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Home › Articles › Multiples › Eating for Three (or More)

Eating for Three (or More)

The Special Nutritional Needs of Moms Carrying Multiples

By Lisamarie Sanders

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(Ballantine Books, 2001) says that many of her larger patients are concerned about gaining weight.

"They'll ask, 'Can't the baby just live off my fat stores?'" she says.

Unfortunately, she explains, it doesn't work that way. The developing fetuses get nutrients directly from the mother's blood supply. If Mom doesn't eat properly, she and the babies will become malnourished.

It's not only what you gain, but also when you gain it that makes a difference in a multiple pregnancy. "We like to see targets of 24 pounds by 24 weeks in twins, 34 pounds by the same time with triplets," Pratt says.

Luke explains that the weight women gain in the first half of pregnancy benefits multiple babies throughout pregnancy. "It's like putting money in the bank where it gains interest," she says. And, like a savings account, the money will be available when it needs to be drawn upon.

Supplemental Information
Although eating more will give multiple babies many of the nutrients they need, dietary supplements also play a useful role in growing healthy babies.

"Most women are not in the best nutritional shape when they get pregnant," Dr. Luke says. They may have low iron stores, poor protein consumption and many have been dieting. More than half of the pregnancies in this country are unplanned, so women – especially those pregnant with multiples – have to pump up their nutrition quickly. Vitamin supplements can help.

In addition to vitamins, Dr. Luke advises her patients to take extra magnesium and zinc. "Magnesium works to quiet muscles, and tht's all the uterus is," she says. Taking a magnesium supplement throughout pregnancy reduces the risk of preterm labor.


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