Twin Pregnancy? Here are 10 tips you should know…

Quite often, being diagnosed for a twin pregnancy can catch you by surprise. Also, if you are carrying twins, your pregnancy is bound to be different from a single-baby pregnancy. Sometimes, a twin pregnancy can also be a high-risk pregnancy, though it needn’t be. There are, however, certain tips to keep in mind if you are having a twin pregnancy. In this article, we’ll talk about 10 tips on how to help you navigate your twin pregnancy successfully.

1. Eat healthy and sufficient: You need to eat for three if you’re having a twin pregnancy. Instead of the additional 300 calories a day recommended for a single-baby pregnancy, you need to have an intake of an additional 600 calories per day for a twin pregnancy. You also need to eat right, which means at least 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Try to avoid junk food and other unhealthy cravings. You should also consume lean protein, which can keep your sugar level in balance and can help you avoid low sugar levels. You should also take prenatal vitamins, folic acid, and iron supplements. All of these are highly recommended for twin pregnancies. You could possibly have a weight gain of 16 to 25 kilos during a twin pregnancy. Ensure that you consult with your obstetrician for the right diet and supplements for you.
2. Understand the ramifications of a high-risk pregnancy: While you may be considered high-risk if you are having a twin pregnancy, this does not need to mean anything serious. In your case, it could mean bed rest, preterm labour, or possibly, a Caesarean section. You should read about the different precautions you need to take during your twin pregnancy. You should typically fix up an appointment with a high-risk specialist so that you are more aware of what you could go through.
3. Stay active: You should stay as active as you can throughout your twin pregnancy. This can help you stay in good health and you can avoid back aches and joint pains. You can also do some gentle exercises to help tone your muscles so that you can have an easy labour. If you stay active, you can also avoid gestational diabetes, which occurs because your placenta may secrete hormones that make you insulin-resistant. Again, do consult with your obstetrician for the exercises that are right for you.
4. Ask for any help that you need: If you are having a twin pregnancy, do ask for any help that you need. You can assign different tasks to people who volunteer to help you during and after your pregnancy. These could include preparing food, doing the laundry, doing the dishes, or changing diapers. If you can get your mother to stay with you during and after the pregnancy, it would be a great help and support. If not, you can hire professional help during this time so you can spend more time with your twins.
5. Join a support group: You should certainly network with other mothers in your neighbourhood. This can help you get great ideas in times of stress, especially during and after a twin pregnancy. However, you should not join any and every club. You can join a club or group that has similar notions of parenting as you do.
6. Start sleeping on your side: Typically, expectant mothers are told to start sleeping on their sides around the 20th week of pregnancy onwards. However, when it is a twin pregnancy, you should begin sleeping on your side at 16 weeks. This is because the growing uterus can compress blood vessels, preventing unrestricted blood flow to the heart. Due to this, you can feel dizzy or weak. If you have any questions regarding this, you should consult your obstetrician.
7. Do not worry unnecessarily: If you are seeing the right doctor, you do not need to worry about your twin pregnancy. Most twin pregnancies result in healthy babies and your doctor can help you address any issues or worries that you may have. A twin pregnancy can make you anxious, but your doctor will guide you well.
8. Find and use the right resources: You can tap into the right resources during your twin pregnancy. These may include self-help books that can give you plenty of twin-pregnancy tips. You can also search for blogs or other Internet resources about not only the twin-pregnancy itself, but also about raising twins.
9. Prepare well in advance: About 60% of women with twin pregnancies deliver before 37 weeks. This means that you need to prepare for your delivery early, by about 30 weeks. So, you can make sure that the baby’s nursery is ready by about then. Also, once you are over 30 weeks, do keep your obstetrician’s phone number handy, as well as contact details for the hospital that you will be going to.
10. Hire professional care: Instead of hiring a midwife, you can hire a professional nurse, especially one that is well-trained in twin pregnancies. You can ask your obstetrician if she can suggest a suitable and well-trained nurse to be with you during the latter part of your pregnancy and immediately after your delivery. It is important that you hire a nurse who is well-versed in a possible high-risk pregnancy.

Daunting as all of this sounds, twin pregnancies need not be stressful. After all, you are being blessed with two babies instead of one, so you should enjoy the experience and immerse yourself in it.

However, it is important that you choose the right obstetrician and hospital for your twin pregnancy. Harsha Hospitals Hyderabad is one such hospital that boasts of having the best gynaecologist in Hyderabad. It is a hospital that specializes in gynaecology and obstetrics and other women’s health issues. At Harsha Hospitals, which has the best gynaecologist in Kukatpally, you will get the best obstetric care available. The gynaecologists, obstetricians and support staff at Harsha Hospitals, will work closely with you so that your twin pregnancy and delivery experience is a positive one.

At Harsha Hospitals, one of the best fertility centers in Hyderabad, we understand that a twin pregnancy can be stressful and we are both empathetic and sensitive to the mother’s needs and to what she is going through. A twin pregnancy is also more likely to result in preterm babies and special care may need to be taken for these babies in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). At Harsha Hospitals, we are adept at avoiding preterm deliveries and reducing perinatal morbidity.
We care for our patients and understand that any and every twin pregnancy is unique. So, if you are going through a twin pregnancy, you know where to go…Harsha Hospitals…and enjoy your twin pregnancy and delivery, knowing that you have made the absolute right choice!