Hey Ladies, Since this seems to be a topic with several different answers, I thought I'd see what everyone else has been told about what to eat or how much to eat. I'm 15 wks pregnant with twins, like most people the second I found out I went out and purchased every book I could find but couldn't really find all that much "good" information. Based on the recommendation of several people on this site I purchased the book "when you're expecting" by Dr. Barbara Luke. I'm only at chapter 4 but so far I like the book more than all my other books combined. I had several drs appts at the beginning but not once was nutrition discussed. When asked I was simply told to gain about 50 pounds through the entire pregnancy. At one point I asked about the "suggested" 3,000 calories a day and was told that is way too much since the babies are so small. Like everyone else on this site, my goal is to do what's right for me and my growing babies. I would like to grow 2 big healthy babies with little to no bedrest. And nutrition seems to be the biggest factor that can be "controlled". So I'm wondering what you've been told or what you've been doing?
honestly, in the beginning of my pregnancy i ate whenever i was hungry. my first trimester i ate and ate and ate. i tried to eat as health as possible but if i was hungry and wanted food, then i ate. now im my 2nd trimester, i try to eat throughout the day, even if i'm not that hungry. for breakfast i'll have a piece of fruit (like an apple) then i'll be at work and eat grapes, have yogrut with strawberries then for lunch some salad with protein or a sandwhich with protein. i always eat protein for dinner and of course, when im craving pizza, or chinese or icecream, i give into it. not sure if that answred your question!
Eat heartily while you can...you'll be force feeding yourself later when there's no longer room for your stomach. I think quality is every bit as important as quantity, too. I had borderline gest diabetes with DS and I don't want to revisit that so I try to watch my sugar/carb intake - even the natural sugars. No sugar for breakfast, and minimal amts spaced thru the day. I also live in fear of pre-e, so I avoid salty/processed foods as much as poss. This doesn't mean I deny myself of all treats, but a CONTROLLED, preventative diet is what I aim for. Protein is king. I snack on lots of walnuts, pecans, and cheese. And the number of extra cals per baby I heard was 300...and even more if you bf once they're born. Eve
Per usual i am the odd one out on this. i honestly have been eating whatever i want. In the very beginning i had a craving for protien, and since the shakes make me gag, i was living on steaks and sausages and LOTS of eggs. All kinds of meat. Then again, i have always been a carnivore. There was a period early in the 2nd trimester when i barely had any appetite and had to force myself to get enough in. That was around the time the u/s were showing signs of baby B having IGUR, and i knew sufficient weight gain was going to be necessary in case they had to be taken early. That's when i started eating whatever i wanted. i put myself on a ( mostly ) strict bedrest, drank enough water that i thought i was going to float away, and started eating whatever i happened to have a craving for. Hamburgers, lasagna, chili dogs.....stuff with alot of substance to it. Yes, i had my snacks in there, as i have never been one to be keen on depriving myself, but it wasnt the majority of what i was having. i personally have no clue how much i have gained, but im not going to worry about it since my goal is to have big babies, and lets face it, salad is just not going to do that. Oh, and as an added note, because of my diet, bedrest and water intake, my boys are growing very well, and my baby B no longer has the IGUR. So much for the books that say i HAVE to live on shakes in order to accomplish this. PS.. i am not saying that everyone, or even anyone should start eating the way i am. It is simply what works for me. 28W3D mono/di boys
I wasn't really told anything per nutrition or what to eat. I am overweight tho and at risk for GD. My ob figured a 40-50 lb weight gain as well, as of right now I'm at 24 lbs. But both babies were measuring at 4 and a half lbs at 31 wks so they are plenty big enough! For the first tri i was so sick I lived on pb&j toasted sandwiches, hot tea and a bit of fruit here and there. Since then I've been craving hamburgers mostly, but I'm trying to throw in some veggies and fruit as well. Now I can't eat much at all...as someone said sometimes I have to force myself to eat!
Thanks for asking this question, I've been wondering the same thing. My doctor said to try to only gain 35-40 pounds so I've been worried about how to do this without depriving the babies (I've gained about that amount with 3 of my singletons and more with two of them).
As usual indisbelief I am right there with you. When I started frying up eggs and bacon at 7 weeks my husband thought it was the funniest ever. I still have them for breakfast at least once a week. The only diet advice I have been given is to make sure I get enough calcium and iron. My ob. said this is very important in a twin pregnancy, as otherwise they will just zap your supplies. And I have been making sure to take omega3's, so much research points to this helping babies brain and eyesight.
Thanks also for posting this. When I first got my BFP, I got What To Eat When You Are Expecting. I do NOT recommend this book. It is very strict about nutrition. It tells you that once a month you can have cake *or* ice cream. Anything more is poisoning your baby. Yup, it went right back! I don't mind healthy eating, but the whole poisoning your baby thing and the condescending attitude was a bit much for me. I am also in the middle of the Luke book and I just got to the nutrition part. It was such a relief to see her say "Go ahead and enjoy the cheeseburger, but go easy on the fries." and "Treat yourself to the occasional candy bar, but after you eat a pork chop and green beans." I also thought the Luke numbers seemed high for calories, etc- so I'd love to hear more thoughts on this.
Hi, My regular OB didn't say too much to me about nutrition or weight gain, but my specialist suggested the Barbara Luke book and said that I should eat as much as possible and gain as much weight as possible early on in the pregnancy. He said her eating guidelines can be a little strict so not to worry too much about that, but to try to get the calories in to help the babies grow. At the beginning, I was so sick that I just had to eat whatever I could get down. Now I crave a lot of sugary drinks for some reason. I just try to make sure I eat enough protein, drink a lot of milk, and have some fruits and veggies each day. So far the babies have been growing very well (about 4 pounds each at 31 weeks) and doing great. I've gained about 45 pounds (I'm 33 weeks now), but it is all in my belly. It's getting harder to eat now b/c I'm running out of room, so I can see why the doc recommended gaining as much weight as possible early on. I really think it's more important to feed the babies well instead of worrying about gaining too much weight. I feel like if I'm hungry then the babies are hungry. I hope everyone is doing well! Lisa S.
