What to expect when you're expecting by Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel Page B

(you’ll have little of both, that’s for sure) keep you from eating enough. Healthy grazing may help you fit those nutrients into your busy schedule.
Gaining enough weight. Your new fetus doesn’t care whether or not you’ve had time to shed the extra pounds his or her sibling put on you. The two of you need the same weight gain this pregnancy, too, unless your practitioner prescribes otherwise. So shelve any weight loss plans for now. A carefully monitored gradual weight gain will be relatively easy to take off afterward, particularly if it was gained on a high-quality diet, and especially once you have a young toddler and an infant to keep up with. Watch your weight gain carefully, and if the numbers don’t start climbing as they should, monitor your calorie intake more closely and follow the tips for increasing weight gain on page 180 .
Fair-share feeding. If you’re breastfeeding your older baby, you can continue as long as you feel up to it. If you are completely exhausted, you may want to supplement with formula or consider weaning altogether. Discussthe options with your practitioner. If you decide to continue breastfeeding, be sure to get enough extra calories to feed both your baby and your fetus (ask your practitioner what to aim for). You will also need plenty of rest.
Resting up. You need more than may be humanly (and new-motherly) possible. Getting it will require not only your own determination but help from your spouse and others as well—who should take over as much of the cooking, housework, and baby care as possible. Set priorities: Let less important chores or work go undone, and force yourself to lie down when your baby is napping. If you’re not breastfeeding, let daddy take over nighttime feedings; if you are, at least have him do the baby fetching at 2 A.M .
Exercising. But just enough to energize you, not enough to exhaust you. If you can’t seem to find the time for a regular pregnancy exercise routine, build physical activity into your day with your baby. Take him or her for a brisk walk in the stroller. Or enroll in a pregnancy exercise class or swim at a club or community center that offers baby-sitting services.
Eliminating or minimizing all other pregnancy risk factors that apply to you, such as smoking and drinking. Your body and your baby-to-be don’t need any extra stress.
Having a Big Family

    “I’m pregnant for the sixth time. Does this pose any additional risk for my baby or for me?”
    On your way to testing out that cheaper-by-the-dozen theory? Happily—for you and for your large brood—women receiving good prenatal care have an excellent chance of having healthy, normal babies in sixth (and later) pregnancies. In fact, beyond a small jump in the incidence of multiple births (twins, triplets, and so on—which could mean that your large brood could potentially grow even larger still), these more-the-merrier pregnancies are almost as likely to be uncomplicated as any first or second.
    So enjoy your pregnancy and your large family. But while you’re at it:
Get rest—all the rest you can get. Sure, you could probably do pregnancy in your sleep by now, but that doesn’t mean you should try. Every pregnant woman needs her rest, but pregnant women who are also caring for a houseful of other children (plus the house they’re filling) need even more.
Get help—all the help you can get. This will make getting that rest you need possible (or, at least, somewhat possible). Start with your spouse, who should be shouldering what he can in terms of child and house care, but don’t stop there. If you haven’t already, teach your older children to be more self-sufficient and assign them age-appropriate chores. Any nonessential chores you can’t pass off to someone else, skip for now.
Feed yourself. Moms with many mouths to feed often neglect to feed their own. Not only does meal skipping or junk-food-grabbing shortchange you these days (leaving you with even less energy than you