Practice makes perfect

This weekend Keith and I attended our second of two full-day Multiples classes at the hospital where we will be delivering. Seven hours straight of learning about birth and babies is a long time but I do realize that it is not even a drop in the bucket to having them 24:7. We received some good paperwork and tips including everything from how to get gas out of your system after having a c-section to learning unique ways to hold your baby. We did receive a brief swaddling lesson and, as you can see below, Keith and I practiced our skills at home. Hey, they say that practice makes perfect and if you can swaddle a 140-lb pregnant woman then surely you can successfully and securely swaddle a baby.

I am growing quickly but I've now learned that it's not quickly enough. After spending time reading a highly acclaimed and recommended multiples book written by a doctor and nutritionist I have learned that I have gained less than half the weight that I should have gained by this time in my pregnancy and am drinking just over half of the amount of water that I should be drinking. This book recommends that triplet mother-to-be's eat a whopping 4,000 calories a day and drink 128 ounces of water a day! I'm lucky to get 2,500 calories and that includes eating a healthy bowl of ice cream each day too! The urgency is that, in a nutshell, after 24-28 weeks it is impossible for triplet mothers to eat the amount of calories to meet their babies' metabolic demand so it is crucial to have all of that nutrition stored up in your body. And a good nutritional program can be the cause for babies that are a pound heavier and babies that don't need much time in NICU. Needless to say, I am now stuffing myself appropriately and uncomfortably and should start expanding quickly. I've decided to include my last somewhat-slim picture of myself because, if all goes well, I will be expanding around the rest of my body too - not just my belly. The book even wants me to measure my upper-arm circumference to make sure it's expanding appropriately. Who knew there was ever a reason to purposefully try to make your arms fatter? Well, for healthy babies, I will do anything.