Twin Pregnancy Weight Gain
In order for you to have a healthy twin pregnancy you will need to eat extra calories per day. You may be prescribed extra vitamins and minerals to take. Women pregnant with twins are more susceptible to anemia because more iron is needed to grow two healthy babies. It is likely you will be recommended to take more folic acid.
Twin pregnancy weight gain is somewhere around 35 and 45 pounds. Of course, the extra weight is not just from eating more but from the very fact you are carrying two babies, there is extra fluid, tissue, uterine growth, increased blood volumes, two placentas or one large placenta if carrying Monochorionic Twins.
Suffice to say, the extra weight can make for a more uncomfortable pregnancy. However, it is vitally important for the health of the babies and also to sustain energy levels during the pregnancy. A nutritional diet is essential throughout the pregnancy but it can be enormously difficult to maintain when faced with the symptoms of a twin pregnancy.
First Trimester Twin Pregnancy
The weight gain challenge during the first trimester is the nausea. Morning sickness is often increased in a twin pregnancy due to the larger amounts of hormones. I can confirm in both my twin pregnancies that the nausea really was relentless and it made eating very difficult indeed. It wasn’t just in the morning either; it would last all day and night, in fact often the only reprieve was during sleep.
It helped me to eat little and often rather than big meals. I would eat a piece of toast first thing despite the nausea and this helped keep it at baby. Plenty of dry snacks and sparkling water which I added fruit juice to throughout the day. I always listened to my body and if I fancied a particular food then I would go for it immediately while the going was good. Fortunately, although the nausea was relentless, I was never actually sick. There are women who can’t keep food or liquid down and if that should be the case you must seek medical assistance.
Second trimester Twin Pregnancy
This is the easiest trimester in terms of weight gain. Normally the nausea will have eased and you will be feeling much better than before. You may not feel enormously energised as a twin pregnancy can be very exhausting but you will be able to make up for the first trimester in terms of nutrition. Investing in a bump support tummy band is a good idea as it can really help take some of the pressure off.
Third trimester Twin Pregnancy
During the last trimester you really start to expand and your body is under a lot of strain. Sleep becomes even more uncomfortable and eating does too. You will be so full up with babies by this point that you have no room for large meals. You may find that if you do eat a large meal you will be very uncomfortable and start to suffer from heart burn and indigestion. It’s really a case of back to the “eat little and often” method adopted during the first trimester.
Although it’s difficult and I don’t say that lightly as I have carried two twin pregnancies; just keep in mind the importance of weight gain for your babies. So many twins are born prematurely so it is important that your babies receive enough nutrition in the uterus to reduce the risk of being born with a low birth weight.
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