Chapter 707 - Extra Care Needed (1/2)

Kyle had always wanted twins. Rather, Kylie did. Even though Kyle was a twin himself, the thought of raising twins was exciting.

Unless if they were both like him. If they were like Kay, then that's different.

”Twins,” Sayuri repeated, her eyes wide. No wonder she was bigger than normal.

”Am I going to be gaining even more weight?” Sayuri asked Dr. He.

”Most likely,” Dr. He replied, ”You're going to need more regular check-ups to do the ultrasound scans. Your folic acid intake must also increase to 1 milligram from the 0.4 milligrams that you are currently taking.”

Kyle nodded, understanding.

Folic acid was taken to reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida, which is a congenital defect of the spine. There would be a gap in the backbone that would expose a part of the spinal cord and its meninges. This can cause paralysis of the lower limbs of the baby, and in some cases, learning difficulties.

”Will I become a huge whale?” lamented Sayuri.

”Well, naturally, with twins, you would gain more weight as compared to a single pregnancy,” Dr. He patiently explained, ”However, you should not gain more than 54 pounds, or about 24.5kg.”

Kyle turned to Sayuri and said, ”I'll get a nutritionist for you. You will need the added calories but not to get too fat.”

”ARE YOU SAYING I'M FAT?! This is YOUR fault, you know!” Sayuri shouted at Kyle, smacking him on the arm.

”No no no,” Kyle said soothingly, ”Not at all and I wouldn't care even if you did, but like Dr. He said, you can't gain more than 54 pounds. I don't want you to suffer more than you already are, carrying our babies. Heartburn, backaches and all that will be worse if you put on too much weight.”

”You're still saying I'm fat,” Sayuri pouted.

”No one is more beautiful than you in being fat,” Kyle said with a grin.

Sayuri rolled her eyes while Dr. He just sat there silently, watching the two bicker. He could see how loving the couple were and his heart was warm. Scenes like this are what made his job so rewarding.

”You're going to have to be less active in the final trimester,” Dr. He continued after the young couple stopped teasing each other, ”Unlike single pregnancies, you'll be giving birth in the 36th or 37th week rather than the 40th week.”

”I would also go so far as to advice bed-rest, though it's never been proven that it actually helps,” Dr. He admitted, ”But it certainly doesn't cause harm.”

”Why? Is there something wrong?” Kyle asked worriedly.

”No, that's what we're trying to avoid,” explained Dr. He carefully, ”The risks associated with pregnancies are higher when it's multiple pregnancies. Thus, pre-eclampsia and  diabetes are more likely to occur in twin pregnancies.”

Kyle nodded, feeling more worried than ever.

Pre-eclampsia affects the blood flow to the placenta, which can result in smaller or prematurely born babies. That was the 'best' case scenario.

It is a condition that can severely affect unborn babies. Their kidney and liver function would be impaired, there can be blood clotting problems, fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), and seizures.