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I help twin and multiples parents go from surviving to thriving: from pregnancy - postpartum - relationships - raising multiples - with global experts and inspiring parent, celebrity and influencer stories.
Are you a new Gen Y or Gen Z parent or parent of twins and multiples? Do you want to thrive, rather than just survive?
Welcome to our show - a modern, step, by step guide to get you best set up for thrivival!
No outdated, frumpy or stuffy content - we're for NEW parents, we are new parents and we have found the best of the best experts, research and stories. If you're time poor - look no further - community and support building, efficiency hacks and tools, pregnancy, symptom management, partner support, body, bust, skin, hair, postpartum recovery, PND, logistics and travel, parenting twin psychology, childcare need-to-knows, returning to work and more!
I'm Emily, a twin and twin mum. I have researched extensively the best tips, efficiency hacks, expert advice. Books, white papers, medical papers, online groups, articles - sifted through it all, for you. I hope this podcast helps you best navigate this exciting time.
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Podcast: Hey There Thivival
Hey there, and welcome to today's
episode of Hey There Thrivival
Twin Plus and Parenthood.
I'm your host, Emily Haigh, and
today's guest is really exciting.
She's a nutritionist, twin mom, and
founder of Twin Plus helping twin parents
triplets and more nourish their bodies
through pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond.
Why?
Well, because she's lived it.
So without further ado,
let's get this started.
Now don't forget, if you enjoy today's
episode, hit that subscribe button and
make sure you give us a rating online.
Okay, let's jump in.
Emily: Sarah, welcome to the,
Hey There Thrivival podcast.
It's wonderful to have you joining us.
Could you give our audience
an introduction as to who
you are and what you do?
Sarah: Hi, yes, I'm Sarah.
I'm an accredited practicing dietician,
founder and director of Twins Plus,
certified fertility, dietician
and credentialed eating disorder.
Dietician.
Yep.
Emily: Wonderful.
And could you tell us, I guess,
a little bit more about yourself
and your family, which I think
is quite relevant to what you do.
Sarah: Yeah.
Yeah, definitely.
So, I think it's important to
mention that I'm a twin mom.
So I'm a mom for, a 5-year-old girl
daughter Gwen, and, fraternal boys.
Tom and Taj, who are nearly two, and
they're married with my husband as well,
who's an important factor to our family.
Emily: Yes.
It's always good to have if you can.
Sarah: Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Emily: Okay, wonderful.
Fraternal boys.
I love the names t and
t to, are they family
Sarah: I've,
Emily: or.
Sarah: um, Taj isn't, but Thomas is
named after my husband's granddad.
We always seem to, it's either
like the middle names or we try
and name after a family member,
just so that it's sentimental and.
can never, dislike a sentimental name,
Emily: Yeah, that's not,
Sarah: to be a twin thing to,
you don't do the t and t or same,
same initials or what have you.
Emily: you mean that some
people say you shouldn't, or
you mean that some people do it?
Sarah: Oh no.
It seems to be a, um, like
twin parents seem to do it.
Have you noticed how they
might, their, their kids?
I don't know.
Like, yeah.
Tom and Taj or, Sophie
and Summer, or, yeah.
Emily: Yeah, well, we accidentally did
it because we, by no logic other than the
fact that most of the twins we knew of
were boy, girl, or girl, girl decided that
we must be having a girl or two girls.
So we didn't have names.
So we, we do have Caspian and Charlemagne.
but that was like a last minute.
And then we realized they
were the same letters, but
Sarah: yep.
Emily: have heard from some psychologists
that apparently have to be careful
about them not being too similar.
But then I have a whole host
of friends and they have.
You know, very similar names.
So I think they'll work out.
Just make them resilient.
Sarah: Yeah, I get that they, I think
they mentioned about like the having
your own identity or them wanting, you
know, feeling like they're individual,
not combined, if that makes sense.
Emily: Yeah.
Yeah, it does.
Sarah: Yeah.
Emily: Topic, and I was just speaking to
my aunt in, uh, England, who actually had
twins as well when we spoke about that.
And the twin chat, I'm a part of is
also talking a bit about that too.
So.
Very hot topic, but
look, let's keep going.
So, fantastic.
You're a nutritionist and you've
got this great new business.
So what kind of outcomes are
you hoping, I guess, to provide
your audience at a high level?
Sarah: Yeah.
So what, what we've done, we've just
noticed that there's this huge gap,
just in Australia, but um, when it
comes to a multi fetal pregnancy,
there's this gap in nutrition care.
Um, and what we're the space that
we're working in is providing access.
Not just in Australia,
but universally as well.
so that, you know, mothers expecting
multiples, twins, triplets or more have
access to evidence-based nutrition.
because if we are talking just about
Australia at the moment, standard
of care in terms of healthy eating
nutrition guidelines for pregnancy.
