Vegetarians

I have been a vegetarian (lacto ovo) for more than 20 years. I had healthy pregancies with both of my daughters (9 lbs 12 oz and 7 lbs 10oz at birth). I took a vegetarian pre-natal vitamin since I did not want the gelatin contained in the prescribed kind. I had no problems, and my doctor was not concerned at all. She never mentioned anything about zinc levels. I hope that helps!

What?! No. There's nothing a growing fetus needs that is only found in animal tissue.

Vegetarian (ate cheese, eggs, milk) through both pregnancies and have 2 very healthy boys. My dr. never mentioned zinc, just recommended the standard prenatal vitamin.

Two pregnancies as a vegetarian WHEN I could even keep food down! For the first 5 month I threw up everyday and forget being able to take prenatal vitamins. I had lost about 10 lbs going into my 6 month. My point : It turns out your body is amazing and built to take from you whatever is necessary to give your baby everything it needs. I may have felt terrible, but both my daughters were healthy babies @ 7.5 lbs and I eventually got to keep down a meal ;-) Good luck and don't worry God and Mother Nature have it covered.

I was vegetarian through my first pregnancy, and vegan for my second. I didn't have any problems with either pregnancy, and my babies were big and healthy (8.5 and 9 pounds). No one ever mentioned zinc levels to me, and none of the doctors or midwives I saw were concerned that my diet would have any kind of an adverse affect on my babies. I hope this helps!

I started out vegan while I was pregnant with my daughter, but all I craved was cheese, so I went to vegetarian while pregnant. My doctor said nothing about zinc levels, but she did say to make sure to eat enough protein. I think they recommend 75 grams of protein a day for pregnant women. Toward the end of my pregnancy I had low iron levels and they put me on an iron supplement for about a month. But that happens to lots of pregnant women, so they were not concerned that it was caused by my diet. Overall, I had a very healthy pregnancy, and delivery, and I bounced back really fast after she was born. I hope this helps!

I am not a vegeterian, but instead of prenatal pills, I took a nutritional supplement that my dietitian said was the best balance she'd seen, and it is vegan/vegetarian as well. It's a powder form that you mix with water, juice, or milk, and provides SOOO much more than normal prenatal vitamins. It includes protein, amino acids, zinc -- all of that through a non-animal source!
Not to mention, sometimes, the prenatal pills add to the sickness that pregnant moms go through; I didn't have to deal with much sickness w/ either of my pregnancies.
Let me know if you'd like more info on the nutrition drink and I wish you the best!

Vegetarian while pregnant, very healthy baby boy, no problems at all (I did take a prenatal vitamin, of course). My doctor was completely unconcerned.