Babies back on track and booking a baby nurse

We got some good news today. I went in today for an ultrasound at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan, where we plan to deliver. It's on the West side, a couple of blocks away from Columbus Circle and Central Park.


I've had two surgeries at Roosevelt and had a brief stay there in November when we were dealing with pregnancy complications. Most of my experiences there have been good and they are known for having a great Labor & Delivery department. In fact, they perform the most deliveries in Manhattan with 6,500 births a year. They also save more lives in their NICU than any other in the city.

At my last ultrasound two weeks ago, I freaked out because they estimated Malcolm's weight at 1 lb, 10 oz while Naima was 1 lb, 6 oz. Before then, they had only been about an ounce apart. Now, the 4 oz difference wasn't terrible but I was asked to return for a two-week follow-up in order to closely monitor their growth . There is a condition called intrauterine growth restriction in which one fetus receives a disproportionate share of nutrients. In the worst case scenario, if one fetus keeps lagging behind the other in growth, it will become necessary to deliver both babies to give the smaller one the best chance for a healthy outcome and survival.

My twins book by Dr. Barbara Luke (which always scares me into doing the right thing) says that if one baby starts to lag behind, pay careful attention to your diet. In the beginning of the pregnancy, I was very attentive to diet and gained 25 lbs by week 20, just like the book recommended. Now, this was a lot harder than it sounds because food was (and is) not particularly appealing. Really, I rarely look forward to eating and I don't get the same pleasure out of it that I used to. After gaining the initial 25 lbs, I slacked off a little.

Once we learned that Naima was a bit smaller, I started chowing down again. I eat some meat every day and just eat more protein in general. Almost daily, I make a high-protein smoothie with soft tofu, pasteurized egg whites, yogurt, fruit, and milk. I also drink 1-2 Ensure chocolate and vanilla nutrition shakes each day (it's like dessert!). I probably still don't eat enough fruit and vegetables but I'm working on it.

Well, I like to think it paid off because we found out today that Malcolm is 2 lbs, 3 oz and Naima is hanging tough at 2 lbs, 2 oz. We were also surprised to find out how long they are. Malcolm's head is on the right side of my abdomen and his behind is all the way on the left. I was wondering why I feel them moving all over the place and now it makes sense. They've got a lot of reach.

I'm so happy that Naima is keeping up and both of them are growing beautifully.

On a different note, we booked a baby nurse! I had never even heard the term baby nurse before a couple of months ago. In fact, baby nurses are not true nurses at all but more like infant care specialists. After a baby is born, a family will hire a baby nurse to stay with them up to 24 hours a day to help care for the newborn. A baby nurse also gives the parents a chance to catch up on sleep. I have to say, that kind of rubbed me the wrong way at first. I mean, isn't sleep deprivation supposed to be a rite of passage in parenthood? To quote a friend of mine, it just sounded like another luxury that wealthy Upper East Side moms try to justify, 'cause let me tell you, baby nurses ain't cheap.

I started becoming a convert when I really thought about what it would be like to take care of twin babies while recovering from major surgery. One baby and surgery, maybe. Two babies and no surgery, maybe. All together, too much. I received a recommendation from my friend, Dana, who adores her baby nurse. Dana, by the way, was actually featured on a reality television show called, "Platinum Babies." Seriously. It's a spin-off of the show, "Platinum Weddings." Take a look:

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2009/11/28/2009-11-28_meet_new_yorks_25000_baby_elie_sloan_litvan_stars_in_platinum_babies.html

The same network also has a show called, "Rich Bride, Poor Bride." I once said that if Dana is featured on Platinum Babies, I'd be featured on Tin Cup Babies. Ha! But don't judge and don't hate. The show definitely included some exaggeration and Dana is great. In any case, we met with her baby nurse, Helen, on Monday and now Helen will be helping us during 12-hour day shifts for two weeks after the babies and I come home from the hospital. She is the grandmother of twins herself and has taken care of dozens and dozens of babies. She was on it and started walking around apartment, figuring out where the babies would take their naps and where she would give them baths. It is such a relief to have that handled. I'm sure we'll have much more to share about Helen later on.