we have a new due date...

Our First Vegan Parenting Resources

We've had quite an interesting week. I've been sicker than ever, lots of puke and lots of sleeping. I've completely lost interest in so many foods I formerly loved. I can no longer eat kale, salads, collards, bok choy, mushrooms and many more delicious and nutritious foods I had been devouring just a week or so before. My food aversions have basically left me a fruitarian, I am loving cantaloupes, strawberries, oranges, bananas, cherries, grapes, and plums. I have also been eating a lot of pineapple, but for some reason it makes me sick more often than not. The strange thing is that I still crave it like mad. I've also had a good relationship with baked or mashed potatoes and my favorite water crackers. I have an aversion to raw cashews and walnuts now, but I can stomach pistachios. I could go on forever, but you get the point.

We had our first OB appointment on Monday and he reassured us that all the foods I have been able to stomach are completely sufficient and healthy for growing a baby and that we shouldn't be worried at all. The greatest news about our OB is that he was totally impressed with our vegan diet and actually said it was THE BEST diet for a pregnant woman. He also said that he personally eats meat, but at least he acknowledges the truth! We expressed our joy in the fact that he was supportive and told him we had been worried about him accepting our diet. He said that any doctor who would be against a vegan diet obviously wasn't thinking straight (but in more harsh terms) and that it is just plain fact that the less processed your diet and the more vegetables and fruit you eat the better. WE LOVE HIM ALREADY!

He made me feel completely comfortable for all the invasive procedures I underwent that day. I had to have a vaginal ultra-sound, which I was NOT expecting at all. I have watched so many baby shows, I just imagined him rolling a little wand around my belly. That was so not the case, but I survived. It went well and we were able to see our little lentil's heart beating. Just amazing...life could not have been better than at the moment when he said everything looked great! We spent a long time in his office discussing my prenatal vitamins among many other questions we have as first-timers. He disagreed with my family practice doctor and thinks that I should continue taking DHA and a separate vitamin D supplement of 400 IUs.

The biggest shocker of the appointment was when he said that the ultra-sound showed that the baby was 6 weeks and 1 day, instead of almost 8 weeks as I had originally been told by my family practice doctor. He explained that because of my 37 day irregular cycle, the dating of the pregnancy can sometimes be off. He gave us a new due date of March 21st. Our original due date was March 10th. We'll see what happens, but I bet the baby comes somewhere in between those two dates. We don't really care as long as he or she is healthy! This Sunday I will be on week 7 according to the OB. So we are moving back a little and I was already counting down the days until the 2nd trimester where supposedly these gnarly symptoms start to die down.

We are going to see my in-laws this weekend, which should be fun. I can imagine myself sleeping and puking the whole time, but I hope for a little break...

6 WEEKS (AGAIN...)

SYMPTOMS:

nausea/vomiting (i can't even brush my teeth without getting sick)

loss of appetite

heavy food aversions

heightened sense of smell

moody ( a little irrational at times, thankfully luke knows how to diffuse this)

fatigue (frequent naps after work)

extreme happiness (doctor says that i will go up and down due to hormones…but i doubt it)

LIFESTYLE CHANGES:

missed 2 days of work

going to bed earlier

sleeping on my sides only (i try to sleep on left, but move around a lot)

this week been way too tired to exercise every day but still fitting it in when i can

eating some form of breakfast every day (even if comes right back up)

even more strict on organic food intake and whole foods (only fruits, minimal vegetables, grains and nuts)

she's so exhausted...

Today begins week 7 for us and honestly I am totally EXHAUSTED. I have never slept this much in my life and I LOVE SLEEP. I went to bed at 1030pm last night (which NEVER happens) and slept until after 830am! I woke up to eat some multi-grain toast at 2am and take one of many pee breaks. I was worried the baby was hungry or something during my hibernation. I've been taking naps almost every day after I get home from the office. I also have been going in to the office later this week.

I just told my boss on Monday about being pregnant. Last week we bought What to Expect When You're Expecting and we have been buried in it ever since. It was the first pregnancy book we purchased that wasn't specifically vegan, but at least they have a little vegan info. It is actually a great resource and thankfully as vegans a lot of things that might worry most, don't apply to us. I looked up some information on when to tell your boss that you're expecting and it basically said you don't really have to for a while unless you are sick. Well, I wasn't sick at all when I first read that, but as of the wee hours of Monday morning my stomach has been turning. I was so nauseous on Monday throughout the day I thought I better fill her in. .

