Hello All- I am a first time mom a little more than halfway through my pregnancy. I am planning to breastfeed if able, but looking for vegan formula suggestions. I am US based. Any advice is welcome! Thank you!
Hi all! I just wanted to share my breastfeeding journey in case there are any other vegan mums to be who have been told that being vegan won’t nourish their baby enough.
My little guy was 7lb 4oz at birth, which is a pretty average size. He latched perfectly in hospital, but once we got home he really struggled. After a couple of very stressful days for both of us, I ended up switching to formula because he was hungry, I didn’t think I was producing enough milk, and we were also dealing with his poor latch.
At his two week check up, the health visitor told us he wasn’t gaining weight quickly enough and referred us to the infant feeding team. It was obviously pretty nerve racking, but I was really grateful for the support and attended our appointment when he was four weeks old.
The lady we saw from the infant feeding team was, quite honestly, FANTASTIC. After facing so much judgement during pregnancy because of my vegan diet, she wasn’t fazed by it at all and said she’d supported vegan breastfeeding mums before. She even went out of her way to check whether the NHS free multivitamins were vegan for me (they weren’t 🤣).
After two visits with the infant feeding team, and with both me and my little guy gradually figuring things out, we gained confidence and have been exclusively breastfeeding ever since.
He turned four months old today, and when I last weighed him two weeks ago, he was 18lb! ❤️
I just wanted to share our story for any expectant mums who have been told over and over again that being vegan while breastfeeding won’t provide their baby with enough nutrients. I heard it so many times, and this is just our experience, but my little guy is living proof that it isn’t automatically true.
Of course, everyone’s breastfeeding journey is different, and fed is always best. But I also think so many mums are told they have a low supply when actually they just haven’t had the right support. Genuine low supply is understood to be uncommon, and I’ve often seen the figure of around 5% mentioned.
If you are struggling, please don’t feel like you have to figure it all out on your own. If you’re in the UK, ask your health visitor, midwife or GP for a referral to your local infant feeding team. You can also contact:
National Breastfeeding Helpline: 0300 100 0212
La Leche League GB: 0345 120 2918
The Breastfeeding Network: breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk
Support really can make such a difference. ❤️👶🏼
We are going to a public pool and I’m not sure what to buy? Disposables? Reusable? They are 4 1/2 months so probably won’t be back in a pool before they size up.
Thanks.
I had a preemie baby born at 28w and was in the ICU for months on oxygen and feeding tubes. I myself do not produce enough milk so the hospital put baby on formula. I have begged the hospital for donor milk (which we no longer qualify for) or a plant-based option (which commercially exist but not suitable for my particular baby) and officially exhausted all legit channels. Yes I sought second third opinions outside of the NICU medical team too. Yes I explored getting unofficial donor milk from the community but the risk is too high and the supply is not abundant.
So these days I’m paying for exploiting cow mamas to make sure my baby‘s needs are met, and I feel so awful. I haven’t slept much for almost 7 months and pump milk regularly mostly to prove to myself that I am doing my absolute best. When I get to take a brief nap, I keep feeling the pain of cows and cannot sleep. I also don’t have a lot of moral support (my family believe that I am and have compromised both of our health because I refuse meat - I don’t even tell them that I’m against dairy because I have no energy to argue). I cry about this and spiral in and out of depression on a daily basis.
The worst part is that thinking “this is temporary - babies are only on milk for the first little bit” doesn’t help. I feel that I’m going to remain depressed until the world stops animal cruelty, which is a hopeless thought in of itself.
:(
And red lentils. What other things could I make to ensure they're getting all they need? Thanks 😊
Edit to add I'm in the UK,
I’m curious because mine still hasn’t, and neither has my (vegetarian) friend’s. I’m 17 months into breastfeeding and she’s at 13 months. Meanwhile, our other breastfeeding friends (who all eat meat) have had theirs return already.
I’m vegan myself, so I’m wondering if diet could be playing a role here. Even a nurse I spoke to recently was surprised my period still hadn’t come back.
Has anyone else noticed a link between diet and how long it takes for your cycle to return while breastfeeding?
Just got a Costco membership and got overwhelmed while shopping there, so I probably missed a lot. I would like to make a master list for big monthly trips.
Just curious what staples you like to get (in terms of food). I don’t mean like frozen prepared foods or packaged snacks, but just basics such as:
Produce (of course)
Coffee
Dates
Oats
Do they have vegan chocolate chips, flax seed, nutritional yeast?
What am I missing?
We are so blessed with what some would call a big family, so the membership definitely makes sense for us, just want to make sure I’m making the most of it. Any Costco shopping tips are welcome!
Second pregnancy , busy with toddler , not the best diet at the moment I do try but hate everything at the moment and have the egg ick cannot take vitamins and gummies don’t contain much or everything , did you still have healthy and smart babies without choline dha etc I can’t take or eat much :/
My daughter is 2 and always asking to snack on almonds and cashews (like husband and I) I know the recommendation is older but just seems like such a good snack for vegan kids. And we really can only do so many butters. So did you wait, give sliced only, or was it kid dependent for you?
What spoons are you using? I’m not prepared, they are 4 months so I’m surprised, and very excited, to introduce foods! I’m thinking bamboo bowls because they don’t hold heat or smells??
I think I want to avoid cereal, did anyone start with soft steamed veggies they can hold like broccoli? It’s mostly for fun now anyways, right?
I’m thinking steamed veggies, avocado, tofu, nut and seed butters (one at a time and spaced out). What about things like pickles? Too much salt?
I posted meal pics ~9 months ago. Watching little hands grow and transition to silverware has been emotional. LO is medicinally immunosuppressed so my partner and I prioritize gut healthy/fermented foods and other essential to boost the immune system as best we can.
Edit: Thank you to the kind souls that mentioned the caution around popcorn! It's softcorn from Target (recommended 12m+).
My daughter has always had low weight. She's fluctuated between 7th and 2nd percentile for weight. Right now she's at 2nd and her doctor would like her to get up at least to the 5th percentile. She eats a very healthy diet but doesn't have a large appetite so I'm looking for high calorie foods to give her. She doesn't have any food allergies. She won't eat vegan cheese. And we have to watch her sugar intake due to cavities. I already put butter and olive oil on anything I can. She drinks about 8 oz of unsweetened Ripple milk a day. She likes sunbutter and peanut butter. Thanks!
My little boy is currently on two liquid vitamins (VEG1 from the Vegan Society and omega 3 DHA drops by Apokra). I'm looking to move him onto solid ones, e.g. gummies. Any recommendations for UK brands, please? 🌱🧸
I‘ve just realized that we’re going to run out of the Kendamil we brought with us to Paris before we leave on Monday, and I‘m having trouble finding any French baby formula that doesn’t contain fish oil. I could order Kendamil online, but it won’t come in time. Is there any product I can buy in a supermarket or pharmacy??