Food, Food, and more Food....

Well when we found out about these twins the doctor recommended a book about twins and more specifically the nutrition required for growing them. I've been harassing Joy to get the book and read it. No such luck of course. In typical Joy fashion she seems to figure it is best to let me hit the point that I research it and give her the summary.

Well here it goes. Most people have heard "Remember you're not eating for two". Well, that doesn't work when you are carrying twins. You have to remember you are carrying 2 and need to eat for 3!!! The folks that wrote the book "When You Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads" have made it clear you need lots of calories.

For example, based on Joy's BMI and the fact she is walking around with two little ones that puts her at the 3,500 calorie mark!!!! Holy smokes! I wouldn't eat that much unless I had a hard 2 hour ride under my belt. Too think how exhausting and taxing that can be on me. Then to think she needs that just to sit in a chair and group some Jim-Jims or Joy-Joys.

Well where should the calories come from?

Dairy 8 servings 1C of milk, ice cream, or Cottage cheese or 1oz. of hard cheese

Veggies 4 servings 1C fresh veggies or 1/2C cooked

Fruits 7 servings 1C fresh veggies or 1/2C cooked

Grains 10! servings 1C cooked or 1 slice of bread

Fats/nuts 6 servings 1tsp oil/butter or 1oz. nuts.

Eggs 2 a day

Meat 3 servings 3oz.

Now that is a ton of food and hard to get it that well balanced.

However, Joy just isn't that hungry. Mornings are weak breakfasts b/c of the morning sickness. So she's been eating a half a of a bagel maybe a whole at times. Then at lunch I'm not sure what she eats but it is an ok size meal. Then maybe a small snack while waiting to force down a small dinner. In short, Joy has lost 2 lbs. since becoming pregnant and according to the book she should be around 11-14lbs heavier at 14 weeks. We should also hope to see a toal gain of 28-33lbs based on her BMI and twins.

What have we started to do? Well, we picked up some Boost drinks. These are supplemental drinks similar to Ensure. They are recommended in the book and on various forums. Each one is only 250 Cal. Since Monday I've been bringing up one each morning before she is even our of bed. Joy has also been trying to remember to snack around 10-11 (yesterday a Snickers). Then a good lunch, another snack (fruit and yogurt), then another snack, followed by forcing a dinner down. Then everyone's dream.....a tall milk shake at 9pm. Let's hope those go to the twins hips :).

It is quit a challenge to eat this much food, it is for many reasons. The twins can't grow off of existing body fat. In fact, the process that breaks down body fat to live on results in the production of Ketones which are toxic to fetuses. They can't handle this protein. They need carbs for energy, protein for building blocks, and fats for almost every cell in their body and to get vitamins from.

Another challenge is that nature, for whatever reason, forces twins to mature faster than a singleton. Scientist don't know why this happens, but twins develop quicker. Their lungs develop faster and they start to pack on the pounds sooner than a singleton does. In addition, it seem that the placenta starts to become less efficient sooner (ironic since it is so much more efficient during the pregnancy). So, when a singleton hits 34-36 weeks they are pretty much done plumping up. However, a singleton is just starting to really beef up around then.

Our hope is that we can give them enough nutrition to grow fast and then start putting on weight fast. We need them to break the 2lb mark for premies and the bigger they are the few complications they will have. The book boasts about their statistics when it comes to baby sizes. The women who go to there clinic on average have twins that are 20% bigger (twins in the 6-7lb a piece range!!!) and have shorter NICU stays as a result. Mother's quoted in the book note that there is a big difference between their babies and other twins in the NICU. Even the nurses can tell when mothers have gone to this particular clinic. So, I feel this is a good diet to follow and hopefully gives us a head start on our premies.

Whelp, I'm sorry to have put everyone to sleep. At least you know Joy is allowed to pig out on almost anything she wants to. This is a great time for her to eat almost whatever she wants and not feel a bit guilty.

Perhaps Joy will write up a more uplifting and humorous post soon. Maybe something exciting will happen tonight in Lamaze class. I'm not sure why we are going since we have already been told we have to have a C-section.