Eating Well When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff

Author:Heidi Murkoff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Published: 2020-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

If You’re Carrying Multiples

Expecting twins (or more)? Then you’ll need to pay at least twice as much attention to your diet as a mom with only one baby on board. As it turns out, good nutrition during a multiple pregnancy has an even greater impact on baby birthweight than it does during a singleton pregnancy. And quality alone won’t do it—you’ll also need to add some quantity. For each extra baby you have on board, you’ll have extra requirements above and beyond those of an expectant mom-of-one. Fortunately for you (and your belly, which will be stretched to capacity anyway during your multiple pregnancy), that doesn’t mean you’ll have to consume twice as many calories or vitamins for twins, or three times as much protein for triplets. Just keep in mind the extras you’ll need when you’re eating for three or more:

Extra weight. Not surprisingly, toting an extra baby means you’ll have to tote around extra weight. Also not surprisingly, the healthier your weight gain (and your diet), the healthier your babies’ weight gain is likely to be. Most experts say that women of normal prepregnancy weight who are pregnant with twins should gain between 37 and 54 pounds—roughly 50 percent more than the recommended weight gain for a single pregnancy (for triplets, 50 to 60 pounds). And because you can expect your babies to arrive somewhat earlier than single babies (full term for twins is usually considered 37 to 38 weeks), you’ll need to pack in that weight gain (and all those extra nutritional needs) in a shorter period of time. Challenging? You bet, especially because you’re also likely to experience more nausea and vomiting in your first trimester and beyond than a mom expecting a single baby. But with a little extra efficiency, it can be done.

Extra calories. So how do you gain all that extra weight? The usual way—by piling on extra calories, about 150 to 300 extra per fetus per day. If you’re carrying twins, that’s an extra 300 to 600 calories, and if you’re carrying triplets, that’s an extra 450 to 900 calories per day (check with your practitioner to determine your magic number). A food dream come true? Depending on what your food dreams are made of, maybe (peanut butter on everything!), maybe not (fries with everything!). Most of those extra calories should come from nutrient-dense foods that best nourish your babies and your pregnancy. Studies show that a high-calorie diet that’s also high in nutrients significantly improves your chances of having healthy, full-term babies.

So get ready to eat more—but to eat well. Use the Pregnancy Diet in Chapter 3 as your guide, and then add more nutrient-dense food, keeping an eye on the scale to ensure your weight gain is on target (no calorie counting necessary). With your bigger goals in mind, efficiency will be extra important. Instead of trying to squeeze the extra calories and nutrients into only 3 meals, try eating 5 or 6 small meals and several light snacks throughout the day.

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