Today I hit 25 weeks and considering recent events, our big goal is about 30 weeks. I was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday at the request of my doctors. I actually received a phone call around 9am asking me to pack a bag and come on in for the duration of the pregnancy. I was given an IV and started Terbutaline injections. I was also given Betamethasone injections (the steroid which helps the babies' lungs produce surfactant in case they are born early). My contractions were 1 to 2 minutes apart when I was admitted and slowed to 6 to 8 minutes throughout the day. My cervix still measured over 4cm and the babies weighed in at 1 lb 9 oz to 1 lb 11oz, all within a week of their due date. On Wednesday I was given ampicillin via IV every 6 hours. Then on Thursday my high risk doctor made a visit and switched everything up. They removed the IV, d/c the terbutaline, started Indocin, d/c ampicillin, and I have been doing that ever since.
Sleeping has been nearly impossible with all of the pain I have had (pain from this horrible bed)...I have even been taking Ambien and it barely helps. My mom offered to buy me a memory foam mattress yesterday and I was able to sleep for 8 hours last night! I feel fantastic today for the first time all week!!! I did start contracting again in the middle of the night, so they gave me one terbutaline injection, but things have been great all morning.
So other than just sitting in bed with a belt wrapped around my abdomen measuring uterine activity, I'm doing pretty well. My nurses are fantastic and I am being well cared for, as are the babies. With any luck, we'll sail through the next 5 weeks in this hospital and maybe even buy ourselves 3 or 4 more. Hopefully I won't go crazy in the meantime.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Growth Scan & Other Updates
Our high risk doctor did a growth scan on the girls yesterday and they are all measuring about 1.5 lbs. He estimated that to be the 35th percentile, but from what I have read, that weight seems a bit more average than that. It's hard to say, though, because the ultrasound measurements offer a weight that is rarely consistent with reality. In other words, it's a good guess, but not entirely reliable. The main thing is that the girls are all about the same size and growing well.
We were able to see the girls on the 4D ultrasound, but only one offered us a profile shot. It's not very good, but I'll try to load it on the computer for you to see. In another two weeks we can take another look and see how they cooperate.
As for names, they are possibly changing. After seeing his girls yesterday afternoon, Paul decided that we needed to reconsider some of the names. At this point I think we will be keeping them to ourselves...and honestly, I'm not entirely convinced we will finalize them until the girls arrive. Prior to learning that we were having triplets, I had wanted to only create a short list of names and decide after giving birth which name to choose. However, knowing that triplet pregnancies are such high risk, I changed my mind and decided that it would be nice for the girls to all have names in the event of a poor outcome. In mentally planning for the worst, I at least wanted my children to have names while alive (alive being in my uterus and possibly during birth). Now that they are all viable and have an excellent chance of coming into this world full of life, I don't feel so desperate to call them by their names while in utero. All of that said, we are going to take our time in making our final selections and will share the names with everyone when the girls make their debut. For now, we will go back to Baby A, B, and C.
To those of you whom I have neglected communication-wise, I apologize. One would think that bedrest would increase one's desire for social interaction. Soooooooo not true in my case. I avoid phone calls, often because I'm too sleepy or depressed to have a conversation. It's nothing personal...it just takes a lot out of me to be social right now. As for emails, I love reading them, but typing is hugely difficult. I have mentioned before that the only comfortable position for me really is lying flat on my back. In order to type, I have to open my laptop up almost 180 degrees and prop it just below my belly, on my pelvic bone. But if it rests on my body at all, Baby A gets all pissy and starts kicking it (no joke). So I have to use my hands to elevate the computer and attempt to type at the same time. It's all doable (obviously...I'm updating this blog), but I procrastinate for obvious reasons. So I'm not ignoring your emails, I'm just dreading the workout of responding and the back pain that ensues thereafter.
That's all for now.
We were able to see the girls on the 4D ultrasound, but only one offered us a profile shot. It's not very good, but I'll try to load it on the computer for you to see. In another two weeks we can take another look and see how they cooperate.
As for names, they are possibly changing. After seeing his girls yesterday afternoon, Paul decided that we needed to reconsider some of the names. At this point I think we will be keeping them to ourselves...and honestly, I'm not entirely convinced we will finalize them until the girls arrive. Prior to learning that we were having triplets, I had wanted to only create a short list of names and decide after giving birth which name to choose. However, knowing that triplet pregnancies are such high risk, I changed my mind and decided that it would be nice for the girls to all have names in the event of a poor outcome. In mentally planning for the worst, I at least wanted my children to have names while alive (alive being in my uterus and possibly during birth). Now that they are all viable and have an excellent chance of coming into this world full of life, I don't feel so desperate to call them by their names while in utero. All of that said, we are going to take our time in making our final selections and will share the names with everyone when the girls make their debut. For now, we will go back to Baby A, B, and C.