Apparently no one in my department has been pregnant on the job in many years. I assured her that I was going to return to work after maternity leave and that my career was still very important to me. Thankfully, with Lucas being self-employed we will be able to have one parent at home caring for the baby at all times without me having to sacrifice all my hard work and dedication to my education and career.

I truly believe I am one of the luckiest women out there when it comes to having a dedicated partner that isn't brainwashed in to believing in misogynistic gender roles. Lucas is 100% involved in this pregnancy. He is right by my side researching and learning everything there is to know about child rearing, nutrition, vaccines...you name it! He makes sure that I don't have to do anything annoying or stressful, including chores and cooking which makes my life way easier! He actually did that kind of stuff before I was pregnant, he is a definite keeper. He is also taking an active role in being my exercise partner. It really doesn't get any better than having your partner with you to keep you motivated throughout all your pregnancy symptoms.

He has been overly worried the past couple of days about me getting enough food since I've lost my appetite a bit. He is always trying to get me to eat more, but honestly this week food hasn't been that appealing. At least the food I eat has been super nutritious. I wish I could go back to the last couple of weeks when I was able to eat more with no problem. I read that the baby is still getting enough nutrients at this point and that there is no need to worry, but I can't wait until this nauseous feeling goes away for good.

Yesterday at work someone was eating chicken and the smell actually made me vomit. Even though I am vegan I never get sick from the smell of cooked flesh. I do not prefer it, but I have never had this reaction before. I have only thrown up 3 times and each time it was barely anything at all. I guess I am lucky that the nausea doesn't usually lead to throwing up. I hate throwing up. I also hate being queasy, but I love being pregnant and I love that in March we will have a precious little baby!

When I can stomach food, I've been loving oranges and grapes. I guess the acidity bothers some, but for me it is a relief. Avocado is definitely another food that I have been enjoying and I know that they are great for the baby too. The only thing I crave is potatoes, though I know the nutritional value isn't that high. Tempeh sandwiches have become one of my best-friends right now. I love to add sautéed onions and mushrooms on top! Hopefully I can eat more today, yesterday was the worst day for eating.

The big first OB appointment is this upcoming Monday! We are so excited for this appointment and the first ultra-sound. We still have so much to do, but taking it one day at a time...

This is what our baby looks like right about now!

7 WEEKS

SYMPTOMS:

nausea (with minimal throwing up)

loss of appetite

gassiness (i'm vegan so always a little gassy, but even more so now)

moody ( a little irrational at times thankfully luke knows how to diffuse this)

fatigue (frequent naps after work)

frequent urination (doctor says normal as uterus expands and touches bladder)

extreme happiness (doctor says that i will go up and down due to hormones…but i doubt it)

LIFESTYLE CHANGES:

going to bed earlier

sleeping on my sides only (i try to sleep on left, but move around a lot)

walking around 2 miles daily

eating breakfast every day

even more strict on organic food intake and whole foods (only fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains)

she's having a baby... (originally posted 7/15/09)

Our 1st BFP!

Our 2nd BFP!!

Our 3rd BFP (from Dr.)!!!

Soooooo WE ARE OFFICIALLY PREGNANT! It is absolutely unbelievable….I can’t stop thinking about our baby growing inside of me for even one second.

We started TTC (trying to conceive)on June 19th. My ovulation period was anywhere between the 22nd and the 27th, according to the 30 plus ovulation calculators I used online. We got pregnant on our first try! I took the first pregnancy test on Friday, July 3rd, because I just couldn’t wait! I had read somewhere that only 15% of couples get pregnant during their first month. I didn’t think we would ever get pregnant the first try.

Lucas had bought a 3 pack of pregnancy tests during my ovulation period. The test I took on the 3rd was negative, but we decided to play it safe and I didn’t drink with the rest of the crew during the festivities on the 4th of July ( a holiday we don’t recognize, but a great occasion to get together with friends) and hadn’t had anything to drink since the 20th in preparation for conception!

Naturally, I was slightly discouraged with the negative test result, but I knew in my heart that it was probably too soon to be testing. I kept reading that women don’t usually get a positive result until around 10 DPO (days past ovulation). I made myself wait until Friday the 10th of July to take another test. I carefully read the instruction pamphlet and it said for optimal results wait until the first day of your missed period. My period was due on the 10th, though I’ve had irregular periods since I first got my period at 13. I had been taking birth control for years to correct it, but stopped taking birth-control in 2004. I didn’t want to put unnecessary pharmaceuticals in my body anymore. I don’t take any medicine now, not even for my allergies or headaches (which I never get anyway). According to my last couple of periods it seems I was on a 37 day cycle, so I went with that figure for ovulation, etc. I guess I was right!

On Thursday night (7/9) I told Lucas that I wasn’t peeing after 12 am so I would get a good reading. I couldn’t sleep well all night because I kept thinking about the result I wanted to see so badly on that test in the morning.

I woke up around 630 am with my bladder full of urine! I had this feeling!!! Luke, Star and Sunny stayed soundly asleep as I practically floated to the bathroom. I performed the digital test first and within what seemed like seconds the word PREGNANT appeared. I couldn’t believe it, I shrieked instantly and ran to wake up my sleeping husband! He was startled and a little confused at first and then when he realized what I was saying (through my shrieks) he was really stoked too! We talked about everything for a little while and I tried to lay back down to go to sleep after declaring that I wouldn’t totally freak out until I took another test (yeah right).

All of a sudden while talking with Lucas I felt light-headed from the excitement and emotions running through me. Luke grabbed my hands and said that they were clammy and cold, I felt faint and sweaty. A minute later, I was fine! After realizing I was never going back to sleep, I called Aghesha, my oldest sister to share the news of the century. Not only would she normally be the first person I’d tell, she was the only one would be up at 6 in the morning EST (besides my Mom who was vacationing in AZ and CA at the time and obviously we HAVE to tell her in person since she only lives 45 minutes away)!! SCREW SUPERSTITION!!!!! There is no way we could not tell our families! They all share our enthusiasm for this long awaited little Kenya & Lucas baby! Most friends will have to wait a little while though…maybe until 10 weeks or so.

I took another test at 830 am, while getting ready to head to the office and of course it was another BFP (big fat positive). We made our first doctor’s appointment for Monday (7/13). My doctor gave me another urine test and congratulated us!!!!! She looked over the prenatal vitamins that I’ve been taking and my DHA-Omega-3 supplement. She said they were fine, though she did mention I didn’t have to take extra DHA (I plan on asking my OBGYN for her opinion when she does a blood panel). She said it was great that we are vegan and that we eat a whole foods diet! I was so happy that she said that. I had brought in the press release with the ADA’s (American Dietetic Association) position advocating vegan diets through all stages of life; including infancy, childhood, pregnancy and lactation, etc. http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/media_22003_ENU_HTML.htm

She said we were lucky we didn’t have to worry about consuming harmful dyes, etc. She knows we eat organic and unprocessed. She also made sure to tell me to try to stay off my cell-phone (or use speaker), to not use microwave or be around microwaves and to not put my laptop on my lap. Thankfully, we NEVER EVER use the microwave for anything. I rarely ever put my laptop on my lap, but now I am very conscious of keeping it away from my body as much as possible. She talked about these new technologies and explained that they weren’t sure how they would affect our children in the future. Better safe than sorry….

I love the fact that at least some doctor’s today are educated on vegan diets and know how great they are for both mommy and baby! I hope my OBGYN is just as educated on the subject. I know many vegans out there aren’t as lucky. Our first OBGYN appointment is on Monday, July 27th. I will be getting a blood panel and our first ultra-sound! How awesome is that? My next step will to be to find a midwife and doula. I plan on having a natural birth, I’d love for it to be a home birth or at a birthing center (instead of a hospital). We would much prefer our baby be born in a more serene and warm environment.

We are still reeling with excitement and the normal amount of anxiety for any first time parents-to-be. So many ideas and lists of things to be done before MARCH 10th (our due date) keep popping into my mind and I am only 6 weeks pregnant! That is just the kind of person I am! I can’t help that I am a total planner, I need everything as perfectly aligned as possible. I know when the baby is here all of that will be thrown out the window….but hey, I can dream!

This is what our baby looks like right about now!

6 WEEKS

SYMPTOMS:

realistically vivid dream since early conception (slowly disappearing)

fatigue (frequent naps after work)

frequent urination (doctor says normal as uterus expands and touches bladder)

extreme happiness (doctor says that i will go up and down due to hormones…but i doubt it)

LIFESTYLE CHANGES:

walking around 2 miles daily

eating breakfast every day

even more strict on organic food intake and whole foods (only fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains)