Q&A Redux Part V

Questions from Anneloes...

I think I have read that you are both vegetarians. Does that have any effect (positive or negative) that you know of in getting or being pregnant?

Well, M. and I eat primarily vegetarian but we're not strict. We sometimes eat salmon at home. I also will sometimes eat meat if we're out to dinner and there's not a good veggie option or if someone else makes me dinner.

In the realm of getting preggers, being a veggie is six of one or half dozen of another...no effect. Well, except that I think eating vegetarian is very healthy and healthy is good for pregnancy, but you can have a very healthy diet that includes lean meats.

As for being preggers, the biggest challenge in being a pregnant veggie is to get enough protein. You can't really live on a diet of pasta and have to make very concious decisions about what foods you put in your body. I purposely don't eat much soy but when I'm pregnant I'll probably add more in for protein. Lots and lots of vegetarians have very succesful, well nourished pregnancies.

How do you decide what to share and what not? Where is that line for you? And has that line changed at all during this journey?

I think the line in sharing has changed a little for me, mostly around our donor's privacy. He's doing such an important thing for us and really trusting us in this process. I wouldn't want to hurt him in any way. This is the mama bear Taurus in me.

Other than that, my goal has been as open as I possibly can be about everything. Without honesty this blog would be nothing but window dressing on our lives. I'm not stuck living in the world just to make myself look good. I try to share everything, even when I'm feeling so raw that even writing about it hurts. The therapeutic use of the self.

But sometimes I have M. over my shoulder going don't say THAT....so she has a huge influence on what gets said, what doesn't get said (which isn't much) and how much I scandalize our readers.