• Read a book or two and have the dad-to-be read it too. It will help you understand the changes your body is going through and how the babies are developing each week. It can be very exciting!
• Write down the questions you want to ask your doctor during visits. And make notes or voice-record if your doctor has no objections. You may forget to ask something or forget what they responded otherwise.
• Keep a journal. This may be the right time to start journaling. Write down everything you are feeling, how your body is changing, and maybe even about current events/news at the time. Continue journaling after the babies are born as well. You wont remember anything that happened in the first couple of years! Thanks to a dear friend of mine for gifting me a journal, I still maintain the habit.
• Go to the spa. This is the time to indulge on yourself, get pampered. Get massages, mani-pedis, hair cuts, facials,.. whatever you want. You wont have time for any of it for quite some time after the babies are born. In my case, I was put on complete bed rest at 16 weeks of pregnancy. So let alone all these, I had to set a timer for those 5 minute showers as well! My husband had to trim my toe nails as I couldn’t reach. I wasn’t able to find anyone who could come home for these beauty services, but if you are in such a situation, do look up. There may be some beauty on wheels type of services in your area.
• Eat Healthy. You’ll be eating for 3, so make sure you are getting all the nutrition you need, including protein. Enjoy your trips to restaurants as well. Eating out will never be the same after the babies! As I was on bed rest, I couldn’t cook myself, nor could I go out to eat. So most of the foods I ate were healthy snacks (salad boxes from whole foods and Trader Joe’s, Kefir, Peanut Butter on Whole Grain Bread, Lots of berries, Granola, Cheeses, Hummus, Protein Shakes, etc) or take outs from local restaurants (I am a vegetarian). Sometimes my friends would visit with food. I did miss eating some simple homemade foods very much!
• Exercise. Check with your doctor on this. Maybe you could do some light walking or pre-natal yoga, find out whats ok for you to do. Although I wanted to stay fit during my pregnancy, once I was put on bed rest, I couldn’t do much. But when asked my OBGYN provided pamphlets on exercises I could do while lying down. If you are on bed rest, be sure to ask. Also check if you need compression stockings, which helps prevent blood clots from forming.
• Spend quality time with your partner. You wont get uninterrupted time after the babies are born and the topics of discussion will most likely be all about the babies later 🙂 So whether its taking a trip (baby-moons are very popular these days) or just going for a walk in your local park, do it! I was home due to bed rest and my husband later on worked from home as well. We took many a trips to the doctors appointments together. It gave us plenty of time with each other.
• Share with the dad-to-be.  They’ll want very much to be part of the pregnancy, but may not know how to. So tell them what you are feeling and going through, include them in shopping for babies and setting up nursery, let them feel when the babies are kicking, etc. Make them a part of this journey. Moms and dads are both usually active care givers with twin babies.
• Keep yourself healthily occupied. In my case, at week 16, at my first visit to the high risk doctors, she told in her shrill voice that I should quit my job that day and lay flat for the rest of my pregnancy. I was totally shocked and upset, cried for a week or two. But didn’t quit my job. In fact I worked until the day the boys were born. This helped me immensely, it distracted me from not feeling sorry for myself and my situation.
• Ask for help. Whether it is from your spouse or from your family and friends. My friends visited me often during weekends and hung out at my place as I couldn’t go out. A close friend who was also pregnant at the time shopped for my pregnancy clothes, lotions, etc, when she shopped for herself. I am not a person who asks anyone for any help. And at times I even felt bad to ask my husband for help, as he was already doing almost everything around the house and for me. I felt handicapped, and dependent. But its not easy being pregnant with twins and being on bed rest. Its a great responsibility to carry and deliver twins. And I felt grateful for everyday the babies stayed inside. It was only possible because of the strict bed rest in my case. So do what it takes.
• Don’t go overboard with shopping. Ask your friends with kids about list of things you might need for your babies. There are several resources online as well. But don’t buy everything yet. Just get the basics – some clothes, diapers and related, bath related, cribs, feeding bottles and a book or two. Once you have the babies you’ll know what you’ll really need and can get them. Babies don’t need a whole lot.
• Play a lot of music. Babies in the womb can hear your voice, the music you play, the books you read, etc. So do all that! Everyday I played Santana’s “Samba Pati”, Coldplay’s “yellow”, some classical music, among others.
• Take pictures. Take lots of pictures to capture how your body is growing and changing. Take pictures while you do day-to-day stuff, even if you are on bed rest. These are memories you’ll want to capture and share with your babies at some time. We even made a belly cast towards the later stages of pregnancy and when the babies were born, put them in the cast and took their pictures in it (cover pic).
• Classes. There are several classes available to help learn about parenting, birthing, etc. Its up to you which ones you like to take. Being on bed rest, I couldn’t take any, except I did take one – Baby CPR. And would recommend to all parents and care providers. My husband did attend one or two other classes on caring for babies on his own.
• Become a member of your local twins groups. They are a great support during pregnancy and later. As twin parents, they know what you are going through. You might make friends too . You can ask any question you have and they’ll be happy to answer. They organize informative talks and provide many other resources related specifically to twins. There are also groups on Facebook or other social media you can be a member of.
• Learn to filter. I found that most people give advice with good intentions, they mean no harm. And twin pregnancies often attract a lot of attention. There may be all sorts of advice and even hear says. Take what you want using your own best judgement. Ignore the others. Stay Happy!

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