When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads 4th Edition: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy

My childbearing years are far behind me - thank goodness - but my son and his girlfriend are expecting twins in a few months. This is their first pregnancy and I wanted to buy them a good reference book that might help them answer some of the coming questions. And of course I wanted to read it since my birthing experiences were with single births and OF COURSE I will be babysitting once in awhile. "Twins, Triplets or Quads" was an excellent choice. It is arranged very intuitively and gives so much valuable info on bringing healthy multiples into this world. It gives dynamite instructions on choosing a obstetrician that is experienced with multiple births; diet, including menus and recipes, so that new mothers can birth heavier, thus more healthy and viable babies, thus reducing or even possibly eliminating neo-natal ICU stays ; charts included in the book so Mom can plot her and the babies' health progress including but not limited to weight, blood pressure, blood tests and more. It also gives contact info at the end of the book for some other excellent resources for parents of multiples. Explanations were very clear, good examples were given, diagrams and charts were shown - very easy to read and follow. It not only gave explanations but gave the reasons WHY. I thought the section on breastfeeding was especially helpful, with hints on positioning, breast pumps, and more. I feel much better knowing that the kids will have this book to refer to - to augment having an excellent neo-natal ICU close by.

I used this book as more of a reference throughout my pregnancy. I didn't read it cover to cover -- just kept looking things up as I needed the information. It's pretty dog-eared at this point. And now that my babies are 6 1/2 months old, I still find myself going back to it like an old friend. I didn't find anything about it to be frightening -- just full of advice that motivated me to ask questions and take good care of myself. Of course, you have to listen to your body, your doctors, nutritionists, and think for yourself! Each person and pregnancy is unique, so no book can tell everyone exactly what to do. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and was under the care of a nutritionist, so I had to follow a different diet. But I found that the nutritionist wasn't really experienced with multiple pregnancies, so she was basing my caloric intake on a singleton pregnancy. I told her about this book (and the companion nutrition book by Dr. Luke), and she did some additional research. As a result, she increased my calories and fat. I didn't find it possible to eat as much as Dr. Luke recommends (because of nausea and just plain capacity), but I think her point about increased caloric intake for multiples is an important one. The only thing I wish Dr. Luke had mentioned that she didn't is a condition called peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPC). It's rare, but it's a condition that comes on in the third trimester or after delivery. It's more common with multiple births, and it can kill. I was fortunate in that an ER doctor mentioned it to me as a possibility, when I showed up there with severe edema and difficulty breathing a week after delivery. I asked my internist order an echocardiogram, the PPC was diagnosed early, and I'm on the road to reversal. If this book had mentioned the symptoms, I would likely have been diagnosed even sooner. Overall though, at every step along the way, I found the book's advice to be sound and the anecdotes to be helpful. Highly recommend!

I must say I was afraid to read this book b/c I'm not a big eater. I read all the reviews and the ones that people said they felt guilty b/c of not gaining weight frightened me. Comments about her pushing McDonalds, etc (which the reviewers totally over-exaggerated) But I must say even after reading the book, I am not guilty b/c I know I'm doing all I can to eat as much as I can. But I think the most important thing this book taught me is WHAT to eat. I am now 20 weeks pregnant with twins and I have only gained 7 pounds. Not from a lack of trying, lol....But my babies are thriving and very healthy, doing great. B/C I'm eating the RIGHT foods I am healthy, glowing, have no swelling to speak of. My doctor said I'm one of her healthiest looking twin mom patients. My blood pressure is great, and no signs of any health concerns. I give a lot of credit to eating right and healthy. The the only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars b/c it does put a lot of emphasis on gaining weight early. But sometimes it's pretty much impossible. I gained NOTHING in my first trimester,even though I had no morning sickness and I more than doubled my food intake. My twins take EVERYTHING I eat for themselves, and leave nothing for me. But I still feel great, have never felt faint or dizzy.Every ounce of my 7 pound weight gain is in my belly and my breasts. Other than that, it totally deserves the 4 stars. Because it teaches you HOW to eat, what to eat, and why to eat it. I love where it tells you what to concentrate on per trimester. So even though I'm not packing on the pounds, b/c of this book I'm eating healthier than I have ever eaten before and I understand the importance of it. So whatever I put in my body has a direct benefit to my babies. I am also drinking protein shakes b/c this book made me understand how important protein is and I KNOW that I can't get enough from food alone b/c I simply do not have the space. But it's very easy to drink protein shakes throughout to make sure my little ones are getting enough. My doctor said also make sure when drinking the shakes, to get one packed with other vitamins as well. My advice is to definitely read this book. It's a very interesting read, I read it cover to cover b/c it was so captivating. And DON'T feel guilty if you can't eat as much as she tells you to, b/c IMO it's quite ambitious and most of us simply cannot eat that much. It's OK, just eat WHAT she tells you to, and don't concentrate on how much!! Oh, and PS - One thing I noticed is that she LOVES to toot her own horn. I rolled my eyes quite a bit while reading, lol. But you just laugh it off and keep reading :)