Are suitable and thoroughly
research for a singleton pregnancy.
So it falls short for a
multi fetal pregnancy.
So we're wanting to create awareness
whilst also delivering access,
individually to families expecting
multiples, parents and carers.
Yeah.
Emily: Well, look, I think there'll be a
lot of people really excited about this,
and I know you've already got a bunch of
followers and you've only just launched
so clearly knowing that there's a gap
here, and I must say I had very little
idea in my, twin pregnancy that nutrition.
So important, especially if you've got
symptomatic twin pregnancy or you have
some of the extreme symptoms which can be
common like HG (Hyperemesis Gravidarum).
So really, really excited to
to get this to our audience.
Now, Sarah, I wanted to mention as well,
so you have worked in a range of places.
Do you wanna give a bit of an overview
as well about some of that experience?
You talked a little bit about the
high level categories, but maybe
a little bit more there because
you are really well credentialed.
Sarah: Yeah, it's, I'm just trying
to think how to keep this, um, long
story short, but, I've got about,
so I graduated, um, as an accredited
practicing dietician, based on the
Gold Coast, probably about eight
plus years ago, and jumped straight
into a not-for-profit, organization
where I was flying and driving for
hours on end to and remote, far.
North Queensland, um,
towns just seeing anyone.
So there was like a really mixed caseload.
but what I was noticing was that there
was like limited access the presenting
mental health concerns and a lot of
like disordered eating in the community
and also clinical eating disorders.
So then that had a bit of a knock on
effect in terms of my cur curiosity
of like this barrier to, making
nutrition interventions and plans
and changes for individuals and,
you know, communities as well.
So then, um, when I was working in
Townsville, I helped to contribute
towards one of the first, um, eating
disorder private practice clinics.
and worked there for a little bit
and then be in a defense family.
We eventually moved from Townsville
back to to Brisbane and I just can
kind of continued working in that area.
working for myself and then
also contracting out had my
daughter Gwen, back in 2021.
And naturally was very interested
in fertility and perinatal nutrition
and, um, that's where I studied.
Um.
Studied more while I was postpartum.
I was just like, why, why not just
add a little bit more load onto,
Emily: Customers.
Sarah: postpartum period?
Um, and then it's, you
know, Gwen's what, five?
So I've been working in that space
for five years, coupled with,
working in that disordered eating
body image concern sector as well.
Um, and then when I found out I was
having twins, um, when was that?
So there nearly two, so that
would've been back in 20.
Or 2024.
It's all a blur.
yeah, it's, um, it really, I think a lot
of multiple parents can, relate to this.
It really.
Just spun our lives around
completely in terms of like the
structure of are we gonna, what
does this look like for financially?
who do we have that's close by?
At the time, the closest family members
were about an hour and a half away.
Um, I.
does that mean in terms of work and
what does that mean for our, our
daughter who's gonna have to learn
not just to be a, an older sister
to one, but to two new babies?
and then once I naturally calmed
down, I was like, okay, well what
does this mean for healthy babies?
How do I, know, it is.
Incredible to grow one baby.
And we know with individual fertility
journeys, it just how incredible that is.
Um, and then to grow two at the
same time, and then learn about
all the different presentations of
how twins and triplets can occur.
Shared placentas, individual placentas,
shared sacks, individual sacks.
Um, yeah, the main priority
was learning how to.
Have a healthy with these boys.
Um, and then naturally coupling that
with my dietician hat and going,
no one else is talking about this.
Not like I've done my fertility training.
No one has mentioned a multiple
pregnancy and the significant changes
that happen in the body and the
elevated nutrition requirements as
well, and how they contribute to, um.
You know, optimal birth weights, um,
preterm or, you know, full term birth.
Um.
Like the increase in nutrition
nutri, um, deficiencies as well.
So it was alarming to me basically
that no one was talking about it.
And, um, I've got a bit of a
special spot for the underdog.
So I kind of took on that role of
going, well, if no one else is doing
it, I'm gonna do it and I'll just
have to commit my whole life to it.
And that's, I guess, that's where I'm
I'm at the moment, so you can kind of
that I'm pretty passionate about it.
Emily: I love it.
Look, it's so good.
And I think we're, we are very lucky,
and I say we the community of people
who are multiples parents, um, or those
that are, supporting or, or friends
of them, uh, and practitioners that
also, engage with the show and our
community because it is a problem and.
As I mentioned, I had a very symptomatic
pregnancy and Hyperemesis Gravidarum
(HG), which is extreme pregnancy illness.
For those who haven't heard
of it, which can you know.
At the worst scale can be absolutely
horrific for baby and mother, um,
babies and mother in this case.
And then, you know, the best
is absolutely horrific as well.
It's just can be up to
nine months of sickness.
