The Twin Diet

For most of the early weeks of this pregnancy, I had frequent waves of lightheadedness.  I didn't understand why until I found out I was carrying twins, and started reading the book When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads by Dr Barbara Luke.

She firmly recommends that mothers of twins eat 3,500 calories a day, including 117 grams of fat per day.  Now you would think that someone like me, who really likes to eat, would rejoice at that news:  meat and cheese galore!  A milkshake every day!  Woo hoo!

Actually, I'm here to tell you that it's not all it's cracked up to be.  In order to eat that much, I was literally forcing myself to eat even when I wasn't hungry.  I would spend all day stuffing food into my mouth, and at the end of the day I'd realize I was still several hundred calories short of my goal.  I felt constantly bloated and uncomfortably full.

The rationale for eating so much is this: in the last half of my pregnancy, the babies will take up so much room in my abdomen that I literally will not have space in my stomach to eat the food that they (and I) need.  So all three of us will start relying on the fat stores in my body from the first half of the pregnancy.  That's why it's crucial to eat so much early in the pregnancy.

Fortunately, I talked to my doctor about this at my last appointment.  He told me that I can stop calorie-counting and forcing myself to eat when I wasn't hungry.  He pointed out that I gained a healthy amount of weight during CC's pregnancy, and carried her to (more than) full term.  My slightly older-than-average age of 34 actually increases my odds of carrying the twins longer, as does the fact that I've already had one child.

So thankfully, I don't need to force-feed myself anymore.  Whew!  I am under orders to eat frequently, lots of protein, and no small snacks -- only substantial meals.  But I don't need to work towards a specific number or force myself to eat when I'm not hungry.  Whew! 

Here's to two healthy babies -- and a healthy mama!