I lived overseas for the first 5 months of my pregnancy. The medical care was great, but the culture isn't like America where the doctors share lots of information with the patient so they are informed. So this book was a lifesaver for me. I started out just reading web sites and "What to Expect When You're Expecting", but the information didn't always match what I was experiencing. But when I got this book, I immediately felt like they were describing my experience. Being pregnant with multiples is truly different than being pregnant with a single baby. I found that most people didn't know this or support this (including my husband in the beginning) so having the research that has been done in this book as a backup was really helpful. Not just for them, but for me too - to let me know I was doing the right things for my babies when others were telling me different. And it was helpful in showing my husband how to care for me and the babies without me having to convince him of anything. I also found that both my doctor overseas and in America didn't know most of the information I read in the book concerning weight gain, diet, etc. Diet is so crucial and this book does an incredible job making it easy for people like me who don't even know what a serving size is. This book has been my lifeline and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone! Be informed so you can begin to provide the best care possible for your babies and not freak out when your body starts doing things that aren't expected in a 'normal' pregnancy or expected so early. GET THIS BOOK!

Thank goodness I found this book...expecting twins, and my doctor basically said the only thing different about this pregnancy would be the need for a scheduled C-section. That didn't sound right to me, so I started doing my own research. The info in this book is logical, informative, medically sound and backed up by research and statistics...it covers everything in great detail and really left me feeling informed and empowered for this (slightly scary) journey through a multiple pregnancy. It answered almost all of my questions, and I've referred to it frequently as the weeks go by. This is not about finding cute names and buying matching nursery stuff- this is about doing everything you can to help a high risk pregnancy come to a happy ending. Some of it was a little scary to read, but overall it's a really positive book that tells it like it is and offers good, do-able advice about things like weight gain, bedrest and exercise, recognizing pre-term labor and other risks, what to expect at delivery, navigating the NICU, and making it through those first few months of nursing/feeding, etc. Even the recipes were good- my seven year old loves the food! (and I love the fact that they said ice cream and fast-food burgers are OK in moderation- the diet guidelines actually fit a real lifestyle.) I wholeheartedly recommend this book- it prompted me to find a new doctor who specializes in multiples, and she recommends the book too!

I purchased this book shortly after learning I was carrying a dichorionic, diamniotic twin pregnancy at age 33. As a board certified family physician trained in the care of routine obstetrical patients I can confirm that many physicians receive very little training in terms of how to guide mothers on their nutritional needs, especially regarding a multiple pregnancy. I followed Dr Luke’s advice and although I delivered prematurely at 31 weeks, I consider the information life saving! My babies weighed 4 pounds 1.5 oz and 4 pounds 3 oz! They spent only 3 weeks in NICU simply learning to coordinate their suck and swallowing without tiring. My other two pregnancies of singletons were not much larger at term- one 5 lbs 10.5 oz at 37 weeks and the other was 6 lbs 10 oz at 36 weeks. According to average weight gain by week, the twins would have been around 7 lbs EACH if I had made it to 37 weeks by following Dr Luke’s plan. As a woman 5 feet 1 inch tall this is the critical point- I didn’t have the height (room) to carry “that much baby” to the end. Dr Luke explains all of this in her book and helps you get your babies the nutrition they need in the beginning while keeping them from weakening your own body. The bigger they are the better they do and you’re about to need a lot of energy to care for more than one infant! Eighteen years later I couldn’t be more proud of what Dr Luke helped me bring into this world!

