If you are pregnant with more than one baby, then you are already aware that you may need some special TLC for this pregnancy. If you have only had single births before, you will definitely want to know the special conditions that come with carrying multiples. It can be extra exciting as well, because you are blessing someone with more than they expected.
Surrogate Mothers Carrying Multiples: Nutrition and Fitness
Be sure you are take a high quality prenatal vitamins which include the crucial nutrients folic acid, calcium and DHA. You’ll also want to monitor your iron intake. Remember, you may be going in for more doctor visits than with a single pregnancy. Keeping an eye on yourself nutritionally while also working with your doctor is especially important.
Extra babies mean extra calories. Roughly 300 calories per day should be added for each baby. So if you are carrying twins, add another 600 calories. Be sure to check with your doctor if you are carrying morethan twinsto be sure you are consuming enough calories, but not too many. Eating a well-balanced diet is important. Getting a lot of vegetables, lean proteins, calcium-rich and other nutrient dense foods are great for multiples.
Exercise is very important for surrogate mothers carrying multiples. It helps keep you and the babies’ bodies healthy. Even though you need to exercise to keep those babies healthy, you need to take a different approach. You can’t overwork yourself. After talking to your doctor, do some stretching, walking and light swimming. You can tire out much more quickly carrying babies, but exercise will help you manage your energy levels.
Enjoying Your Multiples
Now we get into the good stuff; enjoying those two or more babies that are growing so fast in your belly. Have you thought about how you will keep track of your milestones? Multiples are so special and rare, that some people create blogs around their multiples. Even though you are a surrogate mom who will have them for a short time, why not talk about your experiences? You can really help out other moms who are carrying multiples. Next, share on social media. Putting up status updates and sharing your incredible experiences with family and friends makes it so much more exciting. However, make sure you don’t mention the intended parents’ names or anything that could identify them. Take pictures, create scrapbooks, collages, videos; whatever you can do to really make it more memorable. Share all this with the intended parents. Making memories of multiples is definitely a labor of love.