My Vegan Pregnancy Journey — A Case For Plant Based
It’s hard to believe I’m nearing the end of my vegan pregnancy journey. Some days it feels like it’s taken forever to get here; other days it feels like it’s flown by. I am so anxious to meet our sweet baby and get into a new routine as a family.
Vegan Pregnancy Journey
First trimester: Like so many women, I suffered from intense morning sickness and fatigue my entire first trimester. I lived off of mashed potatoes, plain bread and pasta, and ginger ale for weeks. However, I was extremely happy to be dealing with the “awful” symptoms of pregnancy. Every time I felt sick or could barely get out of bed, I was incredibly grateful to just be pregnant. All of those negatives of the first trimester were a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness and that there was a miracle growing inside of me. 🥰
Second trimester: My second trimester was, by far, the best one. I still had some bad days, but for the most part I was feeling less nauseous with fewer headaches and had more energy. Week 14 we found out the gender, which was really exciting. Around week 18, I started feeling baby move, and then it suddenly got a lot more real. ❤️
Third trimester: So much happens in the third trimester! The countdown is on, and there is a ton to accomplish before baby arrives. This is also when I started wearing maternity clothes and using pregnancy-specific products. Never did I think I would get so excited about vegan belly oil and nipple butter! After that, I realized my life would never be the same in the most amazing way. 😍
Physical journey
My body is truly an amazing thing. Everything that it has been put through thus far and how it has adapted is nothing short of a miracle. And yes, I realize the hardest part is yet to come. 🤣
What I’ve learned about veganism
Pregnancy has made me realize more and more how I want to instill the love of all beings into my child. We are planning on raising our child, not only on a strictly plant based diet, but living a vegan lifestyle as well.
I desire for my child to show loving kindness to all human beings and to be respectful of everyone’s differences. I also desire for my child to be gentle with and show concern for all animals. Our children will be taught the value of a vegan lifestyle and why we love all of God’s creatures equally and treat them as such.
Relationships
The relationship between myself and my husband has grown immensely throughout the journey to parenthood.
I also realize how healing dogs are and what wonderful companions they are.
I’m thankful for the amazing group of all female obstetricians and our wonderful doula that I am working with.
I feel incredibly blessed to have a wonderful support system around me and our baby-to-be. It’s incredibly important to surround yourself with an amazing “team” during this time. And I’m grateful for the team we have supporting us!
Maternity Leave
This will be my last post before my maternity leave starts. I don’t have a set amount of time I’m going to take off; I’m just going to play it by ear and not rush anything. I want to soak up every second with this baby that is already so loved and who we have prayed so hard for. ❤️
I will keep you all updated as much as I can through social media and my stories, so keep an eye out for those.
Ok, y’all-final guesses: boy or girl? 💙💗
Any last minute advice for a first time mama?
Thank you all so much for your support, and I’ll see you again soon! xo
Originally published at https://acaseforplantbased.com on February 18, 2022.
