The Vegan Apprentice is Pregnant!

As I sit here typing I can feel my unborn son wriggling and kicking.  It is an amazing feeling.  I am 27 weeks pregnant.  Just 13 weeks to go.  Does that at least partly excuse my absence from the blog world recently?  I thought that I would post about the my exciting news months ago but somehow the last few months have just flown by.

I don't usually post photos of myself but as this post is a special one I thought I could make an exception.  This is me at 27 weeks pregnant at my cousin's wedding on the weekend.  I am feeling good, healthy and excited and about becoming a mother.

Vegan and pregnancy go together very well I am finding.  Lots (actually most) of the foods on the banned-due-to-listeria-risk list are non-vegan and I really have not changed my diet much at all.  Well, except I ate much less in weeks 7-14 and a little bit more since then. 

So what changes have I made?  I am taking iron and vitamin D supplements more regularly.  I stopped taking Udo's oil in first trimester (flaxseed has a small association with increased rate of miscarriage).  I started taking it again in second trimester to make sure I am getting that bit extra omega.  I changed from regular Udo's Oil 3:6:9 to the one with the microalgae DHA added.  I have only been taking this about twice a week because unfortunately I have had yucky reflux and although I don't mind the taste of the Udo's oil on the way down I don't like it one bit when it tries to come back up. (TMI?)

I must confess I have not been 100% vegan during the pregnancy.  I have still eaten Vegetarian when out, particularly in situations where there is no Vegan option.  And I have had a few things with a little dairy in them at home on a couple of occasions.  But I would say I have been 99% vegan and I am not going to feel guilty about the 1%.  I think that for me this journey to veganism is about being kind to the planet, animals and myself, doing my best and not sweating the small stuff.  I think that right taking care of myself and the baby is more important than being a fundamentalist of any stripe.

Some catch up posts on what I have been cooking and some vegan pregnancy book reviews to come.