Pregnant with twins? Here's great advice to keep you and your twins healthy, from Dr. Keith Eddleman, head of Obstetrics at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York.
Multiple births are more common today than ever before. The extra care for twins or even triplets has to start early when you are pregnant. Here are some tips on how to do just that.
- At your first pre-natal visit you should be able to determine if you’re having twins.
- Being aware of your nutrition is even more important when having twins. You should consume 600 extra calories a day if you are carrying twins.
- More nutrients like iron and folic acid are also very important.
- You also should gain more weight with twins, approximately 35-45 pounds.
Risks of carrying multiples:
- There are some risks you should be aware of if you are carrying twins, triplets or more.
- There is a higher risk of premature delivery with twins.
- There is also a higher risk of developing a blood pressure disorder.
- Carrying twins or more can also result in developing gestational diabetes, a temporary form of diabetes.
- There is also a risk of developing growth restriction where one or more of the babies are not growing well.
- Some of these risks can be monitored by your doctor with ultrasounds but with others, like pre-term labor, you need to be aware of the symptoms.
- It is important to go for regular ultrasounds with twins to make sure both babies are getting the proper nutrients since they are competing in the womb.
Risk factors with different types of twins:
- Dichorionic twins, the most common, means that they have two separate placentas.
- Monochorionic twins are less common and they share one placenta. There are more complications, such as nutrients not being properly distributed, associated with monochorionic twins.
- It is important for your doctor to determine between dichorionic and monochorionic twins so you are aware of any complications that may arise.
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