Vegan Birth Stories

Please read our collection of birth stories. If you'd like to submit your own, please submit your story here. Vegan or vegetarian birth stories are welcome.

Chloe's Birth Story

Chloe Celeste born 1/3/99

The time came that my husband and I decided we were ready to have a second child. We planned to get pregnant in April, as we had with our first child, Roan, so we'd have the new one around Christmas. My husband would be on vacation from school and work, so it was the best time.

For the month of March, we ate superbly in preparation. I switched to herbal prenatal vitamins, we drank lots of carrot juice, and pretty much went on a raw diet. I got pregnant on the first try, with a due date of 23 Dec. (our son's is 30 Dec.)

I had a good pregnancy with my son, but seemed to end up in the ER a few times. I had trouble breathing sometimes, had the stomach flu, and got bronchitis twice.

With Chloe, I started a vegan diet early on, and did not have any ER visits until I went into labor. It was thanks to my son that I changed my diet. He was nearing two and taking notice of what we were eating. He needed a role-moldel, and my husband can't give up his cheese pizza and Sprite. yek!

Anyhoo... I had a great pregnancy with Chloe. I swam as much as I could, took walks everyday (which I did with Roan, and loved it), and never felt "limited" by my condition. With both pregnancies, I came out of them 15lbs lighter than my pre-preg weight--I ate normally; it just happened!

Since Thanksgiving, my family called to see if I was showing signs of labor. 23 Dec. came and went. Nothing. Then Christmas. Nothing. Then Roan's birthday. Nothing. Then New Year's Day. No signs whatsoever. Being pregnant didn't bother me, it was the constant, "Are you in labor yet?"

I had been taking herbs to help prepare my uterus for birth for the last five weeks and they were running out, my husband's vacation was running out, and the doctor, not the midwife, was pressuring me into inducing the labor. I was very against inducing because I had a hell of a time during Roan's birth. It was just a mess, but Chloe's made up for it. The doctor had me scheduled for induction on Tues. Because of all these reasons, I heeded the herbalist's advise and chose to use Blue Cohosh to induce my labor naturally.

2 Jan., on a brisk Sat. afternoon, I got my Blue Cohosh, which I started at 4pm. By 10pm, I started to have regular contractions. They were mild and far apart, but none-the-less undeniable as early-early labor.

Instead of making the mistake of not sleeping when I went into labor with Roan, I readied my bags, called my mother in warning, and lolled off to bed. I was awakened around 2am by more pronounced and more frequent contractions.

Soon after my mom arrived to stay with Roan while we went to the hospital, a heatwave and a monsoonal rain settled in. Mark and I waited for the rain to subside. By 4am, the rain only got harder and the temperature rose to over 60 degrees F. The last time that happened here, tornadoes broke out. So, with all of that ontop of my increasingly stronger labor, we made a dash for the hospital, only to be blocked at the only exit by a river rushing over the road.

Mark, I think, stupily braved the water and drove straight over it. The car acted funny, but we made it to the hospital anyway.

Because of the rain, I didn't get to bring in my boombox for the labor. I so wanted the music I picked out, too, but my labor went so fast, it didn't really matter.

I went all natural for Chloe's birth. I even refused extended IV intervention (I had to have an antibiotic that took half and hour to administer), but I kept the saline lock in my hand in case of emergency.

Six other women were in labor that morning. On average, they get about three women. And there was only one doctor on call, so I was worried that I wouldn't get to have the midwife deliver Chloe, as I had requested. (I was unable to have my OB deliver Roan because he decided to be born in a snow storm, and the doctor couldn't get to the hospital. Neither could I; we had to walk that time.)

At 7am, the midwife finally arrived to find me rather calm and 9 1/2cms dialated. I had screamed out twice, but I bellowed like an animal for the most part. By the time the midwife came, the nurse who stayed with me got me to focus on her face and breath, so I was pretty relaxed, and thrilled the midwife made it.

At 7:10, I was at 10cms, and this overwhelming feeling swept over my body. What pain I had was completely gone; I just had the silent message of "push!" in every muscle.

Chloe was born at 7:20. I had to ask several times what sex she was, Mark never wanted to find out beforehand. Finally, they said she was a girl. I think Mark was happier than I was! He wanted her to be a girl, but didn't believe me when I told him it was going to be.

Breastfeeding Roan was so hard to get the hang of. It was frustrating on both our parts. But Chloe started nursing as if she'd been doing it for ages. I was so much more relaxed with her, and she was, and still is, so much calmer than her brother.

After I had Chloe, I was ready to go home. I would have gone right after a nap, if I could have. But I did need to do that first bathroom trip and first bath thing that are always so painful. I only had three stitches; I couldn't imagine what the pain must be like after an episiotomy or C-section.

That night, I was walking around the little birthing floor repeatedly. I thought that I'd be going home the next day, so I got up and got dressed in my street clothes. I hate lounging around in a robe all day. And the food there was awful. The only thing I could eat was white bread and boiled broccoli, carrot, and cauliflower (which had seen one too many days in the freezer). Mark and I walked down to the cafeteria, to eat, and still that was the only veg*n cuisine.

I found out I wasn't to go home until the next day. I about screamed! But that night, they grated me an early leave. The front desk of the hospital gave Chloe a pair of sunglasses for a gift (in Jan.). I missed the lovely basket of goodies from the hospital Roan was born in, but I had had a much better experience with Chloe's birth, and I expected no other gift, so I was grateful.

We didn't drive straight home, though. I was so hungry from giving birth and nursing again that we went out to eat, amid goggling eyes.

Now, Chloe is a healthy 18mo, who loves to dance, sit quietly and look at books, state her opinion (despite not being too verbal), and eat mostly raw foods. Most mysteriously, she's left-handed, too. I doubt that has to do with her pre-natal diet, but we know for a fact she didn't inherit it. Mysterious as her brother's green eyes, I suppose.

Sponsors:

Got Recipes? We Want Them!
Submit yours today to win a prize!