Lovely Vegan Ladies: Raising A Vegan Child- Topic #1: The First Six Months- Breastfeeding vs. Formula

Hello Lovelies!

Today's post is the reason I decided to split this series into, well, a series! As I started pulling up the websites I had originally used when looking up how to raise a vegan baby, I realized there is just so much information out there! I kept finding great things I hadn't seen the first time around. I narrowed down my search on our first topic to four websites from which I will summarize and share the most critical points. As always, please share any of your questions or comments as this is a learning environment for everyone, including us! This being said...Let's dive in!

Any new parent perusing the internet for information on health and dietary needs the first six months will find one very common theme: "BREAST IS BEST!" Though very common, it is a totally loaded statement. I mean, why is breast the best and is vegan breast still the best? How long is breast the best? What about moms that are unable to breastfeed or their babies are lactose intolerant? (Ok, are we past the awkwardness of the word breast? :) Good) All sorts of questions start rising up. If you're not vegan, you could even be wondering if breastfeeding actually is vegan. (The answer is yes.)

So let's answer some of these pressing questions. Up first- why is breast the best? To put it simply, it has all of the exact nutrients your baby needs, it helps the mom to heal and shed baby weight fast, and it's FREE! Three simple, fantastic reasons to breastfeed. In fact, the World Health Organization, along with a lot of other sources, used to suggest exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months. Recent studies, however, are starting to show that nutrient density in breast milk significantly drops after the three to four months. Therefore, it is now being suggested that around this time some baby foods or formula be introduced in addition to the current breastfed diet to ensure baby is getting all the nutrients he/she needs.

Next question- is vegan breast still the best? You betcha! My personal opinion is that it's probably even better for a baby. Vegans tend to get more nutrients in their own system from consuming more fruits, vegetables, and healthy grains/legumes than the average adult. Here's a great little snippet I found from www.vegansociety.com:

The best diet for breastfeeding

The diet for breastfeeding is similar to that recommended for pregnancy although calories, protein and vitamin B12 are higher. However an increased quantity of a normal and varied vegan diet, based on healthy eating as recommended for pregnancy, will provide adequate nutrition.

The recommended calorie intake is 500 calories above the usual intake
Breastfeeding women should ensure they consume adequate amounts of B12. The Vegan Society recommends a daily intake of 4mcg from fortified foods such as fortified non-dairy milk, fortified cereals, textured vegetable protein (TVP) and yeast extract or 10mcg from a supplement.
Protein requirements are 11g above the usual intake from the birth of the baby until 6 months of age and from the age of 6 months it can be reduced to 6g above the usual intake. See below for examples of protein-containing foods.
Breastfeeding women should take a supplement of 260mg of folic acid per day
Current recommendations for calcium consumption are 1250mg per day for breastfeeding women.
No extra iron is indicated for breastfeeding women

Protein requirements

Protein requirements rise to 56g+ of protein per day for breastfeeding mothers from the birth of the baby until 6 months of age. From the age of 6 months it can be reduced to 53g+ of protein per day.

Third question- How long is breast the best for? While most sites still say a baby should ideally be breastfed until 6 months, it is also suggested that breastfeeding should be continued up to their first birthday. Now, vegan peeps generally get stereotyped as super hippies who will breastfeed their children til they are 5 years old. My opinion, if they can walk up to you and/or straight up ask for the tatas, it's time to move on. :)

Final question- What about moms that are unable to breastfeed or their babies are lactose intolerant? First and foremost allow me to say, that this is perfectly OK! Some women are unable to breastfeed, simply prefer not to, or their babies are lactose intolerant and can not digest it well. For these mamas and babies, we turn to formula. Let it be known- There is not a vegan formula on the market at this time. This is a sad, sad truth right now. We're close though and if you're not an incredibly picky vegan, there are GREAT vegetarian options. Want to know the only thing that keeps our Soy Formula's from being vegan? Vitamin D3. This vitamin is generally derived from the oil created in sheep's wool called lanolin. Even though I am vegan for ethical reasons, this doesn't seem like a HUGE ordeal to me and therefore I am ok with giving it to our little girl. At about 5 months, I introduced our daughter to soy formula in addition to my continuing to breastfeed. She's an incredibly hungry girl and she's bigger in terms of height than most babies her age. I've had great success with going half and half with her. I've found it easier to wean her off of nursing to go to sleep and it helps with the convenience of having a bottle ready when we are out and about. The formula I use is Earth's Best Organic Soy Formula with Iron. Some people have shown concern about soy formula not being good for a baby, but rest assured that recent studies have shown it continues to be a safe feeding option for infants.

As you can see, there is A LOT of information out there. This is a lengthy post! For those of you that made it through- congratulations! Treat yourself to a tasty vegan treat.

The most important thing about raising a vegan child, or really any child for that matter, is being informed. If you and your family decide breastfeeding is the way to go, pay attention to what you put in your body. Yes, it's incredibly vital for your baby's nutritional needs but also for your own! If you decide to go with formula, read your labels, go organic, and get something fortified with iron and DHA.

I hope you've found this information helpful and I'd love to hear your experiences and feedback! Feel free to share this information with any new or expecting parents that are overwhelmed with the plethora of research available. :)

To conclude, here is a picture of our lovely little Audrey, breast and formula fed, a completely healthy (never been sick) vegan baby!