Pregnancy

Your Nutrition

 

If you're pregnant with multiples, you should follow general pregnancy nutrition guidelines, including increasing your calcium and folic acid intake.

Calcium

Pregnant women need additional calcium, so extra milk or fortified orange juice, broccoli, sardines, or other calcium-rich foods should be added to your diet.

Folic Acid

As with all expectant mothers, folic acid is extremely important. Taking folic acid 1 month prior to and throughout the first 3 months of pregnancy will decrease the risk of neural tube defects (such as spina bifida).

Protein

Proteins serve as the building materials of body tissue. They also act as enzymes that regulate chemical reactions to keep a body growing and functioning.

Iron

During pregnancy, an increased supply of iron is also needed for hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that binds oxygen for delivery to the tissues. Insufficient iron can lead to a condition known as iron-deficiency anemia. Anemia occurs when the number of healthy red blood cells decreases in the body), and is relatively common in multiple pregnancies. Anemia can cause a decreased appetite and extreme fatigue during a pregnancy, as well as a reduced oxygen supply to the developing babies. Your doctor will probably prescribe an iron supplement, as your requirement for this mineral usually can't be met by diet alone.

Iron is absorbed more easily when combined with foods high in acid, such as yogurt, and those with high amounts of vitamin C, like orange juice.

Vitamin Supplement

Multiple babies also mean an increased need for all other nutrients (such as zinc, copper, vitamin C, and vitamin D). So it's important to take your prenatal vitamin supplement every day. But just because you're carrying more than one baby doesn't mean you should take more than one prenatal vitamin — one is enough and too much can even be harmful.

Your Weight

Mothers carrying multiples are expected to gain more weight during pregnancy than mothers carrying a single fetus. But exactly how much weight you should gain depends on your pre-pregnancy weight and the number of babies, so make sure to talk to your doctor. In general, though, you should consume about 300 additional calories a day for each baby. Although it might be tough to eat a lot when your abdomen is full of babies, it can help to eat smaller, more frequent meals.