After reading a really awful and one-sided twin pregnancy book, I knew what kind of book I didn't want. This book is a dream for me as a pregnant mom to twins! What I really appreciate about the book is the honesty towards nutrition for small, medium and large women. EVERY book and website I've gone to looking for nutrition on overweight women has told me to consult with my doctor because I am overweight. Really counterproductive. However, this book lays it out for moms of ALL shapes and not only is it easy to understand, but easy to follow. I really enjoy the clinical facts of their nutrition program which promotes longer gestational pregnancies and higher birth weight babies. The clinic in which this program is based on has a great turnout for exactly what it is shooting for, and for me, that is the most important part of my pregnancy - going as long as I can and having healthy higher-weight babies. I really believe this book is providing me with the information I need to make that happen. Especially wonderful for pregnant moms is the fact that you can eat carbs and fatty foods without feeling guilt because this shows you how to balance your food scales. For someone that LOVES food a little too much, and is prone to weight gain, this book has been awesome. Plus, I am not gaining an excess of weight like I did with my first (singleton) pregnancy. Granted, I am still early on in my pregnancy, but I can already tell a difference. PLUS the eating schedule suggested in this book is helping me keep my morning sickness at bay. A HUGE BONUS for me. I really can't say enough GREAT things about this book. I highly recommend it to everyone with a multiple pregnancy!

I'm currently pregnant with mo-di twins and came across this book on some forum somewhere (side note: stay off the forums though!). Some reviewers have said they don't like that the authors go over some of the scarier parts of carrying twins, but frankly I found their approach to be so refreshing. They weren't just doom and gloom like every website out there - this book gives you actionable tips on how to prevent things like preterm labor and low birth weight (both factors in a lot of health issues associated with twin pregnancies). Then, when I finally got into see my perinatologist office, the first thing they did was recommend this book, and that's saying something since they're connected to one of the two hospitals in the US that does surgeries for TTTs - so they're definitely informed and on the cutting edge of twin pregnancy info. They were thrilled to hear I was already reading this book and then gave me handouts straight from the book on weight gain recommendations and protein intake guidelines to make sure I'm on the right track. Anyway, because of this book I feel like there's actions I can take to address some of the things I'm concerned about with this pregnancy. Instead of just sitting and waiting and hoping that I don't have pre-term babies who are low birthweight, I can actually take steps in my daily life to try and work towards a longer pregnancy with larger and healthier babies. The only downside of this book is that there are definitely some outdated references - like they suggest renting a DVD for workout videos, and at one point they mention baby bumpers for cribs without any warning about the risks. Clearly that kind of thing needs to be updated and reflects that this book was first written awhile ago. But otherwise the medical stuff is all sound.

there are too many myths interwoven with facts on internet on popular topics like pregnancy. so when i noticed many good reviews on this book i bought it. i like this book as 1. most of the practices it advocates for multiples pregnant moms are researched based. i could judge validity based on the way they conducted research. others are based on their experience running the multiple pregnancy centre. 2. the sharing from Dr. Luke and some editors are wise and practical, and provides insights 3. the guidance are specific 4.more focus on during pregnancy (which i need. another book i also bought focuses a lot on post pregnancy care for multiples....honestly i could care for that later, as what i need now is advice on taking care of myself well to carry my twins to full term. too many horrid stories out there on dangers of carrying multiples) I am a Chinese living in the far east. but i dont see any cultural barrier in this book. the advice are sound and a lot echoes with the knowledge i got from my chinese medicine doctor. interesting to note how the author "cant emphasizes enough" that a multiple pregnant mom should gain a lot of weight. i do find that eating almost similarly to my first pregnancy with a singleton, i do not gain as much weight like last time. so i reckon most goes to the twins. i would definitely try to focus more on getting nutritious food in while my stomach is not yet cramped up by the growing twins. but gaining 20 lbs,before week 20 and overall 50 lbs sounds like mission impossible. all the best of wishes to other multiples pregnant moms

Both my wife and I are healthcare professional. Even then, we felt thoroughly unprepared when we received the news that we were having twins. This book was hands down the best resource we could have used. It is up-to-date, balanced, and does a job of telling you things you can control (nutrition) and ones you can't control but at least prepare for (preterm labor, NICU stay). The medical information in the book was uptodate and evidence based. The personal anecdotes humanize the information in a way that reading numbers and stats don't. Despite having a excellent twin-specific OB team, several twin couples to turn to for advise, and our own medical background, this was my first point of reference throughout our twin pregnancy.

A must read book for anyone carrying multiples. Well organized and very informative. Even handles the "scary" topics like what to expect in the NICU with clarity. Highly recommended.

El libro más completo sobre embarazo gemelar, me ha resuelto casi todas las dudas y volveré a leerlo cuando nazcan porque tiene unos buenos consejos para el posparto y primer año de vida de los bebés

Excelente acompañamiento para un embarazo múltiple. Basando en investigaciones de años y actualizado. Nutrición, riesgos, cuidados, abarca muchos temas importantes.