As the mother-to-be of multiples, you'll need to approach pregnancy weight gain differently than mothers of singletons. Gaining the recommended amount can help you avoid various issues during your pregnancy and after you give birth. It lowers the risk of your babies being born too small or too early and decreases the chance they'll need to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit [NICU]. But just how much should you plan to gain?
It depends on a number of factors — including how many babies you're expecting and how much you weighed at the start of your pregnancy — and your practitioner will come up with recommendations specific to you. Here’s an overview of how much you should expect to gain until your twins or multiples arrive.
How much weight to gain in a twin pregnancy
One factor that plays into pregnancy weight gain recommendations is body mass index [BMI], a number calculated using your height and pre-pregnancy weight. [Use this National Institutes of Health BMI calculator to compute yours.]
BMI numbers correspond with different categories:
- Underweight: