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seeking raw pregnant mothers

I have decided to go raw as much as possible I am still taking an organic vegan prenatal vitamine, and superfood as well. I would love to here experiences from other woman, diet staples, things of this sort. I have read estatic birth and it has really helped a lot, but thats just one experience and everyone is different. I also so thegardenbaby website and that was ok too. I am a memeber at giveittomeraw.com my name is watermelon and my email is gingerdbh@gmail.com if there is anyone out there that wouldnt mind sharing there adivice. thanks so much for listening.

Comments

  • southernloversouthernlover Raw Newbie

    Same here… I am planning on getting pregnant in the next year or two tops, but before doing so, I really want to learn about raw pregnancy. I also want to have a home birth. Any experience people?

  • KristensRawKristensRaw Raw Newbie

    We’re going to work on conceiving very soon and I’ve been preparing and blogging about it. VERY EXCITING!

    For more on my story, here is a specific link to my blog. Cheers!

    http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/2008/05/kristen…

     

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    KirstensRaw, thanks for posting that. I’ve been struggling with what pre-natals to use… for when we do decide. And all those details, birth plan, homeschool, vaccination, etc. We’re travelling to India, so I think we are waiting until after India and vaccinations.

    I just read your pre-natal vitamins entry: Someone recommended whole-food organic vitamins, but I can’t find the info! Those are the one’s I planned on taking and wanted to ask you about. Also, I thought pharmaceautical grade also meant they are ‘potent’... in a good way. I have these pharmaceautical-grade green super food and red super food. They are whole food based, I should read the label again… you got me wondering now.

    Thanks, I will certainly be checking up on your blog. I got some “prescribed” vitamins from the obgyn… who prescribes vitamins these days? strange I want to find a good alternative! And, your blog mentioned several!

  • Hi Rawdoll, are you pregnant at the moment?

    Yes, I was a raw vegan when I was pregnant in 2006. It was a lovely time for me as I breezed through pregnancy with no issues; no swollen feet, diabetes, pimples, lethargy, constipation etc. This diet gave me lots of energy.

    Unfortunately, in this part of the world where I live, this diet is so strange. To appease my folks, I eat their cooked food after delivery.

    BIG MISTAKE! I soon broke out in rashes and diahrrea , and so did my baby! All I know the meat was driving my hormones hay wire but I was still constantly been pushed to eat more of it.

    We are trying for another baby now, hopefully next time round I can stand my ground about being raw.

  • TzefiraTzefira Raw Newbie

    i’ve been raw vegan this whole pregnancy, which my due date is the 10th of this month :) i havnt had any “prego” issues, no mood swings, pimples, constipation..ect. my ankles just now started swelling a little but i think thats b/c i’ve been craving salty foods. :) i’ve felt great, lots of energy, beautiful complextion and hair….. it’s really a wonderful experience. I havnt taken any prenatal nor did i UP my protien. I did notice that if i needed protien my body lets me know. so i eat nuts or durian or spirlina, ect. but i dont overdo the protien. My midwife says my baby is about 6lbs :) im happy, i’ve gained 12lbs so far :) Im excited for you. my email is sweetlychee@ymail.com stay in touch, lemme know how everything is going. i’ll make sure to tell you how my delivery went. BTW we are planning a home water birth :)

    Anastasia
  • southernloversouthernlover Raw Newbie

    Way to go Tzefire! Great job on giving your baby the food he/she needs! Please update us when you are up to it! Good luck with the birth-ing! :)

  • rawmamanibblesrawmamanibbles Raw Newbie

    This is Tzefira- rawmamanibbles my new name, UPDATE!!

    we are doing real good.

    i had my raw baby in july and completed a natural birth at home. it was so wonderful i cant wait to do it again. my labor was 19 hours long and i fasted the whole time, wasnt my choice, it was my bodies- everytime a contraction came i thought i would vomit. pretty neet to think u can do come intense work like that for 19 hours and now eat or drink. anywho, he came out beautiful and healthy. his color and breathing was on point and he nursed right away.

    i am not longer 100% raw like i was during my pregnancy and i have added some raw goats dairy for the vitaimin k2 - (suggestions from shazzie) and i eat a small amount of cooked food - hallelujah diet style. my milk supply is wonderful and my son is thriving.

    i would suggest an estatic birth to any women( you CAN do it, you were created to do it) and raw is def the way to go during pregnancy, i didnt get one stretch mark - i dry brushed everyday and used fresh coconut oil. - :)

    Anastasia
  • rawmamanibblesrawmamanibbles Raw Newbie

    also,

    I do not take a prenatal vitamin, i did supplement with b12

    but i did eat superfoods.

    and my diet was a high fat one.

  • rawmamanibbles, I am very excited by your story! I am freaked out about protein to the point of gross raw food meals, getting very tiring. I am also trying the whole alkaline/anti-cancer thing, and your info really wakes me up to listening to my body - so hard to trust right now...want to protect the baby and also be there in the long run, exhausting.

    My question is, why did Shazzie recommend goat's milk and cooked foods? If you prefer to email me, I can leave you an address for a bit (then erase it). How do you know Shazzie? She is like a celebrity!

    ETA: Oh, I just read why in another post! I see, you weren't feeling very well. This is making me feel really great about not being 100% raw, actually. I think I will do better on a whole bowl of cooked beans for dinner a few times a week. And those other alkaline protein foods that just taste better cooked while I get started. Thank you! (Darn, I am still really looking forward to the raw energy high...especially chasing my 1 1/2 year old!)

  • I'm 28 weeks pregnant as a gestational surrogate. This is my second pregnancy, and I wanted to share my experience.

    I was about 80% raw from around 4 months on when I was pregnant with my son 4 years ago. That pregnancy was a dream. I only gained 19lbs overall, felt like a million bucks after the first trimester (which was before I went mostly raw), and didn't experience ANY of the common pregnancy discomforts. I gave birth at home. My labor was 14 hours and quite painful, but only because the baby was posterior. If he had been in the correct position, I'm sure it would have been quick and easy. I'm sure I could have avoided this with more yoga and exercise late in my pregnancy. During labor I fasted (not planned, but based on what my body wanted at the time), drinking a lot of orange juice, and some herbal tea with honey.

    For the last 3 years I've been mostly cooked vegan with a few spurts of raw in between. I always lapse. I LOVE baking and eating the things I bake. Muffins and cookies (even if they are whole grain, home-baked, and vegan) are my biggest downfall. Eventually I start feeling unwell and go raw again. I don't know if I'll ever escape this cycle.

    Shortly before I started my rounds of hormones in preparation for this pregnancy, I discovered green smoothies. I was in love! I was feeling great going into this pregnancy. I had great plans to have a raw (or mostly raw) pregnancy. Then I started delestrogen and progesterone injections. I got moody and exhausted. I cut way back on the green smoothies and lost my motivation. Then when I got pregnant, I found myself nauseated at even the idea of ANY fresh fruits or vegetables, especially raw ones. I basically lived on prenatal vitamins, cereal with soymilk, toast, herbal tea, and Reed's ginger brew for 2 months. I choked down veggies whenever I could manage it, but my priority was getting ANYTHING down. It got better as I left my first trimester, and I've been eating a lot more variety, as well as more fresh produce and green smoothies a few times a week, but I never really started eating properly again.

    This pregnancy has been SO much harder than my first was! I've already gained about 25lbs (5 of those from the progesterone injections before I was pregnant). I've had fatigue, heartburn, leg cramps, and upper back pain. I've had problems with my digestion. Whenever I eat anything (and sometimes when I don't) my stomach feels like it's twisting into rock-hard knots, and I often have urgent bowel movements shortly after I try to eat. My nausea has also returned. These are all things that are considered normal for pregnant women, and I had a realization last night that this is ludicrous! I'm not supposed to feel like this. I've been complaining for months about how horrible I feel, and it's time I do something about it.

    I'm officially turning this pregnancy around and I'm going to start doing things right. At this point, I think that means lots of fruit and green smoothies, only one cooked meal a day max (and something simple with a lot of raw, like quinoa and veggies, beans and rice and veggies, a sprouted tortilla wrap, etc.) and lots more exercise (pilates, yoga, walking, hiking). I just have to resist the myriad temptations that come with living in a vegan junk food paradise (aka Portland, OR). My husband says he'll help me, and I hope he's telling the truth.

    Anyway, I thought my comparison might be helpful for those considering a raw pregnancy.

  • spiritedmamaspiritedmama Raw Newbie

    Hi Viriditas,

    It sounds like those hormones are doing a number on you! I had a hard pregnancy with my now 9 month old into mid second trimester. Because I am a midwife assistant, I was able to get my blood checked to make sure all was well with my raw nutrition as regularly as I wanted, as well as my hormones. With both this last pregnancy, and my pregnancy with my now 5 year old daughter, my body produces very high levels of progesterone....good to keep a body pregnant as I am sure you know. This made it very hard to eat anything -cooked, or raw- until about mid- second trimester on. Interestingly. Between my two daughters I had a pregnancy where I could eat anything I wanted without feeling sick, and had very low levels of progesterone. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, around the end of the first trimester...I miscarried. Had I not gone in for some other blood tests unrelated to pregnancy, I would never have known I was pregnant. I say all this just to emphasize to other's with hard pregnancies just how powerful pregnancy hormones can be. Fast forward to the second part of my pregnancy until birth and I was easily able to maintain a 70%-100% raw pregnancy. When my body felt any cravings for cooked food, it was always quinoa or brown rice and steemed veggies. Isn't it interesting how our bodies adapt and change while growing a little one!

