Dr. Barbara Luke???

[em4444]

Have any of you used her book? If so, when did you really start eating so many calories, like when do the babies really start gaining from your intake?

Thanks
Em

[Suzan33]

When we were pregnant with the triplets we got her book and used it as a reference only. Her caloric intake was TOO HARD for me to do. My peri was not for or against the book but thought the calories she mentions are a bit much. We did use it to see how big the babies were getting at each milestone. That helped me when it came time for them to be born (16 weeks early). My goal was to drink as much water as possible since dehydration can cause contractions.

Good luck with your pregnancy

Suzan

[Miss Conception]

I bought her book when we found out we were having twins. While I don't think I got in the requisite amount of calories she advised, I did reach the goal of gaining 24 pounds in 24 weeks. I have followed her book fairly closely and believe that this has helped get us to where we are today (36 weeks 5 days). Our twins are measuring 6 pounds each at this point and we are still going strong.

I would buy the book, but take everything with a grain of salt. Do your best to follow it, but don't stress if you can't do it all.

P.S. I have read that the first and second trimesters are important for gaining weight.

[sad_about_IF]

I am 31 wks pregnant with twins and read that book fairly early on. There is no way that I could possibly eat that much in a day, so I didn't even try. I did however find that it was helpful in suggesting how much you should try to eat from each food group. And with so many other pregnant women around me stressing about how much they were gaining, it helped me feel a bit more relaxed, recognizing how important it is that you gain enough weight when you're carrying multiples. Plus, the recipes at the back are quite good and DH and I now regularly make a number of them.

[aster333]

I am only 10 weeks now, but I read her book and thought it has some great ideas on how to eat right. I am trying to follow it, but it is a lot of food to consume

[MizzB]

The book was actually given to me by my Peri. She did mention that everyone will handle the diet in the book differently. I agree with what most of the women have said, the recipes are awesome and there are other areas of the book that are priceless and very informative. I made a point to try and follow which items to eat form which food groups, even though the amounts were a little much for me. I will be 27 weeks pregnant with twins tomorrow and I have gained 26 pounds so far. My son weighs 2lbs 9oz and my daughter weighs 1lb 14oz. He is well above the normal weight range but she is right on track and I think the book's diet guidelines on which items to eat out of each food group helped with my twin's weight gain.

My advice is to purchase the book and take what you personally feel is most important from it.

Congrats and Good Luck!

[formerly sam]

I bought and read the book very early on too. I gained pretty well the first tri but then weight gain slowed. I think I'd only gained 16lbs by 24 weeks. I'm also overweight normally and even with my singleton only gained 15lbs total and had a 7lb8oz baby.

As of today I have gained 18lbs and am almost 29 weeks. The babies are measuring on target and doing fine. I've pretty much just always eaten what sounded good and eaten when I was hungry. This is just how it worked out for my body. Everyone's bodies are different and will handle weight gain during pregnancy differently. Try not to stress. Plus, when you get bigger it's tough to eat big meals.

[BC-blu_sky]

Eating as many calories as she suggests especially when you get bigger is hard! My advice to you is to drink an ensure shake every night in addition to your regular meals during the day. I did this and I am convinced all the extra calories went to the babies. They were born at 34w2d and weighed 5lbs 5oz each. I gained a total of 35lbs.

[bebehope]

My peri basically said not to get her book. He said there is some good info, but a lot of the info is not evidence-based (we were discussing pre-eclampsia, blood pressure, swelling, and weight gain). I started out overweight, so the book's weight recs are a lot more than they want me to gain. Today I checked the book out from the library, because there is a lot of good info in there. I will definitely check out the recipes!

[emunah]

Actually, the entire chapter on nutrition is evidence based. And she has published in numerous journals.

I've read the book and her journal articles in med journals. I understand her points and think she offers a lot of good advice. That said, I can't make her full recommendations but it does make you really pay attention to your food intake.