Small at 32wks

I'm new here. My wife is 32 wks with boy/girl twins (via IVF). The last US the girl measured at 3% and the boy 5% in size (about 3lbs each give or take a few oz's and the wife only gained 1.5lb last month). The MD/US tech didn't seem too worried about it since my wife and I are both on the small side. She's starting the bi weekly visits to check on growth, movement etc. Just wondering if there are other questions we should be asking at this point. Right now both twins are transverse so hopefully they will get into a head down position before too long...we're hoping for a vaginal birth (my 7 yo daughter was born naturally).

 

Welcome, and congrats on your (wife's) twin pregnancy! My three year old twin daughters were also quite small, one more than the other. At 36 weeks, Piper was 3 pounds 11 oz, and Cricket was 4 pounds 9 ounces. We found out after the fact that Piper's umbilical cord implanted on the edge of the placental disk and she wasn't getting as many nutrients as her sister. We dealt with a few issues the first month from her small size. She wasn't able to regulate her own temperature since she didn't have much fat, and her digestive system was slightly underdeveloped which led to some awful reflux.

Questions I would suggest you ask: does there appear to be any reason for them to be small? Do they have three vessel cords? Is there any sign of placenta deterioration? Can the doctor/nurse/tech tell where the cords are implanted? Should you get the steroid shots for lung development in case they come early?

Then ask them for how the hospital will care for your kids when they're born; ie - will there be any special care needed, like NICU, since they're on the smaller side. Are they more at risk for any complications you should plan for? I assume the answer is no... but you may find that your hospital has a policy that any baby born under 5 pounds has to go to the NICU for a night. It's nice to know in advance so you don't think there's a problem as the babies are whisked away.

Finally, 1.5 pounds is a tiny amount to gain in a month. Is your wife eating well or does she restrict herself? She needs at least 600-800 extra calories a day to feed these babies as they're growing. And lots of that should be protein, like 60 grams a day. Protein shakes are a great way to get both protein and calories without having to chew extra food. Many people here drink Boost or Ensure. I preferred protein powder from the health store mixed with vanilla ice cream and peanut butter. Ask your wife to talk to her doctor about leaving work (if applicable) so she can rest more. The more she eats (healthily) and rests on her left side, the more nutrients flow to the babies. When we realized at 30 weeks how small Piper was, my perinatologist recommended resting on my left side for at least an hour each morning and two hours each afternoon. She showed me many studies that have proven that extra rest really does help with size issues.

Good luck to you and your wife - enjoy these last few twin-free weeks!

 

:welcome: to Twinstuff!


Tricia posted some good questions to ask the OB.

 

Welcome to Twinstuff!

The only other thing I can add that helped me was Dr. Barbara Luke's "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads". She speaks about diet and rest in detail to try to grow some bigger babies.

I wish you and your wife an uneventful pregnancy and healthy babies.

 

I also wish you luck. I agree that you should ask as many questions as you can so you can get a better picture. doctors aren't the best at explaining things if parents don't ask.

Eat, Eat, Eat- Maybe your wife is already doing that but she should never got more than 1 1/2-2 hours with out eating a small meal. At this point eat things that are high in fat and protein. All that extra nutrients will help the babies to grow more the last few weeks. Good luck. Hope it all goes smoothly.

 

thx for the replies. She went in for the first monitoring session today and it seemed to go well and she was 2# over her weight last week so maybe it's a scale issue at the office. I'm going with her on thursday to ask some questions as I'm in the medical field. My wife is trying to eat more but as you know that's not the easiest thing to do.

 

My goal was once I stopped feeling uncomfortably full (about an hour or so) eat again. It didn't feel great, but after awhile you get used to it.

 

Well we have made it to 35 weeks. Had an US done on Monday and if there was not enough growth by the girl they were gonna do a CS this week. Luckily the girl put on a pound and is at 4# and the boy is 5lb 9oz. All the monitoring/blood flow/fluid has been normal. The doc is a bit relieved as are we. Since the girl is lower and breech we've scheduled a CS for Sept 13 which puts it at between 37-38 weeks. The wife is pretty miserable and having a really rough time sleeping. The doc still allows her to do some yoga and swim a bit so that helps. I've been making these killer protein shakes/smoothies with 1000's of calories so it's easier for her to eat.

Here's hoping for a quiet and uneventful couple of weeks!

 

Awww. I love that you make her shakes that are calorie-laden. :wub: Keep up the good work both of you. The end is, well, horrific, but she never a day. Each day is a day closer to the end. I also slept on a blow up bed as I found it was curvier to the belly and more comfortable.