  • rawmamanibblesrawmamanibbles Raw Newbie

    wow i hadnt read this thread in quite some time - Viriditas , those hormones sound like they are what was making you feel bad - u say u felt better before homones??

    it's always best to listen to ur body - after giving birth and i started suppling another baby with breasmilk (wet- nurse) i had to add cooked food and raw goat milk back into my diet- and i've never felt better!

    so the key is listen to your body - but of course give it lots o greens!!!

  • southernloversouthernlover Raw Newbie

    Since my last post on this thread, I became pregnant, and had my first little boy in May! Unfortunately, I was not able to eat raw. I was eating lousy when I got pregnant, and when I found out, I was too worried about detox to go raw.

    I had a water birth, though, and it was fantastic. The most amazing day of my life. The book that truly helped me was "Childbirth Without Fear." I feel like such a stronger woman now. I'll talk more about my journey soon, on my new crunchy-ish blog. Natural birth is awesome!

     

  • I'm 8 weeks pregnant and I'm having a hard time staying motivated on raw...any suggestions. I'm taking prenatal omegas,calcium ,vitD and Mg and green smoothies but I find I am battling the blues. I have also gained 10 lbs already !!

  • spiritedmamaspiritedmama Raw Newbie

    CDM831-

    Don't be discouraged, the first trimester is generally the hardest. Really tune into your body, and if it wants something cooked, make it a healthy, conscious choice. As far as the supplements, I know it's weird to hear this from a midwife assistant, but....if that is what is blocking you from achieving the level of raw that you are looking for, you might want to back off on them for the time being. You can always re-visit them when you are feeling a little better and your hormones have stabalized a little more, towards the second trimester. Drinking 2-3 green smoothies (make sure your stagger your types of greens for maximum nutrition) a day can get you through in lew of the supplements.

    As far as the weight gain, every woman's body chooses when to gain weight during pregnancy at different times. Some women gain the majority of their weight first off in the trimester, while others wait until the second or third. I am now pregnant with my 3rd (due in about 4 weeks!) and each pregnancy has been different. The first pregnancy, I gained most of my weight the 1st tri., 2nd pregnancy it was in the 3rd tri., this pregnancy I gained most of my weight in the 2nd. Also, on the topic of weight, I wouldn't worry about the amount of weight you gain, within limits of course. Using myself as an example, with my first pregnancy, I wasn't raw or even vegetarian and I started the pregnancy at 157 pounds and ended it at 180. With my second pregnancy, I was mostly raw and started my pregnancy at 125. I ended it at....180! This pregnancy I haven't checked my weight since getting pregnant at 130 pounds. I plan on checking it the day I go into labor. But, I would guess that I once again about teh 180 range. No matter how you eat, if it is healthy and nutritious (meaning no obvious junk food, bad oils, artificials, corn syrup, etc.), I think our bodies know intuitively how much weight they need to gain to maintain a healthy pregnancy. I have seen this time and time again with the women I work with. And, don't worry about "loosing the baby weight", if you go back to a mostly raw diet, your body will have no problems going back to its pre-baby weight. It took me about 6 months before I was back to my pre-baby weight plus/minus 5 pounds.

    Hope this helps!

    Anastasia
  • I am 5 weeks pregnant with my second and I'm as motivated as ever to eat raw foods (although the morning sickness and hormone roller coaster hasn't started yet). CDM831, I recommend trying to find local support. There are monthly raw food potlucks in my area organized on Meetup.com. I also invite friends over and prepare all raw meals (although that is a lot of work if you are feeling fatigued). I got a bunch of new books on raw foods (some from the library) and that has really motivated me. I bought some new toys, like a homogenizing juicer and a food dehydrator, so the possibilities of foods I can prepare really expanded.

    I am worried that the first trimester might get rough. I could barely look at a vegetable (and even fruits), especially if it was green, during the first trimester of my first pregnancy. I ate a lot of fruit smoothies, which for some reason went down quite well. I supplemented them with spirolina, to get something green in my diet. I also ate tons of seaweed, so I felt better about eating less of other greens because of that. It did help to figure out what exactly I wanted, because it would stay down much better, even if it was a heavier food.

    I hope that helps.

  • Thanks spiritedmama for your comments on weight gain. I had the same end weight at the end of my first pregnancy and I ate what I thought was comparatively healthy food throughout, although not vegan or raw. This pregnancy I am also gaining weight rapidly although I was successfully eating %100 raw prior to conception. Morning sickness and general fatigue along with coping with a very willful 5 year old have led to me slipping into a "whatever will satisfy" type diet has led me away from being strictly raw, though I have been trying to keep up with green smoothies and salads and juices wherever possible. Now I am into the second half of the pregnancy and feeling much better I am finding it easier to return to a largely fresh vege diet and being as I am in Australia it is summer - stodgey fare is definitely out. Breads are a tough one though - I am surrounded by well meaning meat eating family members who love their bread and it is always on hand when I am stuck without access to my own choices - when "hungry" it is difficult to just not indulge a little.

