Where do you go for guidance?

Hi there,

So as I continue this pregnancy, I find I enjoy reading about and want to know about relevant facets to expecting twins. I have the book by Leiter(sp) Everything you Need To Know For A Healthy Twin Pregnancy and am interested in the Lyons book as well. Having perused other books at book stores and here online, I find certain consensus to things such as how much water, what are the nutritional needs and weight gain recommendations. What I notice though, and alluded to in an earlier post, is that I don't get any of this information from my OB. I see him for maybe 5-10 minutes max and he answers questions but does not, at this point, outwardly advise. When I asked him how much water I should drink (after reading 120oz being recommended) he said "There are no guidelines concerning that." Regarding weight gain, he mentioned nothing about the "20lbs by 20 weeks," just advocated for an overall gain of around 40. I do really like my OB in general and feel good about working with him through this pregnancy, but I guess I feel confused on where to balance getting advice. I guess I figure someone who has written a book on twins has gone out and done research and has some expertise in that area. Unlike my OB who runs a general practice OB/GYN and has the occasional twin mom. But I know there is a fine line to walk when researching things on your own and often sometimes with the questions I ask him, I am aware myself that in some respects I need to not read too much, else I freak myself out by loading up on non-relevant information. So with this in mind, I am curious where others base their "main" source of knowledge, or how to balance those sources available.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head by referring to BALANCE. I think there is a lot of good infomation out there, but here's also a lot of information that needs to be taken with a grain of salt. On line, I stick to reputable sources like the Mayo website or WebMD, etc., not blogs and commercial sites. Even on TS, I look at what other women advise as THEIR personal experiences, not "The Golden Word." Every pregnancy is different, so I certainly don't try to self-doctor and don't think that another woman's experience will necessarily mirror mine. What the internet and books does for me is keep me "off the ledge," so to speak when I feel a funny pain or have a weird symptom at 11pm. But again, if there's ever any doubt, I call the doctor.

My personal OB is FABULOUS at covering every possible question (that I don't even know I should ask!). The other 2 OB's that I see on rotation only seem to offer advice when I actually ask a pointed question, and even then sometimes I'm not clear on the full scoop, so I hear you. And I'm a researcher by nature, so I'm constantly trying to educate myself. I think we are SO fortunate to live in a time where information is so readily accessible 24/7, but I think we have to use that information wisely. I still need my doctor and always will, but books and the internet are fabulous supplemental tools! Without them, I'd probably be a lot more stressed out through this pregnancy!

Eve

 

I hear you -- I also like to do a lot of my own medical research (books, internet, etc.) for both the latest findings and historically tried-and-true approaches, which helps me form my own middle-of-the-road way to deal with whatever has been thrown my way -- including this twin pregnancy. Like your OB, my OB/midwife group is similarly blase about weight gain, precise nutrition, water intake, etc., but I can't help but feel like that aspect is particularly crucial, and so in that department I defer to the general consensus of other medical experts I've read. I couldn't agree more with the previous poster that in many ways we're so fortunate these days to have access to so much medical information so that we can question when something our doctor says doesn't sound right. However, no book or website can tell me exactly what is going on in MY particular body at any particular time -- only my own doctors -- and so I take all their advice specific to my case much more seriously.

 

QUOTE(newpairofschus @ Apr 27 2009, 06:12 AM) [snapback]1289750[/snapback]
I think you hit the nail on the head by referring to BALANCE. I think there is a lot of good infomation out there, but here's also a lot of information that needs to be taken with a grain of salt. On line, I stick to reputable sources like the Mayo website or WebMD, etc., not blogs and commercial sites. Even on TS, I look at what other women advise as THEIR personal experiences, not "The Golden Word." Every pregnancy is different, so I certainly don't try to self-doctor and don't think that another woman's experience will necessarily mirror mine. What the internet and books does for me is keep me "off the ledge," so to speak when I feel a funny pain or have a weird symptom at 11pm. But again, if there's ever any doubt, I call the doctor.

I think this is excellent advice and I couldn't agree more!!

 

My main source was always my OB. I found that I just confused myself by involving too many other sources of information on what to do or what not to do since every body is different & every pregnancy is different.
I would read books and of course check things out online (couldn't help but not) and then bring my big list of questions to my appointments.
She would always set me straight :good: