[downtownjb]

I am 9 weeks pregnant with Twins. I had my 1st Ob appt yesterday and quite frankly he kind of scared the daylights out of me. Bedrest at 32 weeks, need to gain 75 lbs, delivery before 32 weeks. Dont get me wrong i know this isnt gonna be a walk in the park but isnt this the worst case scenario?

Just looking for anyone, everyones stories!

1. When did you go on bedrest and for what reasons?

2. How much weight did you gain?

3. When did you delivery? Complications?

[socaintexas]

He said bedrest at 32 weeks but deliver before 32 weeks? I have not heard of that before. I am currently pregnant with twins and he said delivery before 38 weeks. He did not say anything about having to be on bedrest, but I developed preeclampsia and was put on bedrest at about 31 1/2 weeks. I have not had any problems with preterm labor and my cervix is still closed. I will probably deliver early due to preeclampsia. There are a lot of women who work right up until they have their twins. As far as weight gain, my doctor did not really address it. I have gained about 48 lbs.

This is my first pregnancy so I don't have anything to compare it to, but it has been enjoyable. All of my friends who have babies say that I have had a great pregnancy. Good luck to you and congratulations!!

Do you know if yours are identical or fraternal? That makes a difference in riskiness.

[bunniswife]

During my twin pregnancy, I was advised to gain forty-four pounds, I gained eighty-one. I was never put on strict bedrest although I was put on limited activity for as long as my back and pelvis could stand it (I had pubic symphasis dysfunction) and was told because my son had a heart defect that he must be delivered as close to term as possible. I delivered at exactly thirty seven weeks when my membranes ruptured.

[KELLIF4]

Wow, that is a lot of weight !

I never had to do bedrest & My babies were even Identical, a bit higher risk than faternal.
Weight was never really discussed, but I think by the end of 36 weeks I had gained about 40 pounds.

I would suppose all doctors are differant though and have their own reasoning

[inhishands]

im so suprised your dr said all this... now each pregnancy is different... heres what happened to me
pregnant with twins
after discharged from RE went to OB at 12 weeks.. went to her and to a perinatologist (high risk dr). he monitored me monthly... Twin b was always smaller than A... but that is normal with twins.... i had morning sickness up to 20 weeks.. and it was all day all night, i lost 22 lbs... never gained an ounce back until 32 weeks pregnant..and only gained 9 lbs at 30 weeks started NST and dr said he would not let me go past 38 weeks....
No bed rest... in fact my last day of work was 8/25, i delivered 9/9 so i worked up to the very end..in my opinion.. REST is the key... come home from work lay down, after dinner lay down, go to bed early, drink LOTS of water.. stay away from salt... REST on LEFT side and just REST.. cant say it enough... you will get through it... dont let him scare you....you can do this.... today i have 2 awesome baby girls that are healthy and the best gifts ever!!! good luck!

[downtownjb]

OOPS!!! Sorry about the typo...Bedrest at 24 weeks, not 32.

Thank you ladies for your stories...please keep them coming.

[swak50]

Downtownjb,

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Mine is a bit different (I'm carrying triplets) but some of the concepts are the same.

Bedrest -> One of the keys to going to term (that you have some control over) is the length of your cervix. The more that you can rest, the less pressure that you put on it. I am 25 weeks and have not been "officially" told to go on bedrest because my cervix is still long 3.4cm (anything over 2.5 is great). However, at 20 weeks, I stopped working and only go out once a week. Genetics plays a part but you can too by resting. I think that 24 weeks is worse case (I was originally told 18 weeks was worse case for me).

Weight Gain -> I have repeatedly asked my peri and midwife (she is acting in a supporting role) about weight gain and they have said "whatever". I firmly believe that the amount of weight you gain can contribute to the length of your pregnancy. Perhaps you want to read the book "What to expect when you're expecting twins, triplets or quads" by Dr. Luke. She is not an MD, her book speciailizes in diet. Don't be afraid by the numbers (she states that triplet moms should be eating 4,000 calories a day!) just use it as a guide. Run things by your dietician and doctor and trust your instincts. At 25 weeks, I have gained 50 pounds and most of it is baby, belly and boobs (and back and a$$, frown).

Delivery -> I haven't delivered yet so I can't comment.

Genetics -> Genetics definitely plays a role, how much, who knows. However, like the other ladies said, drinking lots of water, putting your feet up/lying down, taking it easy and lowering your stress will only help you in your pregnancy.

Gestation -> Everything I've heard is that twin pregnancies have a really great chance of going to term (37 weeks). The average for a triplet pregnancy is 32w4d so I think that your doctor is a bit off on saying that you'll deliver before 32 weeks (unless you have some medical condition that you haven't stated). The reality is, no one knows when you will deliver, even if you were having a singleton.

Wishing you a "Happy and Healthy 9 months"
swak50
25weeks pregnant with triplets (identical boys, fraternal girl)

[futuremom2b]

There are higher risks with twins especially if they share a sac and/or the placenta as well. I would work with a perinate and make sure I had an OB who has delivered twins before.
I have identical twin boys and we are 29 week today. My twins do not share a sac, but do share a placenta.
I will not be placed on bedrest untill something changes with my cervix (it's holding up really well). The book:
When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads states that the weight you gain by 26 (or some) weeks can determine the end weight of the babies, so try and eat as much and as often as you can (I promise it all goes to your babies). When you reach where I am it's harder to eat with heartburn and because your stomach is so small!

I think if work with a Perinate you will have a better idea of what you are looking at as far as your pregnancy. The biggest thing for us before 28 weeks was "twin to twin transfusion", and some one should monitor you at least every 2 weeks to make sure the babies are growing as they should and close to the same rate.
PM if you need!
Congrats ~ It's a fun ride...

Oh and I'm only 29 weeks and have already gained 45lbs, and I'm only 5'3.... I am sooooo HUGE, but the babies are in the 60th percentile!

Read the book ~ it's AWSOME and tells you what to eat at each trimester so you can develop your babies better!

Oh yeah, and one more risk is gestational diabetes, so eat healthy so you can pass that test!
OK I'm done!!!

[KSB]

Hi Downtownjb-

Every doctor is different, but 75 pounds sounds extreme. That is even over Dr. Luke's recommendations. The only reason I could see him saying something like that is if you are extremely under weight at the moment?

My BMI was 23 pre-pregnancy. My peri (high risk spec.) advised me that I should gain between 35-45 pounds. I've gained 30 so far and I'm 26 weeks. I think I'm on track to gain 50, which wouldn't be too bad.

With all the research I've done, the 45 pound goal seems to be pretty good. The american pregnancy association says to gain 24 pounds by 24 weeks. Dr. Luke says that you should gain 20 by 20 weeks. I've read that early weight gain significantly increases your ability to carry your twins to term. However, I think that gaining too much can have its own set of problems.

Perhaps a second opinoin for you would be in order.

In terms of bed rest - my OB has told me I should be cutting down my hours at work by 26 weeks (I have not yet) and look to stop working by 30 weeks. I can tell you that I've noticed a huge difference in the last 10 days with an increase of fatigue and contractions.

Each pregnancy is different and I would suggest you listen to your body and learn what your limitations are. Plus, having a doctor that seems to be consistent with the majority of other physicians out there sounds like a good idea. Make sure he refers you over to the Peri for appointments. They should be the ones doing your NT test and anatomy scans.

Good luck!!

[kokasmom]

Originally Posted by downtownjb

I am 9 weeks pregnant with Twins. I had my 1st Ob appt yesterday and quite frankly he kind of scared the daylights out of me. Bedrest at 32 weeks, need to gain 75 lbs, delivery before 32 weeks. Dont get me wrong i know this isnt gonna be a walk in the park but isnt this the worst case scenario?

Just looking for anyone, everyones stories!

1. When did you go on bedrest and for what reasons?

2. How much weight did you gain?

3. When did you delivery? Complications?

Hi Julie!

