Petite moms of multiples

[butterflies]

So I've pretty much stopped mentioning the fact that I'm carrying 2 babies because about 80% of the time, people respond with "YOU are having twins? But OMG, you're so tiny!!"

I know being underweight does increase the risk of prematurity. I'm a researcher and I've looked at those studies-- severely underweight women that have the most serious risk and that's not me. My BMI places me just slightly into the "underweight" category. I eat well, rarely get sick but I have a small frame and have always weighed right around 100 lbs. My older children were full-term easy, uncomplicated births and I gained about 30 lbs with each.

So far, I'm paying close attention to nutrition (eating about 100 g of protein per day) and at 17 weeks have gained about 12 lbs. There no way I can do the full Barbara Luke diet and eat 3500 calories per day (i would explode!) but I've looked at it as a guideline for the types of foods to focus on.

Is there anything else any of you petite ladies would recommend? I'm thinking about a support belt and would love any specific recommendations there. Anything else I should be thinking about to help reduce the stress on my body and give these babies a good start?

[noralou]

I'm not quite as petite as you are, but it was hard for me to take in enough calories. The easiest way for me was with smoothies, with lots of high calorie ingredients. I drank a whole blender's worth every day between meals, starting in the middle of 2nd tri. I was surprised how quickly I got used to eating more. My typical smoothie had:

whole milk yogurt
whole milk
coconut oil
peanut butter or almond butter
whey protein powder
fruit (changing what kind so I didn't get too sick of it - frozen bananas, strawberries, peaches ...)
ground flax seeds

I didn't use a support belt, but as soon as I got uncomfortably big (about week 32), I was on bed rest. Hopefully you won't have to do that, but it might not be a bad idea to get help lined up just in case.
Best wishes for good health! You can do it.

[poppan]

I thought the Barbara Luke guidelines were ridiculous -- I started much bigger than you, at 140# and still couldn't do it.

Honestly if you are eating well I wouldn't worry about the quantity. The babies will take what they need and you are eating the right things and not starving yourself. I read that smaller-framed women have a harder time carrying multiples to term just because you run out of room faster, and I feel that was true in my case. (All the women I know IRL who carried their twins to term were taller/larger framed than me.) In retrospect I wonder if my babies had been smaller, if they would have lasted longer in there. (My water broke at 32.5 weeks, they think it was just a mechanical issue.) Being a good weight for his gestation (5#4oz at 34.5 weeks) did not prevent DS from a 6-week NICU stay. Not that I dwell on the what if's, but I kind of think if he had been 5#4oz at 37 weeks he wouldn't have had any NICU stay.

[dividedsky]

Originally Posted by poppan

I thought the Barbara Luke guidelines were ridiculous -- I started much bigger than you, at 140# and still couldn't do it.

Honestly if you are eating well I wouldn't worry about the quantity. The babies will take what they need and you are eating the right things and not starving yourself.

agreed! i am not as small as you, i was ~125lbs @ 5'3 before the babes. i ate when i was hungry, tried to stick to healthy, whole foods and avoided junk as much as possible... and i gained just fine. i don't remember ever really having that feeling like i had to gorge myself - i just ate kind of normally. i delivered my guys @ 32wks (cervix issue) and had gained about 45-50lbs by then. my boys are now 17mos and i'm 130lbs and feel good, again, just eating normally. i think your body will let you know what it needs. just treat yourself gently - relax as needed - eat well and you'll do fine!!!

[Shuli]

I also have a small frame but carry very small. I just make small babies and didn't really look so pregnant until about 32 weeks when I suddenly "popped". I gained about thirty five pounds but both were transverse, so that may have had something to do with my small belly size. My boys were born at almost 37 weeks (there was one placenta and only one was growing), otherwise my OB was happy to let me go all the way to 40. With my singleton I didn't gain that much either and she was also a small baby.

I ate when I could and made it count. I made sure to drink a lot and enough (getting ready for nursing) and ate a ton of protein.

Good luck!

[hotmamacita]

Originally Posted by butterflies

So I've pretty much stopped mentioning the fact that I'm carrying 2 babies because about 80% of the time, people respond with "YOU are having twins? But OMG, you're so tiny!!"

I know being underweight does increase the risk of prematurity. I'm a researcher and I've looked at those studies-- severely underweight women that have the most serious risk and that's not me. My BMI places me just slightly into the "underweight" category. I eat well, rarely get sick but I have a small frame and have always weighed right around 100 lbs. My older children were full-term easy, uncomplicated births and I gained about 30 lbs with each.

So far, I'm paying close attention to nutrition (eating about 100 g of protein per day) and at 17 weeks have gained about 12 lbs. There no way I can do the full Barbara Luke diet and eat 3500 calories per day (i would explode!) but I've looked at it as a guideline for the types of foods to focus on.

Is there anything else any of you petite ladies would recommend? I'm thinking about a support belt and would love any specific recommendations there. Anything else I should be thinking about to help reduce the stress on my body and give these babies a good start?

No sugar.
East green leafies and orange veggies, protein and iron-rich foods.
8 oz of water per hour all day. (*)
Salt your food. (*)
Rest.
NO SUGAR, white bread products, or JUNK FOOD.
These together can help keep your blood volume up and keep preterm labor at bay.

[~bookcase~]

really listen to your body, get a good support belt to try early on, rest as much as possible and try to eat MORE! lol.

i was underweight and ate well but not large quantities (i actually coudn't afford to at the time)

i think it is worth reading about preemies and was glad i did. but also remember that all those stats doesnt mean it will be you. expect the best and prepare for the rest.

i had awful spd that was never diagnosed officially, but since i couldn't walk i think i am safe to say it was it. lol. if i could afford it i'd get mayan massage done and any other therapies to make the pregnancy more comfy.
i'm sure there are petite mamas here who carried easily

congratulations

[butterflies]

I've been out of town for a few days and just getting to all the responses now. It's so helpful to hear everyone's experiences-- please keep them coming!

If any of you were WOH while pregnant, when did you need to make modifications to your work schedule?

[Julia'sMom]

Originally Posted by butterflies

I've been out of town for a few days and just getting to all the responses now. It's so helpful to hear everyone's experiences-- please keep them coming!

If any of you were WOH while pregnant, when did you need to make modifications to your work schedule?

I was WOH part-time when pregnant. My midwife recommended starting to slow down around 20 weeks. I kept up my 24 hour a week schedule a bit longer than that. By 24 weeks I did need to cut back as much as possible, which meant to 20 hours a week. I found I couldnt handle a work day longer than 7 hours. I really depended on the naps I got on my days off, so if you're working full-time, you may need to cut back sooner. Listen to your body, it will let you know.