And so I wasn't aware for so long
about nutrition and I think it
was you who told me in one of our
interviews that the, uh, prenatal
vitamin you should be taking double.
I had no idea.
Sarah: Yeah, it's tricky,
isn't it, because.
You know, the, the prenatal vitamin
that's on the market at the moment, it's
hard, it's hard to double it because we
don't wanna double all the individual
micronutrients that are in there.
Um, but the thing that we do
have to double is a folic acid.
So it's been really well researched about,
um, you know, having 500, milligrams,
um, in a tablet per day, but for.
Just the minimum for a twin pregnancy when
we're kind of approaching 800 per day.
So we're needing to take
a, a multivitamin, like a
prenatal plus a separate
Emily: folic
Sarah: acid tablet to go with it.
Emily: Okay, so I misunderstood that.
I'm glad you cleared that up.
Sarah: That's all good?
Emily: Look, mind, mind blown.
No one told me along my journey.
I was in a twin clinic.
I mean, I saw specialist doctors and
it was one of the biggest ones in,
in one of Australia's capital cities.
And I, I don't recall being told that.
Apologies if I missed it somewhere
along the line, but there were about
diet, but yeah, didn't ever hear
about that, which is, well, luckily
the, the babies turned out okay.
Sarah: Yeah.
Emily: so a lot to get into today,
and I think this is going to be
a revelation for a lot of people,
especially if it's their first.
Time on the journey in the early on.
So we are going to kick off with a
little bit of a fun game to start with,
and then we'll go with our questions.
So I have been scouring the internet
for trivia, for for guest questions.
So I've got a few fun ones for you.
first thing that comes to mind, and, and
then we'll just go through from there.
Okay.
Are you ready?
Sarah: I'm ready.
Emily: Okay.
can changing your diet,
increase your chance of twins
with particular type of food?
True or false?
See, I would've thought that,
but there is studies and there's,
it's all over the internet.
The more dairy that you have in
your diet, the higher the chance
of you having multiples bizarre.
Bizarre people.
Feel free to look at these studies.
If you go online, they're,
they're everywhere.
okay.
this is a good one.
Does a twin pregnancy increase the
likelihood of increased nausea, and
vomiting in the first trimester?
Sarah: Uh, absolutely.
Emily: Yeah.
Yeah.
Just in make, don't scare anybody.
Not everybody gets sickness.
I have friends that had twins or,
or more than that, and they didn't
have a huge amount of nausea,
but it definitely does increase.
So yeah, I think they all know that one.
Now this is more some general ones.
So what was your top twin mum?
Logistics or product trick.
So it could be a carrier,
a time back product.
What did you love?
Sarah: I'm just being thrown back into the
I.
postpartum era.
I know this sounds really cheesy,
but it's more like the mindset.
Of reminding myself it's gonna
take longer to do everything.
So when I went to like the doctors,
I automatically booked in for one,
one slot where I needed two slots
and a lot of time, yeah, I think it's
just being a cheerleader and going,
all right, we're out the house now.
That's a, the, you know,
the best thing I've done.
So it's more, I think it's been more
of a mindset than actual things.
So cheesy.
Emily: Oh, I love that.
I think that's actually a really good
reminder because sometimes the voice
in our head Is the worst for us, right?
'cause if you're quite critical or
talking about all the mistakes that
you make, or you are late again, you
are not gonna make that appointment.
you're tired, distressed.
So I actually, I love that one.
okay.
what is the most common comment that
you got when you're out and about
with your babies from strangers?
Could be comical, could be memorable.
Sarah: We might pass
on the double trouble.
Um, think everyone hears that, but the
one that stands out stands out for me.
So I live up a hill and I was pushing
this double, double pram up the hill,
and this man decides to his car, pull
up next to me and then he goes, good,
good thing you didn't have triplets.
And I kind of just stared at him and
was kind of semi horrified, because
you're sweating going up this hill.
You've got your two new
semi newborn babies.
and then you get, it's meant
to be a laugh, but that I
don't get insulted often.
I'm, I'm happy to have a laugh, but
that was really annoying because I was
working hard to, to push that stroller up.
The hill basically.
Emily: I think postpartum
recovery as well.
Oh my God.
I think sometimes people just don't
think, they think if you weren't
actually a multiples parent and say they
were speaking to their mates, looking
at multiples parents and you didn't
hear them, maybe that would be funny.
But if you're literally
still in the struggle.
Sarah: Yeah.
Emily: Like, it's literally your day
to day, not as funny, not as funny.
And you weren't even
at the top of the hill.
Yeah.
Look, I would not have loved that either.
let's keep going.
next question is, I guess the top issue
categories for pregnant twin plus moms.
So top high level categories,
that are most prominent that
they should be aware of.
Sarah: Yeah.
the way that we work is that we, we
wanna basically introduce nutrition
strategies, and optimal nutrition.
The minute someone finds out they're
having twins or, or multiples, basically,
because we know from research, that we
want compared to a singleton pregnancy,
to have weight gain in the first trimester
compared to a single pregnancy where it's,
we typically don't need to, depending on
the individual of course, but that early
weight gain during a multiple pregnancy
has shown to have strong correlations
with the The length of the pregnancy and
the birth weights of the babies as well.
So that's our top priority that we wanna,
Film.
highlight and.
Monitor throughout our care, with our
twin plus clients, we also wanna make
sure that we are bringing the common
nutrition deficiencies up on their
radar as well, such as iron deficiency,
which is pretty close to twice as
likely to become iron deficient.
can then also impact the growth of
the baby or the, you know, the babies
throughout the pregnancy as well.
And then it, you know, impacts the.
Yeah.
The, birth weight and how they cope
with the birth and how they cope with
breastfeeding and how they cope and if
they need special care nursery or nicu.
It's not just about nutrition,
but nutrition does impact the,
yeah, the, the growth and the
health of the mom and the babies,
so it's a must, must need.
Emily: Interesting.
And may I ask, so does it work whether
you are having twins and then triplets?
I'm assuming it's based on
the weight of the babies.
Is it then.
Almost triple again for, for
example, let's say the folate
thing for, for triplets just to
get a bit of a feel for that?
Is that how it's calculated?
Sarah: Yeah.
Well this is where, I should make a clear
note, is that with women's health, it is
under researched with multiple pregnancy
or multiple, like, uh, perinatal health.
Thoroughly under researched.
And then when it comes to, not just twins,
but triplets or quadruplets or more, you
can imagine it's, there's cobwebs, like
we are missing, not just, we're missing
the quality of the research and the data.
So there we are basically having to.
As dieticians, go through the research
ourselves, assess the quality of the
research, and make clinical judgements
where we want to push for more research
so that it's better quality, better
standards, so that we can create, you
know, guidelines for the masses as well.
So there's a gap.
There's an, there's an obvious gap.
So we just have to, if we're
looking at folic acid, not to
go down the rabbit at hole.
But if I have a, someone that requires
more folic acid is someone that's carrying
two babies or more, higher body weight.
a history of, infertility or
miscarriages, and a family history
of, neuro tube defects as well.
So it's really individualized.
Emily: Got it.
Got it.
Sarah: Yeah.
Emily: Interesting.
Well, it sounds like it's so important
to really get assessed and get that right
because anyone that's been to the NICU,
I was in the NICU with one of my boys and
then we had friends there both, well, oh
my gosh, three sets of friends with twins.
'cause we were all in the
the Twin pregnancy course
and they were all in NICU.
I.
Not everyone went to nicu, but
obviously if it's complicated, but
if there are ways to avoid that,
you don't want to go to NICU.
It's a great place and very well educated
teams, but if you can avoid that.
Obviously much, much better.
thank you for sharing that.
so talking about the mother's health and
then the baby's health, there are quite
a lot of gaps and there's not a standard
and then there's not a lot of research.
So I guess we're just
very lucky to have you.
Sarah: Thank you.
Emily: Yeah, look, I wish
I could go back in time.
I've don't know.
I just suffered.
I suffered so.
Sarah: here.
I've definitely suffered
through my pregnancy.
Um, it's only now that I've got
clear head, I can finally, you know,
put all that knowledge together.
Emily: Yeah, well, that's it.
Right?
And I, I mean, I was working, I mean, a
lot of, um, moms would be working as well.
I was working huge hours and we
weren't telling people and I was sick.
And I actually flew to
America at one point
Sarah: Oh.
Emily: was so.
Unwell.
I was locked in my room, I was vomiting,
I had migraines and I had to get this
poor guy I worked with to get me food.
And he just, he had kids so I have no
idea if he actually worked out what was
going on, but I had to get him to go out
and get me food 'cause I couldn't leave
the hotel and, I wasn't eating enough.
I looked back like I was
getting avocado toast.
Um, and definitely wasn't
maybe my nutritional needs.
No wonder I had headaches.
Okay.
you mentioned that there's,
there's basically no standard
nutritional guidelines.
Do you know if that is the case globally?
or is that more specific to Australia
at the moment in terms of, how gps
et cetera, or doctors guide others?
Sarah: So definitely the
case in terms of Australia.
So with Australia, their individual
hospitals have come up with, a resource
that they do hand out to parents
expecting, like mum's expecting multiples.
Um, there isn't one currently in America.
Um, and so far I've researched Japan
and that's also missing as well.
So, um.
I can't speak for other countries,
but those main players, we
we're missing guidelines.
Otherwise I would've definitely
consumed all that knowledge.
Um, and yeah, kind of gone
down that rabbit hole of what
their guidelines look like.
