Pregnant Lucy Watson gets mum-shamed over diet for unborn baby

Made in Chelsea star Lucy Watson has faced backlash for announcing she'll be raising her baby on a vegan diet.

Last month, Lucy and husband James Dunmore announced on social media that they'd be welcoming a 'little miracle' and it was obvious they meant a baby was on the way.

The soon-to-be-parents showed off Lucy's baby bump and were met with many congratulations from her Instagram followers and friends who wished the couple well.

They'd announced the news while on a holiday on the Greek island of Mykonos, with the pair pausing their time in the sun to make the announcement.

Since then, Watson has revealed that her as yet unborn baby is going to be raised on a vegan diet, with the Made in Chelsea star herself a vegan who has released two vegan cookbooks.

Instagram/@lucywatson

She said: "For me, veganism is a promise I made to the animals, one I will never break.

"In terms of my diet, I’ve made a conscious effort to eat less processed food and more whole foods."

"Also - protein. I made sure I got at least 60g a day, protein is the building blocks of life and essential to grow a baby. Very achievable to get everything you need on a vegan diet, you just need to make a conscious effort, such as with any diet, to meet all your nutritional needs."

Watson also tackled the idea that her vegan diet had stopped her from getting pregnant, saying: "I’ve had many people along this journey tell me you need to give up the vegan diet, it's stopping you getting pregnant, etc."

"That is not the case, and for anyone dealing with the same doubts, I can assure you it is and can be a very healthy approach to pregnancy."

"There are people who are crack addicts who get pregnant. Being vegan is not going to stop you. And yes, our baby will be vegan."

However, the pregnant star later told her fans that she'd been mum-shamed over her decision, with people asking her whether it would leave her baby 'malnourished'.

Instagram/@lucywatson

Someone else asked: "Surely the kid should get to choose?"

Another told her that 'no midwife will agree to this' and said that while Watson could plan to do this it might be 'considered child neglect'.

More urged her to 'rethink' her approach and told her it was 'really not a good idea'.

According to the NHS, babies can be weaned from their mother's breast milk onto a vegan diet, but the parents will need to take extra care that the child's nutritional needs are being met, while the mum would also need to make sure they were getting the balance right in their vegan diet.

They said a baby would need a regular source of vitamin B12 which they couldn't get from an entirely plant-based diet, and that plant-based alternatives to milk were not a suitable main drink until the baby was at least one-year-old.