Pregnant woman with triplets If you are pregnant with triplets, you may be both overjoyed and overwhelmed anticipating your new arrivals. Triplet pregnancies are exciting, but they present special challenges for everyone involved. Careful monitoring, proper care, and preparation are necessary to ensure that a triplet pregnancy is successful. Pregnant with Triplets Triplet pregnancy is on the rise. The major cause of increased triplet pregnancies is the increasing use of fertility treatments. Drugs that promote ovulation are an important factor. In a normal menstrual cycle, a woman releases only one egg. If that egg is fertilized by a man's sperm, it can become a baby. But, fertility drugs can cause a woman to release more than one egg at a time. If multiple eggs are fertilized at once, the result is multiple babies. 15 weeks pregnant with twins Another cause is in vitro fertilization, in which eggs are fertilized outside the woman's body and then transferred to her uterus. Doctors usually transfer several eggs at a time, to increase the chance that one will implant and develop. Sometimes more than one egg begins developing, resulting in a multiple pregnancy. 22 weeks pregnant with twins Diagnosing Triplet Pregnancy A triplet pregnancy may be discovered because the woman's belly is bigger than expected for a given stage in pregnancy or the doctor may notice more than one baby's heartbeat during a prenatal visit. Most of the time, though, triplets are discovered during routine ultrasound testing on women who have had fertility treatments. Ultrasound is considered the official way of diagnosing a triplet pregnancy. Pregnant women Experiencing a Triplet Pregnancy Being pregnant with triplets means seeing a lot more of your health care provider. Most women will choose to see an obstetrician, preferably one who has experience with multiple pregnancies. 35 weeks pregnant with twins. There will be frequent prenatal visits, ultrasound exams, and other tests to make sure that the mother is doing well and the babies are developing properly. Healthy food for pregnant women Morning Sickness A woman carrying triplets often has much worse morning sickness than a woman carrying only one baby. You can ease morning sickness symptoms with the following: 9 weeks pregnant with twins Eat bland soda crackers. Do not drink fluids with meals. Drink fluids about 30 minutes before and after meals. Drink bland fluids such as water or lemonade, in small amounts throughout the day to avoid dehydration. Eat frequent small meals instead of large ones. Take extra naps. But do not lie down right after eating. Avoid smells that nauseate you. Stay cool. Feeling hot can increase nausea. Do not eat spicy food. If your morning sickness becomes severe, consult your doctor immediately. He will screen you for hyperemesis gravidarum, a treatable condition which is harmful if left untreated. The doctor can prescribe something to ease your symptoms and prevent dehydration. Exercise for pregnant women Bed Rest At some point in your pregnancy, you may be restricted to bed rest. If this occurs, find ways to remain relaxed and fight boredom. It may be easy to feel stressed or frustrated when you are confined to the bed or couch. Yet, it is important to relax physically and mentally for both you and your babies. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your bed rest: Follow the doctor's orders. Your doctor will give you specific instructions ranging from the best resting positions to any allowable exercise. Read good books. Talk on the phone with friends. Invite loved ones for visits. Organize photo albums and put together a scrapbook. Fold baby clothes. Write letters. Pregnancy month by month Catch up on the movies you never had time to watch. Listen to favorite music. There are many activities that you can participate in during bed rest. If you plan it right, it can be a mini vacation. Tips for pregnant women Weight Gain As the pregnancy progresses, your belly will look larger than in a single pregnancy. You may find that the babies press on your stomach, making it hard to eat large meals. It's important to try to eat healthy foods, though, and the mother of triplets should expect to gain more weight than in a single pregnancy. On average, women pregnant with triplets gain 30 to 55 pounds. Diet for pregnant women Risks to Babies When triplets are discovered early in a pregnancy, it's possible that one or more of them will not develop into a baby. Most of these losses happen within the first nine weeks. One study of women who started out with triplets showed that about half of the mothers delivered three babies, one third delivered twins, and 18 percent delivered a single baby. Three percent of the women miscarried. What should pregnant women eat

• published: 23 May 2015
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