Just Another Ordinary Day...

Here I sit on a Tuesday evening, taking my vitamins and minerals and drinking lots and lots of water, per the doctor's recommendation. Unlike in my first, singleton pregnancy, I don't take a prenatal vitamin. Instead I take a whole regimen of vitamins and minerals designed to make sure that there are plenty of nutrients for Mommy and babies both.

Here's what I take daily (from Dr. Luke's book for multiple pregnancy):

• 2 vitamin-only multivitamins at non-pregnancy RDA level
• 9 calcium/magnesium/zinc (333 mg/133 mg/5 mg)
• 1000 mg vitamin C
• 400 IU vitamin E

Calcium has been shown to help reduce high blood pressure, and it helps relieve the heartburn. Magnesium helps keep the uterus from contracting, helps with heartburn and may offer some protection for the babies' developing nervous systems. So, even if they are born early, problems may be less severe. Zinc is vital for the development of the babies' nervous systems, and it lowers the chance of infection and preterm premature rupture of membranes. Vitamins C and E help reduce the risk of preeclampsia. I also take an omega-3 supplement that I took when I was pregnant with Amelia. It is supposed to support brain and eye development.

That makes a grand total of 15 pills a day. Add to that the eight 16-ounce glasses of water I drink. Sometimes I feel like a camel. But the water prevents dehydration, which can lead to contractions, helps guard against urinary-tract infections that can lead to premature labor, and helps my body dissipate some of the heat this mega-pregnancy generates.

Hopefully this regimen, eating right, carefully watching my activity but not being inactive, and getting plenty of rest will help me carry these babies safely to at least the 32-week mark.

Tomorrow I see the doctor again, and I have a mega ultrasound to measure everyone and see how they are growing. Send up a prayer that we see healthy babies who are growing well and a healthy mama!

Keep those name suggestions coming! You've added several to the pool that weren't on our original list.

Mom's Night Out

Thursday night I went to a Mom's Night Out for a group for families with triplets or more. They were a great group of women, and it was good to connect with them. They answered my questions, but didn't scare me with their horror stories -- and I'm sure they all have some.

Since I just joined the group, I got a couple books and lots of other good information. Anyone expecting multiples should get the book, "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy" by Dr. Barbara Luke and Tamara Eberlein. And get it as soon as you find out your coming bundles of joy number more than one.

If you can't find it at your local bookstore, it's on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Youre-Expecting-Twins-Triplets-Revised/dp/0060542683/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210447048&sr=1-1.

This is real, research-based nutrition for a multiple pregnancy. Women in Dr. Luke's Multiples Clinic who follow the guidelines in this book have triplets that weigh 35% more than the national average for triplets. When you consider than the average weight for a triplet at birth is only 3 pounds, a 35% increase makes a big difference!

The good news is that I'm eating a lot of the right foods. But, I haven't put on enough weight fast enough. Early weight gain would be crazy in a singleton pregnancy, but the average triplet pregnancy is 30 weeks -- 10 weeks shorter than with just one. That means there's no time to lose. Triplets generally don't get the advantage of those last two months of time to grow. So you've got to grow them big early!

With that, I think I'll go have a milkshake...