Well she finally started a blog to share her story and her journey as a Crazy Vegan Mommy.... here is how it all started.
Introducing my Crazy Vegan Mommy friend, Laura-Lea Vogel.
There's this gene inherent with becoming a mother. This thing that has you instantly head over feet for your baby. The thing that tells you to change a diaper before you even catch a whiff. That thing that makes your boobs scream "empty me...NOW!" It makes you totally neurotic; a know-it-all, do-it-all, for-them-all without even a second thought. This gene is called the CRAZY gene. I always knew there was something a little off about my mother, and it wasn't until I had my first little monkey (Ashton, now 6 years) that I caught a first-hand glimpse at its effects. Add in a princess a couple years later (Ava, now 3 years going-on-18), and I am now a certified expert on the genetic effects of CRAZY.
When I was pregnant with my princess, I had a pretty typical gestation early on; much as I'd had two and a half years earlier with Ashton. Then at 28 weeks...I got the phone call. I had failed my one-hour blood sugar test for Gestational Diabetes Screening and had to move on to a 2-hour fasting blood sugar test. As nervous as I was, I was more upset that I’d have to survive 14 hours without anything to eat or drink. THEY SERIOUSLY DO THAT TO PREGNANT PEOPLE!
When I was pregnant with my princess, I had a pretty typical gestation early on; much as I'd had two and a half years earlier with Ashton. Then at 28 weeks...I got the phone call. I had failed my one-hour blood sugar test for Gestational Diabetes Screening and had to move on to a 2-hour fasting blood sugar test. As nervous as I was, I was more upset that I’d have to survive 14 hours without anything to eat or drink. THEY SERIOUSLY DO THAT TO PREGNANT PEOPLE!
Diagnosis: Gestational Diabetes...
Now, like most people, I had a vague idea of what diabetes is. One has to watch what they eat, time their meals and check their sugars. Simple, right? WRONG. As I would soon learn, diabetes would consume my life. I quickly became an insulin-dependent diabetic. 4 injections daily; 3 fast acting shots before meals, and a slow-release shot before bed to maintain steady sugars while I slept. I had to prick my fingers 6-8 times a day to check my sugar levels. And worst of all, I had a restricted dietary plan; telling me exactly what, when and how much I could eat so as not to risk the health of my unborn daughter.
I was 36 weeks pregnant when I had to stop working. My stress was unbearable. I just could not manage my job, my home, my marriage, mommy-hood AND the stress of the diabetes regimen. Something had to give, and 45 hours a week at work was the only thing that could. I was so depressed that I hadn’t been able to juggle everything. I felt like I had failed completely. It was so disheartening to explain to Ashton why I had to give myself needles every few hours, and even worse to watch him inject his own belly with the toy syringe from his doctor kit so that I wouldn’t have to do it alone.
He and I were watching Treehouse one morning when I felt unbearably shaky; a feeling I’d never had before. So I checked my blood sugar and it was at a record low. I panicked. All I could envision was the scene in Steel Magnolias when Julia Roberts passes out and ends up in a diabetic coma while her toddler son sits on the floor screaming because he has no idea what’s going on. I could not have that happen to Ashton; never mind myself. That was my “ah-ha” moment. I could not live like that anymore. I swore as soon as Ava was born and I finished nursing, I would do whatever it took never to get diabetes again.
He and I were watching Treehouse one morning when I felt unbearably shaky; a feeling I’d never had before. So I checked my blood sugar and it was at a record low. I panicked. All I could envision was the scene in Steel Magnolias when Julia Roberts passes out and ends up in a diabetic coma while her toddler son sits on the floor screaming because he has no idea what’s going on. I could not have that happen to Ashton; never mind myself. That was my “ah-ha” moment. I could not live like that anymore. I swore as soon as Ava was born and I finished nursing, I would do whatever it took never to get diabetes again.
Fast forward 9 months…
It was January 2010 and Princess Ava had weaned herself. I was at the bookstore one day and stumbled upon a little book called ‘Skinny Bitch’. I had recalled a friend of mine telling me that reading this book would make me go vegan. YEAH…RIGHT. What was veganism anyways? Some kind of cult? What do vegans eat? Where do they get their protein? We’re humans, we have to eat animals. That’s just the way it is. I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about these things though, because I would never be vegan. Despite myself, I ended up buying the book.
Turns out, my friend was right (no surprise). I continually found myself laughing out loud. Until the part that made me cry. In the snap of a finger, I was a vegetarian. I wasn’t going to “start tomorrow” or “start Monday” or “start on February 1st”. I was an accidental vegetarian; right then and right there. I decided to attempt a 30-day vegan challenge as a starting point.
Now, as much as I wanted the challenge to remain low key, living plant-based is anything but. It affected my entire life. I had to teach myself a whole new way of shopping, prepping, cooking, eating…LIVING. In addition to raising a baby, a toddler, and let’s be honest...a husband! I was afraid of what everyone would think of me; that I was some CRAZY vegan!
Three years, no diabetes, and 40lbs later, I have never looked back. I have to admit, it's pretty fun being the "vegan in the room". As soon as people hear the "v" word, they are instantly engaged and always ask questions. I take for granted sometimes how foreign a lifestyle this seems to people now that I've been living it for this long. Everyone in my life has embraced my choice. Even my MEAT-AND-POTATOES hubby. I especially love when my son or daughter proclaim that I cannot eat something because it’s not “veggietawian”. Even at 3 and 6, they understand what that means; despite the fact that we are not raising them as vegetarians. My hubby and I agreed that we would still expose them to all facets of food until they are old enough to make their own lifestyle choices.
At the end of it all, the CRAZY gene is still there…in abundance! Without it, I would never have discovered the importance of treating mine and my kiddos' bodies so respectfully. Those buggers are my greatest gift in this CRAZY world, and I don't ever take them for granted. They're healthy from the inside out. They are learning not only to make whole-food choices, but to live more compassionately. What more could a CRAZY mommy ask for?
With Crazy Love & Gratitude,
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