Definitely getting bigger.
Strange fact about being pregnant with twins or multiples: you gain a lot of weight in the first and third trimesters, whereas when pregnant with a singleton, a mother sees the largest weight gain in the second trimester. Of course this makes me feel better, seeing as I have already exchanged my wardrobe for the one lurking in the dusty box that's been garage-bound for a whole 19 months. Oh well. I think I've gained around 15 pounds. According to some very reliable researchers, I should have gained between 21 and 26 pounds by now, in order to reach my goal of 50- 60 pounds of overall weight gain. So I'm getting there. These researchers have a clinically proven program for women pregnant with multiples in order to help the babies reach optimal birth weight.
Of course the prospect of gaining this much weight (and eating this much- 3,500 calories a day, 176 g of protein) is daunting to me. I could blame our society for its focus on trim figures as the ideal for women, even pregnant ones. But it's me too, I value a fit body and work towards making sure I am healthy. This new focus on eating more, instead of limiting portion size, is difficult to get used to. It is sort of a relief, but I can only eat so much meat in a day. But I am reminded constantly in all of these twin books, and by my loving husband, that I am feeding the babies, not just my pants size. That their brain development depends on the amount of healthy fats I eat. That these 9 months, though short in my life, are the most important (developmentally) in the babies' lives. And that I have the rest of my life to whip this body into shape.
I didn't realize this other difference between singleton pregnancies and multiples pregnancies: that a mother of one baby can gain between 15 and 50 pounds and still produce a healthy weight baby of 7 and a half pounds. But for a mother of twins can not provide the essentials with her own body weight and brain fat for two healthy babies- which is one reason that twins are often Low Birth Weight babies.
There are two risks associated with carrying multiples that make this pregnancy a "high-risk" pregnancy even though there is nothing else "risky" going on. One is Low Birth Weight and the other is Pre-Term Labor. I can not do much to determine when I go into labor, besides the typical, "Lie Down. Drink Water. Etc." But I can do my best to help my babies have a healthy weight for their gestational age.
I'm pretty sure I haven't reached 176 g of protein a day yet, but I'm trying. And in an effort toward that goal, I'm going to go get a snack before I go to bed. Anyone ever tried liver pate? It has a lot of iron and protein, both of which are desired by my babies, if not by me.
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