So we're, it's not just Australia, like
we're, you know, a, a minority group
that are not, not being researched and
are, you know, they increased risk.
Of carrying multiples.
It's not being, it's taken
seriously, but not serious enough
to have, um, nutrition care.
Emily: Yeah, which means of better
mental health for the parent, able to
work, able to function less stress.
Sarah: Yeah.
Emily: and, emotional resilience
and then not needing to go
to the NICU perhaps as well.
or have things like, I heard also
hair lips can happen from nutritional
deficiencies, especially if you
trying to feed yourself from multiple
babies and you, you know, no one's
informed you of the, the, um, the gap.
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, look, I'm, thank you for talking
about that and I just want to say as well.
The number of multiples parents
in the US I believe, if I'm
recalling this correctly, is like
a hundred thousand a year here.
It's about 10 k.
Sarah: Yeah.
Emily: so this is not small amounts
and, and I don't know if you would've
seen this, but Korea have like doubled
their twin rate because of IVF.
So they're like at a, a
five point something, oh, I
can't remember the rate now.
Maybe 5.7.
Anyway, it's, it's, it's a huge increase
and they haven't got, the guidelines
were in the US when they started having
more IVF or parents that were waiting
longer, which can have an effect
on multiple births or cause more.
They brought in guidelines because
of the health risks, because the
mothers, you know, it's very high risk.
And in Korea they're only
just starting to hit that.
And so, yeah, I think we
definitely need some changes.
So baby health issues, are there any,
I guess you've touched on a couple.
Any other baby health issues
that can be related to nutrition
that you wanna mention?
Sarah: So I guess in terms of, the
main one, again, coming back to iron
deficiency, um, so that's going to
impact the, so there can be restricted
growth to iron deficiency of the mother.
Um.
There can be, I guess, um, I'm just
trying to think of the right words.
Uh, it can impact like the quality
of the placenta as while delivering
nutrients to, to the babies.
Um, but it's mainly total energy
coming from our calories and
total protein, which is, the main
factors, the main players that can.
Help support a healthy multiple pregnancy.
especially because the mother's
protein requirements are a lot
higher, um, when carrying two.
That helps to basically reserve her
muscles so that she has better postpartum
recovery, um, but also deliver important
amino acids fetal brain development.
yep.
Sorry, I keep saying, uh,
uh, just thinking a lot.
Emily: Yeah, you're making a lot
of really interesting points there.
So basically there can be
a lot of flow on issues.
And is it correct that, if babies can't
get what they want from the mother's
nutrition that she's eating, they'll
actually draw things from the mother's
body so they get it either through the
tube and then at a certain point if
there's a lack, for example, calcium.
My sister-in-law had cracked teeth after
three pregnancies, and I understand that.
If your bone density and your teeth
and whatever else is made of calcium
can be sucked dry by the sounds
of it, is that, is that accurate?
Sarah: Yeah, yeah.
During like a single baby pregnancy,
calcium requirements don't change too
much, but with a multiple, like if
we're talking twin pregnancy only,
not only, but um, it does increase
by an additional one to two serves.
Which I guess the, the role of
calcium, it typically stays the same
in pregnancy because it's, it's more
about developing bone health and um,
bone mineral density and what have you.
But it's so important postpartum.
So, um.
I wonder like in, in the context of
like a breastfeeding two babies and not
meeting the additional serves of dairy
per day or, or calcium alternatives,
the body's gonna draw that from the
bones and then deliver that through
the breast milk to two babies.
So there is nutrient, like
maternal depletion of nutrients
that we wanna get on top of way
before the babies are delivered.
Emily: Wow.
Okay.
That's really, really important there.
And the other thing as well, you
mentioned, so mom's being tired,
whether it be pregnancy or postpartum.
Obviously there's a period where
it's unavoidable when you're kind of
in that, eight to 12 week mark when
normally I think most people are hit
by a Mack truck, which is a, a large
truck of people from other countries.
Dunno what that is.
a road track truck.
and low energy isn't good.
And so if you're feeling exhausted,
it might also be because of your
nutrition and not quite meeting,
um, meeting those guidelines.
That's right, isn't it?
Sarah: Yeah.
Are we talking about postpartum?
Emily: Well both actually.
Sarah: Or both.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So there is, increased fatigue early
on during a multiple pregnancy,
but absolutely postpartum as well.
Because if we think, think naturally we
look at micronutrients, um, when we are
feeling really tired, when we really
need to kind of zoom out and look.
The quantity and the quality of our diet.
So we really need to be eating enough
first to address energy levels.
And I think as, women, I think we
kind of have like this mentality
of like, let's just get on with it.
I'm tired because I'm pregnant.
So, um, and especially moms of
multiples, I think we underestimate
the task of growing two or more
babies, even if we've carried one
before, we kind of automatically go.
