Since I got pregnant poeple have been really hard my diet and exercise.

[Anonymous]

Including my husband. He thinks I'm risking our babies health but I'm not (my doctor says so).

And it's not just coming from him, it's coming from so many people.

I didn't anticipate that when I got pregnant. But a lot of them are just really really hard on me and some aren't polite either. I get called a bad mother all the time and It's just not fair. I cry myself to sleep a lot. So maybe I should just give in? Even though my diet makes me feel great

I eat a (mostly) raw vegan diet. So basically fruits and vegetables and sometimes nuts and seeds, but nothing cooked. My husband never had an issue with it. He would usually eat what I eat and sometimes I'd make some meat on the side for him.

My doctor says it's an uncommon diet so he wants to keep a closer eye on me but so far everything is perfect. So there is really no medical reason for me to change it.

Most people say I didn't gain enough weight though. They say I look too skinny for being 5 months pregnant.

I went from 115 to 122 lbs with twins which is a bit low but my doctor says since everything else is fine I shouldn't worry about it. I'm just wondering if I don't know I should do something to gain more weight, just so people will shut up about it? For my mental well being and maybe give my husband a bit peace of mind?

Exercise is another thing. I don't do anything heavy, just walking, pilates, yoga and swimming but I get so much critic for it that I sometimes think I should just give it up?

For the record I'm not anorexic I eat a lot of food. On an average day I have well over 2000 calories. I'd have 3 or 4 bananas with a cup or two of berries for breakfast. A big smoothie and a pound of grapes for lunch and a huge salad, sometimes with cooked food for dinner.

[Darkfairie17]

If everything is fine with you and your diet, then why change it? People can be jerks about this sort of thing. I have a lot friends who are parents, and they always get comments. It's a part of parenthood. People seem to think you are obligated to hear their advice.

Trust me, this won't end once you give birth. If anything it just gets worse because now people will criticize your parenting style, how you do everything and when, and also make comments on your child.

It's ridiculous. People need to back off. I feel so bad for parents because they get so much criticism coming from all angles.

The best thing you can do is to go talk to your husband. Talk to him about how all this criticism is making you feel. Let him know that you need and value his support. You are healthy, your doctor is saying you are healthy and your health is being monitored closely. That is all that you need to know that you are doing the right thing.

Every person is different. I think I answered a question like this the other day. It's tough, but you need to not let people's comments get to you. Thing is, nothing you will ever do as a parent will be good enough for everyone. There's always going to be something, someone says they are doing better or that could be done differently.

You have to do what's best for you and your family. Don't let the criticism get to you. If someone is saying things, tell them that you are being monitored by the doctor and that you know how to take care of yourself.

I would personally be offended by all these people thinking you can't and don't know how to take care of yourself.

I wouldn't give in. You are doing your best for your child and yourself. Sounds like you are doing the right thing already, why change it and risk harming your child or yourself?

[pickledxtofu]

Research has shown that exercise is PERFECTLY healthy and is encouraged that it be continued if the mother exercised before pregnancy.

Too many women in America use pregnancy as an excuse to "eat for two." Low and behold pregnant women should only eat 300-400 extra calories per child they are carrying unless otherwise specified.

As long as your doctor is keeping a close eye on you (due to your diet) then don't worry about what others have to say.

Why don't they criticize the 200 lbs bitches eating potato chips and a carton of ice cream? Sorry, but if health was the concern they wouldn't be eating empty calories from sweets and processed foods. No one ever got fat eating veggies and fruits. Nor has any pregnant woman gained 50 lbs from eating fruits and veggies.

Oh also, swimming is GREAT. It's recommended for pregnancy women because it's gentle on your ankles and gives you a great cardio workout. Pilates and yoga are great for helping strengthen your muscles and can also help make birthing easier. Are you doing prenatal yoga or just continuing yoga (in whatever form you practice)?

Don't gain more weight. It's unnecessary.

"When carrying twins, you may need between 3,000 and 3,500 calories a day."

Just make sure that you're getting in enough plant based protein. And make sure you're getting in enough fats from avocados.

link

[pickledxtofu]

*for pregnant women

[Asker]

It's just kinda tough when everyone is judging you.

I easily eat 3000 calories a day, even before I was pregnant I ate around 3000 calories a day. not every day, but often enough.

I don't really take classes. I used to teach yoga and pilates classes part time, back in college so I just do my own routine at home. Sometimes with my sister or best friend. We also have a pool so when I go swimming I mostly go at home too. And I take thai chi classes

[kheserthorpe]

gaining 7 lbs with twins at that starting weight seems insufficient.

My -smallest- child weighted 8.5 lbs at birth. Add the water weight and the placenta and my wife was up probably close to 20lbs just from the contents of her uterus.

I have never carefully investigated a vegan diet but eating nuts and seeds 'sometimes' strikes me as not nearly enough. And like I said your weight gain seems too low to me but I haven't really researched it.

[Asker]

well I still have 4 more months to go. Weight gain during pregnancy is almost like an exponential curve (with an end obviously) You gain very little in the first few months and a lot very quick in the end. Recommended is 10 -17 lbs at the stage I am at. But my doctor said I gained it at the right places while most women gain a lot on their arms, legs and back, so I'm doing fine.

I said it in another comment, if you eat enough of them, there is a lot of protein in plants

[kheserthorpe]

ahh at 5 months. Probably be okay. You will need to eat enough to support that exponential curve at the end.

I wouldn't say there's a -lot- of protein in plants but there is some though often it's incomplete. I'm -assuming- you are dealing with that properly.

Being vegan is a moral choice more than an -optimally- healthy one (though it can easily be healthie then what most people eat). You don't need to stop being vegan. You do owe it to your kids to donut in the best way possibl.

[Asker]

Well maybe a lot is very relative, but there is a good amount in it and I get to the recommended amount.

On a typical I eat 3-4 cups of spinach and broccoli, one cup of mung bean sprouts, a few tbsp of spirulina and chia, few hands full of cacao nibs, dried fruit and nuts, 5 - 10 bananas, 3 - 10 peaches, 4-12 kiwis, one or 2 papayas...

I just eat a lot of it, so it adds up. And since I got pregnant I eat more cooked food too such as hummus, tahini and legumes in general

[kheserthorpe]

You eat plenty of healthy things that I also eat. I'm aware vaguely that many of them are incomplete proteins but since I also eat eggs and meat I don't think about it much. I'm assuming you are!

[Anonymous]

you need more protein in your diet but besides that you're not doing anything wrong

[Asker]

as I said I've been through this with my doctor

[Opinion Owner]

i didn't mean that in a bad way, from what you said in your description nuts are the only protein you seem to have

[Asker]

protein is actually in a lot of vegetables too (at least in the masses I eat them) such Spinach, cauliflower, corn, cacao beans, fennel, broccoli, chia, mung bean sprouts and spirulina. Even in banans and avocados there is a reasonable amount of protein

I counted few times since I got pregnant and I easily get to the recommended amount. Every now and then I eat cooked food such as beans and lentils too. And if I really crave protein such as eggs, I'll have them

[Opinion Owner]

ok fair enough, maybe people are just uninformed about the nutrition values of the food you consume and need to be set straight when they nag you. I know a lot of people naturally have an "anything you do I can do way better so you need my help" attitude anyway so you mightnt be able to change their minds and will have to put up with their judging you all the time