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Double Delivery
Preparing for a Healthy Twin Birth
By Christi Gillentine
There are few things that can prepare you for the news that you are pregnant with twins. In an instant, your whole life (and pregnancy) changes. You walk into a routine ultrasound ready to find out if you will be painting the nursery pink or blue and leave wondering how you can even afford paint.
At least this was my experience 20 weeks into my second pregnancy. I was already a new mother to a 6-month-old baby boy, delivered via Cesarean section. My incision still ached when I was told I'd be having twins! Good thing I was lying down, because I am sure I would have passed out.
Like me, your initial reaction may be shock, but it's the flood of questions that leaves you with a dizzy feeling. Thoughts like: "Does this mean I have to deliver by Cesarean?" and "How can I possibly care for two babies at once?" are commonly experienced by twin moms-to-be.
Good nutrition is essential, says Elizabeth Noble, author of Having Twins (Mariner Books, 1991). "You need a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and protein. Ocean fish is important for essential fatty acids."
Noble also notes that organic foods in general offer the most benefit. "They cost more, but we are talking about growing healthy babies," she says.
Trina Lambert, mother of boy/girl twins from Englewood, Colo., knows the importance of being healthy during pregnancy. "I exercised when I was able and ate healthfully," she says. "I took a Lamaze class early (during my pregnancy) so that if I had premature labor or was put on bedrest I had a good chance of finishing the class first."
Premature labor is a great concern with twin pregnancies, both for parents and caregivers. Even if your pregnancy is completely normal until your delivery, your physician will likely label you as a "high-risk pregnancy." If this pregnancy status has you alarmed, you don't necessarily need to worry, according to Dr. Stuart Fischbein of The Woman's Place for Health and Midwifery Care in Camarillo, Calif. "High risk is a medical term that is often over used," he says. "Clearly, more things could go wrong in a twin delivery, but it is not always for sure. It's good to be a 'cup half full' type of person while pregnant with multiples."
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