    Last time I lost the extra 22kg within months of the birth with breast feeding and activity. I am expecting that this will happen again and this time aided by a return to mostly raw diet. As for now - I am just trying not to judge myself and my weight gain or my pregnant food choices - I am going with my instincts and trying to enjoy the experience as much as is possible given some of the heat we are experiencing this summer (with no air con!)

    Enough blabbing - this is my first post and having just come across this site, I am really happy to read a range of real experiences that others are having.

  • spiritedmamaspiritedmama Raw Newbie

    Rawmamanibbles,

    I have been a doula for almost 10 years, a midwife assistant for almost 2 years, and am in school currently with Ancient Art Midwifery, but not sure if I will be going for a midwife certification or not. I am so happy being a midwife assistant right now and with another one on the way, I think it is a good place for me to stay. How exciting that you are taking the MW assistant course! Where are you taking it through?

  • rawmamanibblesrawmamanibbles Raw Newbie

    im taking it through my local birhtcenter..... im real excited, it's been a real a passion of mine since the birth of my son. though i hope to be able to balance it out with having a son. i dont want to be consumed with it or it take me away from my family. im about to night wean so that way there wont be a problem when i have to go to a birth or two .....

  • rawmamanibblesrawmamanibbles Raw Newbie

    spirited mama, are you a midwife, doula or assistant?

    im taking my midwife assistant course janurary 23, im so excited. just wanted to share with you :)

  • KristensRawKristensRaw Raw Newbie

    Update: I'm now 4 1/2 months pregnant, all vegan, all organic (except when we eat out and it's not available), and high Raw. We're making this as green a pregnancy as we can. I update my blog frequently regarding my research and experience with what I'm eating, supplements I'm taking, why I am choosing a home birth, how my HypnoBirthing classes are going, etc. I also blogged a lot about my "fertility adventure." If you have any questions you can post them on my blog. http://KristensRaw.blogspot.com

    Cheers!

    Kristen

    ClaireT
  • juliapinkdotjuliapinkdot Raw Newbie

    Oh man, I am trying to do a gradual raw diet. (I am 6 weeks preg, 5'4 and 150lbs... ) I've been vegan for over a year. Lately I just wanna eat certain things like spinach. I haven't had any morning sickness. I was just wondering what a day in the life of a raw pregnant woman is like? What do you eat and such. :)

  • spiritedmamaspiritedmama Raw Newbie

    My *best* days that are mostly raw (baby is due any day and, as with last time, I am back to a 80%+ raw diet!), look something like this:

    Morning: green smoothie

    raw cereal or raw breakfast cookie (at our house, that means a cookie without carob or cacao in it...LOL!)

    Food until dinner: I make a big veggie tray with raw dip, a fruit tray with nut butter dip, and a nut tray. I snack on

    these all day long to my hearts content! I make sure I have lots of avocado in one of the trays to

    get as much fats as possible.

    Dinner: A HUGE salad with some raw onion bread, or pate in nori rolls, or raw tacos....simple to prepare meals

    basically.

    Dessert: Something with carob, or cacao usually....my guilty pleasures!

    When I eat this way, I never seem to be hungry and I feel like I have energy to keep up with my other 3 kids with no problems...not easy to say with a VERY demanding 18 month old!

    Congrats on the new preganancy!

    AnastasiaClaireT
  • brittanybullenbrittanybullen Raw Newbie

    While we didn't discover the raw thing until after my son was born, I am now 8 weeks pregnant and I plan on having about a 95% raw pregnancy. I am currently taking what's left of the conventional prenatal vitamins I used with my first, just to make sure all my bases are covered. I plan on blogging more about raw pregnancy, attachment parenting, hypnosis, and home birth at my website, www.brittanybullen.com . Also, check out my raw cooking show at http://www.youtube.com/user/brittanybullen for fun, affordable and easy recipes!

    AnastasiaClaireT
  • juliapinkdotjuliapinkdot Raw Newbie

    Thanks!

    Oh man that sounds good. I've got soo many avocados right now I don't know what to do with them. :)

    ClaireT
  • rawmamanibblesrawmamanibbles Raw Newbie

    spirited mama -

    i have started wokring with a local midwife, i'll be attending my first birth at the end of this month :)

    do you have a blog or email i can stay in touch with you outside of goneraw?

    ClaireT
  • rawmamanibblesrawmamanibbles Raw Newbie

    or facebook?

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