It's, it's just a, it's, it's a pregnancy.
It's a pregnancy with two or more
babies, so it's gonna be fatiguing,
but if we can address the, or.
ourselves in understanding how much
we need to increase our food intake by
and water intake by at least we've got
that covered and then we can address if
there's any, what else is contributing
to the fatigue or the fatigue.
Cloud might just lift
up just a little bit.
Emily: Yeah, I'm sure
everyone can do with that.
And now other symptoms for
pregnancy, for multiples.
gestational diabetes can be more
prevalent in multiples and preeclampsia.
and I understand that that can
also tie back a bit to diet.
Is that right?
Sarah: Yeah, absolutely.
So when, I think when you are told that
you are expecting twins or more, the.
Conversation that your health professional
shortly have with you is the increased
risks of X, Y, and Z, can be concerning,
but it doesn't mean that it's going
to happen, but they, you know, for
example, gestational diabetes, I'm
just having a look at the stats.
here.
So it does increase your chance compared
to a singleton pregnancy anywhere between
five and 18% if you're having twins.
The reason for that is because you
are either having, you've basically
got a large surge of hormones and
growth hormones coming from this,
this placental two placentas.
Um, so your body's
basically working overdrive.
deliver these hormones
and foods to your baby.
So it just basically causes insulin
resistance, then can cause some health
complications during the pregnancy,
if not managed through dietary
and potentially medicine as well.
Emily: Wonderful.
Look, all really, important things.
So hope our audience are enjoying
hearing about these because I certainly
didn't know, didn't know I heard it.
Well, I heard that it was possible,
but we didn't understand, I didn't
understand what gestational diabetes was.
or even, to be honest, hg
until I was diagnosed at.
2:00 AM way, way, way down the path.
Sarah: Yeah.
Emily: so I think hopefully this is
going to get people some information.
and then postpartum, I think we've
talked a bit about, breast supply.
And so can you increase your
breast supply by nutrients?
I've always wondered this
because I heard about the cookies
and I thought, are they B.S.?
Do they actually work?
So is that a thing?
Sarah: I love answering this question.
It's not complete bs.
bit of a middle ground here, so there's
not great quality evidence that it does
contribute to milk supply, it also does,
doesn't, what's the word I'm thinking of?
it doesn't hinder milk supply either.
So there's a component in o or I
think it's, uh, Brewer's, yeast,
um, that thought to increase
the supply of milk from the mum.
but the main thing, if we're, if we're
wanting to, and I've, um, there's
a blog up on, um, the website about
this, but if we're wanting to address
milk supply, yes, you can spend your
money on, um, breast milk, oat cookies.
You could potentially
make some, you know, uh.
Cookies or muley bars at home.
Um, but I would really address the energy
requirements that your body really needs
and address any under, like if there's
iron deficiency coming back to that again,
that's also gonna contribute to, um,
positive or negative supply of, of milk.
Um, and also a lot of factors such as,
um, if the babies have been in NICU or
special care away, if they're underweight
premature, if they're latching.
Speaking out scope, see
a lactation consultant.
But again, it's back to do we know
based on education, which is, you know,
lacking in the, in the general public
in terms of access to that information,
do we know how much we actually need?
So for, um, say a single,
like a postpartum mum.
With a single baby
breastfeeding, no other issues.
Her energy requirements increase so
they stay exactly the same as what
she was eating during her final
trimester, plus an additional calories
worth of meal, if that makes sense.
So that can be split over multiple
snacks or two smaller meals
throughout the day on top of it.
Her diet.
if you're, um, breastfeeding two babies
or three babies, we are needing to try
and find a way to eat as much as we were
during our final trimester of pregnancy.
Plus try and squeeze two extra
meals in there worth of calories.
So
it.
Pretty difficult, especially if you're
juggling two or more, and hopefully
your hungers come back by then because
then you are not having that early
so society, but it's having access
to readily available food and taking
the pressure off that we have to
eat in that black and white healthy.
Sometimes we have to use
nutrition strategies such as high
protein, high energy strategies.
are very dense in nutrition and dense
in energy so that we can eat it within
five, 10 minutes and make sure that our
body is getting enough so that we can,
you know, produce that milk that we need.
Emily: Wow.
So many things I had no idea about.
Basically, if we were, to summarize,
you've talked about helping with the, the
baby health support areas to try and make
sure that it's a healthy baby, avoiding
things like NICU, lower birth weight,
which can have some flow on effects.
You do fertility as well, pre babies,
and then the pregnancy, getting
the right, weight, talking about
the different nutritional areas
as well, and undereating as well.
And I know that given you have, given,
you have a background in, body image.
that's probably really helpful because
uh, I know this from seeing the chat.
I know this from speaking to so
many mothers of multiples, that
body image is a thing and it's you.
