by Dwayne asks for any insight on the best things to do while his wife is pregnant to help ensure that the twins and mom stay healthy.
Let Mom Rest
This made me think back to when we were expecting with our twins and some of the recommendations we got from our doctor. She gave us two great recommendations. First was to have my wife rest with her feet up at least one hour each day. This started even early in the pregnancy, as soon as we found out that we were having twins the doctor recommended that my wife start to rest, take a break from her normal routine, and put her feet up for at least an hour a day.
This gradually became more of a requirement in the later stages of pregnancy because of the need for bed rest, but we still had healthy babies that we were able to bring home with us after delivery. They didn’t need to spend any time in the NICU. This was a great blessing, and my wife and I often attribute it to the fact that she was able to rest and get off of her feet at least for an hour a day early in the pregnancy, and then more as the pregnancy progressed.
Drink Water
The second recommendation that came from my wife’s doctor was that my wife needed to drink a lot of water, so make sure that your wife has a big water bottle and it’s easy to measure how much water she’s drinking. Your doctor will be able to tell you exactly how much water your wife should be drinking every day, but make it as easy as possible to keep your wife hydrated. That’ll keep her healthy and also help the babies.
Now my wife and I attribute our healthy twin pregnancy and of course our nearly full term twin babies to the fact that my wife consciously made an effort to follow these two recommendations from her doctor: resting every day, and staying hydrated.
So I’d try those two things to get you started on the right foot and to help keep your wife and your babies healthy and safe. Of course, you always need to check with your wife’s doctor, who can give you the best medical advice for your situation.
This question was originally addressed on the Dad’s Guide to Twins Podcast episode 17: Caring for Twins by Yourself, Family and NICU, and Healthy Pregnancy.
Picture by GoonSquadSarah
