Eating for Four

...is exhausting. And goes against everything this skinny girl has ever done to maintain a healthy diet.


One of my first questions to my OB's PA when I first learned about Huey Duey and Luey was if I needed extra vitamins.  I couldn't think of anything else to ask (I mean, who has questions for this kind of news lined up on a routine first visit?) but I did figure something had to be different, right?  I left the appointment in a complete daze with the little flyers that they hand every newly pregnant lady. 


As the dazed feeling (if not the shock) wore off, I needed to know more about what to expect out of a triplet pregnancy, so I purchased and quickly consumed a book (gotta love my Kindle), When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads by Barbara Luke and Tamara Eberlein.  The book is very informative but the nutritional guidelines are absolutely overwhelming.  I spent a couple of weeks tracking every single calorie and stuffing my face and feeling massively uncomfortable (not to mention nauseous from morning sickness) all the time. Even then, I couldn't come close to her recommended 4000 calories a day. 


Both my OB and the MFM (Material Fetal Medicine) specialist seemed to think that the 4000 number is too high and gave me a goal of 1.5-2 lbs a week for the first 18 weeks. The MFM did suggest that I add an extra iron supplement to my diet in addition to my prenatal and that I speak to a nutritionist.


So today I had a nutrition appointment at the multiples clinic which was both reassuring and a little frustrating.



First, the dietitian said the Dr. Luke book is a good read, and everyting indicates that you can't gain too much weight in a multiple pregnancy, but not to stress too much trying to reach her exact nutritional goals. She pointed out that she doesn't know exactly where some of those numbers even come from. (12 servings of dairy, 14 servings of fruit and veggies, for example)

Given my pre-pregnancy weight and height, she calculated that I need a much lower calorie intake than the  4000 Dr. Luke suggests.  To gain 1.5-2 lbs a week, I only need to eat between 2400 and 2600 calories a day (assuming 1400 to 1500 cal pre-pregnancy).  I feel like this is so much more doable!  

I already drink 3 - 16 oz glasses of milk a day (generally) so she said I can skip the normally recommended calcium-mag-zinc supplements if I want.  I'm on extra iron, which she said is important, and maybe add more the next time they test my blood if I'm showing any signs of anemia.  She reaffirmed the book's food suggestions for protein/calorie dense foods, so I will definitely be trying some recipes now that I'm feeling up to cooking again.

She also suggested adding Benecalorie.  It is a high calorie (360) ounce or so of liquid that can be added to anything, and can most easily be found online. Usually pediatricians suggest it for failure to thrive in children and infants.  360 calories that doesn't take up much stomach room? Yes, please!

I've only gained 13 lbs and she said I should be between 21 and 28 lbs by now. To me the frustrating thing remains that I've been gaining the recommended 1.5-2 lbs a week since I found out that I'm carring more than one baby.  It's like I just can't make up for the weeks before we knew.  

So now, my new eating habits include slathering on the mayo, enjoying the guacamole, eating ice cream, coating my salad in dressing, eating peanut butter from the spoon, adding oil to everything I cook, and in general, doing all those things that are usually healthy-eating no-nos.  At the same time, I'm trying to make as many of those calories protein as possible, and still pick healthy options. This whole last paragraph makes my new diet feel like a complete oxymoron. 

Good times!

(Sorry if this post bored the crap out of you! These random things consume my worrying muscles these days.)

14 Weeks

And DONE with the first trimester.

I must admit, I was a tad concerned that carrying three babies instead of just one would lend itself to little relief from my first trimester exhaustion and nausea, but that hasn't proved to be the case. At twelve weeks I noticed that I wasn't quite so tired every day, and yesterday I even made plans to make hamburgers (from raw meat!) this weekend. Definitely progress!

That said, The belly is growing by leaps and bounds.  At my 10 week appointment (which must have been much more than a month ago, right?) I measured 12 weeks and on Monday at 13.5 weeks I measured 19 weeks.  That is a lot of belly growth in such a short time! I know this will only continue at a crazy pace, but it does account for all the stretching and pulling and discomfort that I didn't have with the first two.

Since I now look obviously pregnant, people who don't already know the news feel comfortable noting my pregnancy with questions and comments. Now that I am no longer in total shock, I really enjoy telling people that we hope to grow our family to five this fall.  Favorite mean trick? "Ohh, I didn't know you are expecting number three!" or "So, you are expecting number three?" is to say, "No." I just wait a moment for the confused look I'm bound to receive before I drop it, "We are expecting numbers three, four, AND five."  Then I delightedly behold the inevitable dropped jaws and shocked faces that follow.

While I am not looking forward to the sleepless nights that lay ahead, I'm definitely enjoying whatever I can of this triplet pregnancy.

The Sanchez Seven

So I've outed our news everywhere except my blog. 

We are having TRIPLETS!  

I so wanted to write a post as soon as we found out but  I didn't trust my self not to publish it right away.  That and the exhaustion this time around has be brutal.

Fred and I decided (okay, I decided and then spent a lot of time convincing Fred) that we were ready for baby number three. We know our NFP, so even though we'd only given it one try, our track record made us think the chances of getting pregnant were good.  Once an at-home test confirmed our suspicions I told Fred that if we ever do this again we should focus on less fertile days.  It's a real shock to go from talking about number three to pregnant in two weeks time!    I didn't have much time to adjust to that shock before we received the next one.

We hadn't told anyone that we were pregnant, as my brother's wife is pregnant and they were about to have a party to reveal the gender of their baby.  I decided to wait until after our first visit to tell anyone. 

I saw the PA on my first visit at 7 weeks 6 days. Right away two little babies popped up on the screen.  "Oh, do you want two babies?" were the first words out of her mouth.  She measured them both, worrying a little over baby B's smaller size, and identified two strong heart beats.  I was happy.  I smiled.  Cried a single tear.  I wasn't overwhelmed by the idea of twins at all. Two hands, two parents, two boobs for nursing, four kids (a number I liked) all made it seem doable.

Then things got crazy when she moved the wand and up popped Baby C.  They needed a better ultrasound machine so she jumped up and called to the receptionist.  A few nurses filled the exam room to peek over her shoulder at all three miracles. I laughed and cried and made it hard for her to measure baby number three.  

Someone asked me if I wanted to call my husband and have him come over.  Nope.  Fred WAS ON AN AIRPLANE on his way out of town.  Really? Oh yes.  He hadn't wanted to take off work to join me and when the trip came up I just let it go. After all, this wasn't my first rodeo. This meant I had to keep such extraordinary news to myself for well over an hour after my appointment.  I made several wrong turns leaving the medical center and realized that if I stopped making absent minded turns I would be just in time for noon Mass.  Perfect.

I had just ordered lunch at Chick-fil-a when Fred responded to my, "Call me when you get off the plane" text. I tried to break the news as gently as I could.  First I made sure he wasn't driving a car.  Then I told him he wasn't allowed to miss appointments again. He immediately worried that something was wrong.  After assuring him everything is okay, I told him the PA's two baby comment and let him think twins for a moment before dropping the bomb that baby B was kind of squished between babies A and C.  

"You are telling me we are having three babies?!" he asked, mirroring my shock.  I began to laugh and cry again, this time in the middle of Chick-fil-a as the busy lunch crowd gave me funny looks and someone asked to make sure I was okay. 

Laughing and crying continued to be my emotions the next three weeks especially any time I told someone we are expecting triplets!