In need of a little support.

[capersmama]

I foundout unexpectidly yesterday that I am now pregnant with my 5th. <whew> <gulp> That took a lot for me to say. I am in a whirlwind of emotions right now. My dh and I hadnt expected to be expecting again. But I guess God has a sense of humor..lol

My question is...since my brain seems to be failing me...what foods do I need to consume to get adequate folic acid? What vegan prenatals do you suggest. This will be my 1st Vegan pregnancy..the other 4 were vegetarian.

I must be some kind of nut! My #1 son is almost 17, #2 son is 12, #3 son is fixing to be 10, #4 son is 3 1/2yrs(and still nursing 2-3 times a day) Is it true the water gets women pregnant?? <attempting a sense of humor here>lol

Im in such shock...Hopefully when my mind settles down a bit I will have lots more questions for y'all.

[vegma]

Congratulations??!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't become vegan until after my child was born, but I found (and still take) some prenatals that say "suitable for vegetarians" from Solgar. You can view the ingredients on their website.

Good Luck!

[Christa]

I was in total shock when I got pg with my second, too, as we must have conceived with in 2 days of my period ending while using 2 forms of birth control, so I understand the shock, but I only have 2! 5 must be a lot more stress - you'll do great!

Anyway, back to topic - vegan women & vegetarian women are actually more likely to be getting adequate amounts of folic acid from their food than are omnivores, so you should be in good shape. The main sources of folate are: yeast, nuts, dried beans, whole grains (most breads & cereals are fortified now, too), spinach, other dark green leafy vegis, oranges, avocados, and liver (yucko!) - only one is even of animal origin!

[sophie]

Wow, just wanted to say congratulations, how amazing!
I started my folic acid only when I found out I was pregnant, I took supplements as I wasn't sure if I was getting enough from food sources, as I felt sick and went off most foods. Good luck!

[capersmama]

I have been totally hooked on nutritional yeast on my popcorn. Thank the Lord it has loads of folic acid and B vitamins. And its low in calories.

I am still dazed. Luckily it goes well with all the dizzy spells I have been having :-/ lol

Best of luck on everyones pregnancies here!

[5xblessed]

Congrats!!!!! Five is great if you can live with the basketball team jokes. All the beans, leafy greens and other fruits and veggies have given you lots of folic acid. I hope you have a happy and healthy 9 months.
Lisa

[lunamama3]

i know it's hard to feel celebratory when you are still in shock and nauseous, but you have to remember that the end result of all the hardships/challenges of pregnancy is a baby! a little human being that was obviously meant to be. :) so, congratulations! on a lighter note...one lady told me recently that i needed to stop washing my underwear in the same load as my husband's (evidently THAT is how the baby's get in there!) ;) lol.

big supportive hugs to you and your family...you'll be a wonderful mother to this one too!

lisa
stay-at-home mama to 3 wee vegans

[Butterflynjesus]

Michael Klaper, M.D. is the author of Pregancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet;

"The foods richest in folic acid are green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds. Enjoying a handful of nut-and-raisin mix containing English walnuts, almonds, raisins, and pumpkin seeds - is a good way to get folic acid as well as needed magnesium, omega 3 fats, and other important nutrients"

I like calcium fortified OJ with vitamin D too which has folic acid.

This is from this article here at vegfamily.

Requirement: 600 micrograms per day.
Foods high in folic acid: Green leafy vegetables (spinach, asparagus, broccoli, romaine lettuce), oranges and orange juice, corn, green beans, beets, peas, peanut butter, whole wheat bread, bran breakfast cereals, dried beans, peas and lentils, nuts, and seeds.

http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-pregnancy/getting-your-vitamins.htm

I read this because eventually we'd like to see if God will have a sense of humor with us as well & I want to have a vegan pg. I wasn't a vegetarian with my first 3 & when I got pg with #4 I had strong cravings for beef. :o( ick ick..don't know why but I slipped up quite a bit.

Congrats on your pregnancy! I've heard going from #4 to 5 isn't that big of a deal but I haven't been brave enough to try yet..lol Our youngest is 3 so we'll see.

[HoneyNBen]

Congratulations! You are defenitly doing the right thing for both yourself and your family.

Side note.....Even good ol' Dr. Spock recommends a vegan lifestyle for children, so M4L...go educate yourself.

