I’m supposed to eat. Not only was I not able to eat all the fruits, veggies, beans and such, I wasn’t, and I’m still not, craving any foods whatsoever. In fact, most mention of food makes me feel repulsed. However, when we were out of town, we went out to eat, and while my husband sat there eating a steak and potatoes, I began to get that familiar ‘that sounds good’ feeling in my stomach.
So, I asked for a bite.
Gasp! I would get chewed out by half of the vegan community, no probably the whole vegan community! I know!
After that, I got my own steak, and I had my own mashed potatoes with all the butter, milk, and sour cream in them that it came with. I felt guilty about that for a while…like I was giving up, right after just getting into the routine of the health plan. I beat myself up a bit about it.
What convinced me? Day after day, month after month, I just tried to even eat a vegetarian diet. I would eat eggs, and after a few days of eggs, I’d throw up, and eggs would be off the list. It went like this, with every. Single. Thing. I ate. But what sounded good? That red meat and potatoes.
So I tossed aside my guilt and ate what made me feel better. If you’ve ever experienced morning sickness, you get it…but add in, not wanting food (period). That’s an interesting pregnancy.
I’ve asked myself what my plans are for after I have the baby. I can honestly say I don’t know, but my history, with the PCOS, tells me that staying on the omnivore diet while breast feeding might not be the best idea as my hormones tend to make me gain weight instead of lose it, like most women do. I think I’ll start out vegetarian with occasional meat, and go from there.
Ultimately, there is no doubt in my mind that the vegan diet with all the juices and smoothies and other earthy goodness is what my body needs to continue to heal, but right now, my body needs a vaca so it can create a healthy human. Not to say that the baby wouldn’t be healthy on a vegan diet. I’ve known of many women who stayed vegan during pregnancy with zero ill effects. But for me, it just isn’t happening.
Oh, and I am currently 26 weeks pregnant (That’s 6 1/2 months pregnant). I’m due April 3rd of 2015!
Striving 