Thursday, April 02, 2009

We're Having Twins... Now What? Help!

I am going to revisit some random themes about being pregnant with twins. First, let me say this... I would do it all again. I have several factors working in my favor for twins, I suppose. 1) I have an older daughter who is very helpful and loves her younger siblings. (I did not say she never gets annoyed or never needs a break!) And 2) I do not work outside this home! Whooo Hooo! Number 2 is probably really the most important key. Some other factors include training the other children well, which is a continuous process. But if they aren't strangers to training prior to the birth of twins, it is better for everyone. I guess that is only one other factor.

Okay, I need to go nurse the twins now... I will be back.

I also want to say that giving birth to my twins was the most awesome experience... I accomplished things in this pregnancy and birth that I never even knew were possible.

Good Nutrition - Brewer Diet is a good place to start... look around the website www.blueribbonbaby.org There is lots of good stuff in there to be found.

Protein, Protein, Protein (I resorted to protein powder to boost protein intake, but that is not necessarily the healthiest road to take...but we're talking 120 - 160 grams of protein a day!) Don't neglect the other important foods and nutritional elements either! I had to eat even when I wasn't hungry. (FYI - I have lost every bit of the weight I put on during this pregnancy. Don't worry about weight if you are eating properly!)

That is a good place to talk about exercise. DO IT! It is a vital part of preparing your body and keeping yourself in good health, good spirits and keeping mobile for as long as possible. Even though I never had to go on bed rest, it became more difficult to move around toward the end of the pregnancy. I think exercising helped save me from bed rest.

Drink lots of water... safely. Don't guzzle so much at once that you hurt yourself, but try to get in at the very least 64- 80 oz a day. My goal was 96 oz a day. And I was successful most of the time.

Be careful. I fell in my kitchen at about 34 weeks, I think. And it was painful... for a long, long time.

Variety in diet - too much of any one food could cause a food allergy to develop in the baby and maybe even in you!

What you believe is key! If you believe being pregnant with twins is a disease that the medical community needs to help you cope with and and help protect you from and then eventually relieve you of, then you have already sold yourself out for a C-section. I know, pretty harsh. But if you want a natural birth, you have to believe that God gave you this double blessing, and He created your body with the intention that it could give birth. He did not make a mistake. He did not forget what He was doing in any of this.

Having goals is important... a birth plan! Make it earlier than later so you know what you are working toward. It takes as many months as you can give it to prepare and train mind, spirit and body to make the goal of natural birth.

Read Having Twins by Elizabeth Noble - cover to cover. And then read it again.

Watch Mindy Goorchenko give birth to her twins, Psalm & Zoya, at home unassisted. It is amazing! And it gave me courage to keep believing I could do what God intended as naturally as possible with as few medical interventions as I could get by with... (and we did... see our birth plan somewhere on my blog... I'll find the link and add later...) Her babies weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and 8 lbs 11 oz! That is like a 16+ pound singleton!

Get a really good Doula! I had a great Doula, and I am very thankful for her.

Attend Bradley Method birth classes. We had an excellent teacher who inspired me that I could do this. I did not have as natural a childbirth as can be had (especially since mine was in the hospital), but I am so thankful for it! I don't think I would have had the courage to even try to "buck' the system with twins had I not been inspired by her.

Okay, that is all for now... I know there is more... I still haven't blogged about their actual birth, and they will be a whole year old this month!

1 comment:

  1. Bless your heart for this blog! God knew I needed to find it. I am in my 35th week of pregnancy and found out Wednesday at my midwife appointment that we are 95% sure there are twins! I go this Wednesday for a comprehensive OB Ultrasound and meet the doctor.... Beginning points. I have had 6 healthy beautiful pregnancies and babies. The first two in a hospital and the last 4 at home with my dear certified midwife. I was devastated to learn I will not get to deliver at home and may not have much control. You have given me the book to read and more hope in my prayers. I keep trusting that God has given us this incredibly special gift and will guide me through it all... but hear so many 'policies' by the medical world that say otherwise. Thank You! Thank You! God is always so good to us and I am VERY healthy for almost term, but I appreciate tips from anyone, quickly. eek!

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