I think most people really want their
babies to be healthy, but they don't know
what that balance is, or they're trying
to get their head around, that transition
or wondering what will happen to my body.
So I think the fact that you're
educated in that is no doubt
going to be very advantageous
Sarah: you.
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah.
Emily: Anything to kind of add to that?
Actually, now that I've made that comment.
Sarah: Yeah.
Yeah.
I, I guess over the past, uh,
three years, there has been more,
um, body image, disordered eating,
perinatal screaming, in hospitals
and outside of hospitals as well.
Um, wonder what, so this disordered eating
in, pregnant mothers can occur like.
Roughly around, uh, I think it's up
to like beyond 20%, um, 20 to 30%.
And that's, I think, I wonder if that's
more, because we're under screening
and I just, I, and again, there's no
research in this, but I just wonder,
we know that there's a increased
risk of mental health concerns.
in multiple mother mums on multiples.
And I wonder what the, if there was
actually research what the statistics
would show in terms of body image concerns
and, um, unhelpful adaptive eating.
you know, in terms of disordered eating,
because the body does rapidly change, um,
when you're carrying two or more babies.
Um, and it is a thought that comes across.
I know it came across my mind and
I work in this area because, know,
the body, body changes so quickly.
So we just want to create a space where,
um, yeah, kind of removing that stigma
that you can talk about this stuff.
you're not alone in wanting your babies to
be as healthy and gain that weight whilst
also having conflicting thoughts about.
Of grieving that your body's
changing as well and what that
looks like postpartum and forever.
Emily: Yeah, absolutely.
And I think it's very, it's very fair.
Again, people always talk about
body image on all the, the different
chats and finding that balance,
knowing what's the right way and.
Sarah: Yeah.
Emily: you've, you add to that
the sickness, if you get sick and
then you're just eating whatever
you can to survive, right?
And then.
The time when you're in postpartum,
like how do you get the time to, to
get back into your routines, whatever
it was that you did, walking, I don't
know, cycling, running, whatever.
and so I think it's, it's great to hear
you've got that experience 'because
I'm sure that'll help a lot of people.
now we talked about
nutrition, also hair loss.
I know that you know a little bit
about nutrition for hair loss, it
seems of your, anything to add there?
Sarah: What was that?
Emily: Anything to add to that?
Sarah: Oh, it's just a, again, I,
I, was so curious because I lost
so much hair after having my boys.
it was, you know, when you're, I know
this might be a bit funny, but you know,
if, if you've got a dog, you, during the
summer, they kind of lose their undercoat.
I felt like I, I visibly have hair.
But my undercoat was gone.
It was shredded.
So it's the most, it's compared to
Gwen, my, my, our, our eldest, like
the amount of hair I lost was in like.
Remarkable, I'll use that word.
But then it kind of triggered my curiosity
again, and I looked at the research again,
no surprise, under researched in this
area, but we know that, um, the postpartum
moms, regardless of how many babies you
have, about, I think it was like 40 to
50% experience, postpartum hair loss.
Um.
And then I guess you, there's
things you can do to manage that.
And again, it comes
to, comes back to iron.
It's just incredible.
So if there's iron deficiency.
does impact, um, how hair you lose as well
because of the, you're gonna lose hair
anyway because of the change in hormones
and the cycle of the hair growth and the
stress, um, on your body of giving birth
to your baby, whichever way that is.
there's gonna be hair loss anyway,
but there's ways you can manage
that long term in terms of corrected
iron deficiency straight away.
Emily: Wow.
Well look anyone that's concerned
about that, there you go.
A little hot tip there.
I was the opposite.
'cause I have the thickest hair.
Sarah: Oh,
Emily: I was looking
forward to losing that hair.
come on, when's it gonna happen?
Well, let's go.
Sarah: uh, I'm a bit jealous with that.
I, it is taken me like,
how old are the boys now?
Like 20 months.
It is taken me a while.
It's taken me like a year to get
back to, to, to thicker hair.
Emily: Well look, the
grass is always greener.
I'm sure there's people out there
worried about their hair, similar
to yourself and some that maybe
like me are glad to get rid of it.
So Sarah, look we're, we're
getting close to the end.
Could you talk us through your packs?
So you've got Mum Pack A, B, and C.
How did you structure
it and who is it for?
If people are interested
in getting in touch,
Sarah: I, I love these facts.
They're, um, they've been
I.
with different moms in mind.
Um, with, so we've basically got a
mom's first approach, um, so that
the babies are looked after, but the
mom needs to be looked after first.
So it's a bit of like.
Nutrition luxury care for, for them.
So, you know, when like you're in
the, um, you are, you're, you are
like doom scrolling in the middle of
the night and you're looking at quick
fixes for nutrition or, um, the next
diet to go on postpartum, which is,
is is just a reality for others, for
some people or, you know, wanting
to replace that wardrobe postpartum.
