My family was fairly supportive of my vegan diet. They just made sure I took my prenatal vitamins and ate lots of snacks. Being 16, I went to a lot of shows/concerts. I made sure to pack along a half-gallon of orange juice or a carton of rice dream rice milk and I drank every bit of them. I would eat maybe 5 small meals a day and that helped me avoid morning sickness. I'll admit I didn't eat enough fruits and veggies. Mostly, I ate lots of starchy carbohydrates.

My family was nice enough to help me set up my first prenatal visit. I don't ever recall the doctors saying much about my diet. I just told them I was vegan and that means I don't eat any animals or animal byproducts. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I was gaining way too much weight because I had started eating cheese. The doctors also told me my salt intake was way too high.

My pregnancy was healthy other then the fact that I ate way too much dairy. Fatty foods, like cheese, and a lack of exercise made me gain way too much weight. I once read, on average you're supposed to gain anywhere from 20-30 lbs during pregnancy. Well, I gained 65. I was huge! I regret eating so much cheese.

The only nutrient the doctor mentioned was calcium. He told me to take Tums to get my calcium and to take my gelatin-free prenatal vitamins.

I had a planned cesarean. I was told that because I had an ovarian cyst, I was going to need surgery. So they suggested I have a cesarean and they'd remove the cyst after delivery. Being 16 and not knowing anything about having a kid, I agreed.

My recovery lasted about one week. I stayed in the hospital. The first couple days, I couldn't walk and it hurt very bad to laugh. The hospital didn't have much vegan food, so I found myself asking my family to bring me food. The hospital could only offer me Jell-O and chicken broth, yuck. So the first few days, I could only eat liquid or whatever was closest to them. My family would bring me dairy-free ice cream. Then once I could eat, I'd have baked tofu sandwichs.

After Attica's birth, I continued eating some cheese; mainly pizza. I never ate eggs and I only drank rice milk and I continued my prenatal vitamins. When Attica was 6 months old I started working full-time. I had to nurse her right before work. Then, I'd take a morning break, pump milk, and come home for lunch to nurse her. I'd nurse her again right when I came home from work. Attica nursed until the age of 2 when she weaned herself.

By the time Attica turned one, I had cut cheese out of my diet and was vegan once again. I felt like I was setting a bad example for her by eating dairy but not allowing her to do the same. Cheese was one of the most overwhelming cravings! It did indeed break my veganism during pregnancy.

----Misty lives in Texas with her vegan kid, Attica.