My OB said NOTHING like this! About bedrest, she said that's determined on a case-by-case basis. I will only go on bedrest if there is some type of complication that makes it necessary. For weight gain, she told me 35-45 lbs. And delivery before 32 weeks? Is he nuts? I've never heard of a plan for a 32 week delivery set up at 9 weeks for any pregnancy! What I was told was, we go as long as possible. I would either ask him again to be clear or look into getting a second opinion.

Like you, I'm nervous but I'm so happy to have this opportunity. We'll get through this if we don't lose our minds first!

[wtnganother1]

Was the whole 75 pounds/bedrest/delivery by 32 weeks thing presented as potential things that COULD happen and/or things to be prepared for? I've never had twins, but a good friend did. She slept extra every day, ate carefully, drank lots of water, and went to term with twin girls who were over 6 pounds each! She was very careful but never had bedrest. Every person is so different. You do the best you can do. Good luck!

[bunniswife]

Originally Posted by KELLIF4

Wow, that is a lot of weight !

I never had to do bedrest & My babies were even Identical, a bit higher risk than faternal.
Weight was never really discussed, but I think by the end of 36 weeks I had gained about 40 pounds.

I would suppose all doctors are differant though and have their own reasoning

Yes, well as you can see I also make big babies. Georgia was 7lbs 10oz and Calvin was 6lbs 14oz. If I had gone the whole forty weeks I'm sure they would have been close to ten pounds each. LOL. I think my body took what it needed as I had shed sixty pounds within the first fifteen days of giving birth. I think each pregnancy is different and your body will tell you what it needs. The key is listening to your body, sleeping or resting when you are tired, eating when you are hungry and not worrying about gaining too much or too little. That said, following the recommended guide for calcium, protein and iron intake and eating healthy foods as well as drinking lots of water to prevent preterm labour will help lots.

[docshoney]

I was sick the entire time and initially lost 15 lbs but managed to gain that back plus and additional 20 so 35lbs all together. I didn't start to gain weight until I was 25 weeks. I never was on bedrest but on "house rest" starting at 32 weeks when I started contraction. I didn't even know I was contracting it was discovered at my ob appt. I was given steriod shots and niphedapine to control my contractions. I delivered via scheduled c-section at 37.2 weeks. My babies were 5lbs 1oz and 6lbs 4oz and came home with me. My smallest ones cord did not insert into the placenta properly and that is why she was so small it had nothing to do with the amount of weight I gained.

My advise is to take things one day at a time. Rest as much as you can. Drink lots of water and eat what tastes good Good luck

[itsgonnawork]

1. When did you go on bedrest and for what reasons?
I was never put on bedrest and worked up until I delivered, however, I did work from home starting at 36 weeks.

2. How much weight did you gain?
I gained 30 lbs.

3. When did you delivery? Complications?
At 36 weeks, my OB scheduled me for a c-section at 39 weeks. He kind of chuckled and said "if you make it that far". I did. I walked into my scheduled c-section at 39 weeks, without having had any complications throughout the pregnancy or pre-term labor.

Obviously, my story is probably best case scenario. I will say the last month I was starting to get pretty uncomfortable.

[TMareaS]

1. When did you go on bedrest and for what reasons?
I went on bed rest at 6 weeks due to bleeding, which continued on and off for another eight to ten weeks. I would stay in bed whenever I had active bleeding, but it would taper off very quickly and turn to spotting. I did not work during my entire pregnancy. I eventually resigned due to the bleeding episodes. It took me ten tries to get pregnant so I decided working was not worth the risk after all I'd gone through. I spent a lot of time resting during my pregnancy.

2. How much weight did you gain? I only gained 20 pounds and shortly after delivering I lost a total of 40 pounds. I was monitored by a Peri and two different OB practices. None of them ever talked to me about gaining weight. My favorite OB said that the babies will take what they need and not to worry about weight, hence the 40 pound weight loss after delivery.

3. When did you delivery? Complications? I had a scheduled C-Section at 37 weeks 3 days. The only complication I had is that my blood pressure started to rise late in my pregnancy, but I had no signs of Pre-E. Just pregnancy induced hypertension. My babies were both over five pounds and perfectly healthy.

Congratulations and good luck to you!