So the idea is that this.
Feels like a, an opportunity
to take care of yourself.
So we've got, we've got like Type
A mom, which I'm sure a lot of
people know what I'm talking about.
Just kind of like wanting
to be across everything.
Um, very, very proactive.
Maybe a little bit time poor
of course, but wanting to make
sure that they're across all the
information and doing all the things.
Throughout their pregnancy and postpartum
up until, um, the first year of their
baby's lives, basically, so that we're
moving through pregnancy, um, navigating
all that stuff, care, growth, um, then
when, basically when their babies are
ready to start solids because that
can present some obstacles as well.
then type, I guess a type B mum pack is
more for someone that's a little bit.
That's wanting to get
involved a little bit chaotic.
Might already have, um, older
kids, busy working as well.
Um, and they're wanting to ha touch base
like a couple of times, but they're also
just wanting a plan to be put in place.
Um, and then they're happy
to go with the flow, whereas.
Um, PXI is actually quite suitable for,
um, more overseas clients as well, but
it can have, it can be really suitable
if you've got a pretty good understanding
or, um, you know, it can be because
of finances and what have you as well,
but it basically presents you with,
um, a dietary assessment, nutrition,
um, nutrition plan and supplement.
plan as well.
and like a video recording so that at
least you are getting to touch base and
then there's always the option of like
following on follow on consultations.
But yeah, I, I'm, I it to, yeah, with
those kind of three mums in mind.
Emily: Fantastic.
Well, look, I think that'll resonate
and it's, it's good 'because
you do have your parents that
wanna know every single detail.
You've got people who maybe, like
you said, they've got knowledge or
other kids, so it's not as fresh.
And then someone who just wants something
lite n easy or budget friendly, obviously.
With multiples that can be, a thing.
So thank you for running through those.
They're on the website for those
who want to check them out.
And I also saw you've got a
series of webinars for knowledge
and confidence coming up.
So do you want to talk about timing
and what those sort of things will
cover maybe a bit of a, a tease
or, I know it's quite early still.
Sarah: Yeah.
So this year's gonna be a busy one, but
the main focus is on creating webinars
for moms, expecting multiples, so suggest
in that pregnancy period at the moment.
also we are, we're doing a
separate webinar for health
professionals to increase their
knowledge if they're looking after
moms expected multiples as well.
So that's roughly gonna
come around in April.
So after the month where, here in
Australia we have multiple birth
awareness week and, the web webinar
will be launched in in April.
more, more information
to be released on that.
Emily: Okay.
And so if people follow you
on Instagram, is that the best
way to see the updates on that?
Sarah: Yeah, definitely.
on the website as well, you
can subscribe, and then keep
up to date on the newsletter.
Everything's released on the,
earlier than social media.
And then there will be a link,
to the webinar and access at the
webinar around that time as well.
Emily: Fantastic.
And just one last thing.
So if people are overseas, are
they still able to do calls of
the obviously time zone dependent?
is that the offer as well?
Sarah: Yeah, absolutely.
So the, the packages are
created with that flexibility.
So Pack B and C are probably more
suitable for overseas, overseas clients.
Yeah.
then of course we adapt it to
the, the country's guidelines
and population group as well.
So it's applicable.
Emily: Unless they don't have them.
Sarah: And unless they don't have
them, we, we will do our best.
Emily: You know, science of research.
Okay.
I love that.
Thanks so much.
So let's do a quick recap.
we've gone through who you are,
your credentials, areas of focus
and studies, why you do what you
do, the gaps and issues you've
identified, why this matters.
You've also talked about how you can
support people and given some examples.
any final comments before we wrap up?
Sarah: Oh, the one that's
just popped into my head.
I just think, families with multiples.
just champions, aren't they?
They're just really, the
underdogs are underlooked.
they like we are mostly surviving, but
sometimes thriving in the chaos as well.
And I just love how we have.
This sense of community,
like I really loved that.
That was one of my first steps when I
found out I was having fraternal boys.
I was like, where's this community at?
What do I need to know?
And it's just been, great.
And it's, it's connected me with
people like you, which wouldn't have
happened if I didn't have the boys.
So, yeah, that, that's the
only thing I wanna mention.
Emily: I love that and I think you're
right and thank goodness, because
we need each other and that's why
I do what I do, is to, to bring.
Everyone the latest and the
people innovating like yourself
so that we can hopefully be more
likely to thrive than just survive
because we need to move past that.
It's it's time anyway.
It's definitely time.
Sarah, thank you so much for
joining us on the podcast.
It has been wonderful and really enjoyed
all the takeaways you've given us today.
Sarah: Thank you for having me.
Emily: Now, don't forget, if you are
enjoying our podcast, it'll be fantastic
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