My husband and I want to have six children. We only have two, but are planning on having another one in about 1.5 to 2 years. Hopefully we'll be in our new home by then, we'll be all "detoxed" out ( 1 year vegan following being vegetarians ) and things will definitly be better for us financially! There's no way we'll have another child when we're struggling right now. Of course, now that I've declared this my IUD will stop working! :eek: !!! So a question I ask to all vegan (and vegetarian ) honey's and daddy's out there...If you have a large family of three or more how is it? What decisions helped you go from 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 ( capersmama ) to 6 ( 5xblessed )? Also, any tips you wished you knew? Anything you wished you could change? We're hoping that with hearing others thoughts, tips/ideas it'll make our 'transition' easier. I know...we're cheaters! I can't help it. I always research everything before I do it... That's why I went to school for Journalism...just a nosy reporter! :)

[capersmama]

hmmm....
What do I wish I knew then? Well..I wish I knew that it isnt more expensive to have 3 than 2 or 4 than 3. If you really do want a larger family allowances can be made. I hit yardsales and thrift stores and buy in bulk(foods). My children are as well clothed as any other children.

I do tend to sweat the small stuff..but have learned when I sweat the small stuff...I only get in God's way. There has to be a trust that you will do everything you can do to take care of your children and rely on Him for the rest.

Higher schooling isn't a real concern as a high percentage of homeschooled children qualify for grants. Not to mention many children dont want to go to college right away. Again..dont sweat the small stuff.

Love your children, show them how to grow up happy and healthy(vegan)..and the rest will fall into place.

I hope that helps some.

[5xblessed]

HoneyNBen, Hmm, what made us decide to have 6 kids? Well, they're just so darn much fun. Of course they are work and responsibility too but what's better than watching your kids run around, be silly and turn into (mostly) kind , loving people. As for money, I too shop resale and garage sales and of course we have in house hand-me-downs. It really doesn't cost much to toss more pasta or beans into the pot. We use lots of low,cost or free "extra" activities (library, park sports programs, older lady at church gives piano lessons in exchange for vacuuming and dusting she has trouble with). I'm hoping for scholarships, grants, jobs to help with higher education if that is their wish.
This got long, but I can put it in a nutshell from my grandmother, "I'll have all the peace and quiet I need after I'm dead, right now I want noise!"
Lisa

[HoneyNBen]

So glad to hear you all go to garage sells! We do also. We also shop the Salvation Army on Tuesdays ( Students, college that is, get a 50% discount ), and Goodwill. I find it horrible to pay so much money for a shirt when I get get a barely used one for a quarter to a dollar. I also hit consignment shops. Man, I wish they'd had 'em when I was pregnant with my son. All we had was one that was as expensive as brand new things...we stuck with the garage sells.


Hey, on a side note. Be sure to have a garage sell yourself. We have had a few and participated in our local La Leche League sell and have made over 500.00$. My girlfriend has made over a 1000.00$ She's also having only one child and is getting rid of everything while I'm hording mine. But I wanted to tell you to ask friends if instead of throwing away their stuff to give it to you. You can sell it and make some money. Give them like 40% of the income since it's theirs and you keep 60% for foolin' with the garage sell. We do that too. And it's only the beginning of the summer adn we've made over 500.00! It's a great way to teach children about recycling, money, running a business, and interaction with others in a monetary setting. It's also empowering for them to sell the things they've got and get some newly used items to replace it. When we sell our stuff we normally sell it for what we paid, so we're actually getting tons of free things! Well I just thought I'd pass this on since ya'll shopped garage sales!



BTW...what does dh mean?

[VOW]

"DH" is internet shorthand for "Dear Husband."

You'll also see "DS" for Dear Son, "DD" for Darling Daughter.

SIL for Sister-in-Law, MIL for Mother-in-Law...

Well, you get the picture!




~VOW

[sophie]

Lisa, thankyou for your post, it made me so happy! Ever since having our third (just 3 months ago), who we thought would be the last, I have been constantly thinking about how I don't want it to be our last. But then I have doubts, mostly to do with money and space. I know it's early days and a year or so down the line I might have changed my mind, but it was just so refreshing ot read your post when you speak of children being FUN! They just are! I know so many people who have stopped at 2, and it makes me feel like I must be strange, but I just love children and I would really love to have 4 or 5. So thankyou for making me feel like it's not a crazy idea!

[5xblessed]

Sophie,
My pleasure. Your post made my day. It's good to know I'm not the only one who's "strange". LOL
Lisa