To those of you whom I have neglected communication-wise, I apologize. One would think that bedrest would increase one's desire for social interaction. Soooooooo not true in my case. I avoid phone calls, often because I'm too sleepy or depressed to have a conversation. It's nothing personal...it just takes a lot out of me to be social right now. As for emails, I love reading them, but typing is hugely difficult. I have mentioned before that the only comfortable position for me really is lying flat on my back. In order to type, I have to open my laptop up almost 180 degrees and prop it just below my belly, on my pelvic bone. But if it rests on my body at all, Baby A gets all pissy and starts kicking it (no joke). So I have to use my hands to elevate the computer and attempt to type at the same time. It's all doable (obviously...I'm updating this blog), but I procrastinate for obvious reasons. So I'm not ignoring your emails, I'm just dreading the workout of responding and the back pain that ensues thereafter.
That's all for now.
Friday, September 19, 2008
24 Weeks!!!!!!!
Big, fat, huge milestone!!! Our babies are viable and have a 70% chance of survival if born right now.
At our ob/gyn appt on Tuesday we toured the NICU. I didn't expect it to affect me so much, but the minute I turned the corner and saw those tiny little babies I just burst into tears. I can't believe our girls will be THAT small, all alone in their little isolettes, possibly with tubes coming out of them. It's one thing to see pictures of preemies, but it's an entirely different thing to see them in person. My sadness doesn't come from guilt that my body can't carry them to term. I am really good about not blaming myself for anything that has happened during this pregnancy. I'm just sad that these girls will likely come into this world fighting harder than any baby should. I guess I am also sad that I will not be allowed to see them for the first 24 hours. Paul can visit them as much as he would like, but I must wait a full 24 hours after my c-section before I can be wheeled in to meet my little girls. I'm sad that I will barely be able to touch them for the first few days...and may not be able to even hold them for a while. I'm sad that they will be fed through a tube at first, and that it may take days or weeks before we can try breastfeeding. But through all of my sadness I am thrilled that they will receive the very best care and that all of these sacrifices will be distant memories as the weeks and years progress. I'm sure this will be a rough ride at first, but I am confident that Paul and I will handle everything as well as two people can. I couldn't ask for anyone stronger, kinder, or more loving than my husband to take this journey with me. So in that respect, I feel very fortunate.
On a lighter note, babies are still moving around like crazy and Peyton has gotten really good at kicking mommy in the ribs. My most recent craving for ice has been satisfied by Sonic, being that they actually sell entire bags of their crushed ice for just $1.65. I get a few glasses of ice each day and just eat it by the spoonful. Sick, I know.
Here are a couple of 24 week pictures:
At our ob/gyn appt on Tuesday we toured the NICU. I didn't expect it to affect me so much, but the minute I turned the corner and saw those tiny little babies I just burst into tears. I can't believe our girls will be THAT small, all alone in their little isolettes, possibly with tubes coming out of them. It's one thing to see pictures of preemies, but it's an entirely different thing to see them in person. My sadness doesn't come from guilt that my body can't carry them to term. I am really good about not blaming myself for anything that has happened during this pregnancy. I'm just sad that these girls will likely come into this world fighting harder than any baby should. I guess I am also sad that I will not be allowed to see them for the first 24 hours. Paul can visit them as much as he would like, but I must wait a full 24 hours after my c-section before I can be wheeled in to meet my little girls. I'm sad that I will barely be able to touch them for the first few days...and may not be able to even hold them for a while. I'm sad that they will be fed through a tube at first, and that it may take days or weeks before we can try breastfeeding. But through all of my sadness I am thrilled that they will receive the very best care and that all of these sacrifices will be distant memories as the weeks and years progress. I'm sure this will be a rough ride at first, but I am confident that Paul and I will handle everything as well as two people can. I couldn't ask for anyone stronger, kinder, or more loving than my husband to take this journey with me. So in that respect, I feel very fortunate.
On a lighter note, babies are still moving around like crazy and Peyton has gotten really good at kicking mommy in the ribs. My most recent craving for ice has been satisfied by Sonic, being that they actually sell entire bags of their crushed ice for just $1.65. I get a few glasses of ice each day and just eat it by the spoonful. Sick, I know.
Here are a couple of 24 week pictures:
Saturday, September 13, 2008
23 Week Update
The girls are still doing pretty well in my belly and I am measuring 38 weeks pregnant (should I be carrying only one child). We got the report from the level III ultrasound and all are definitley looking great so far. At 21w5d their weights were:
Ashlyn - 15oz
Peyton - 17oz
Olivia - 14oz
I have started feeling a lot more movement this week, especially from Olivia. Peyton has quieted down a bit...likely because she has so much space over on my side. Ashlyn has been doing more than kicking, though, as I can feel a lot of movement from her...especially in the mornings. All of the girls seem to wake up around 7am to stretch and play "kick my sister in the head". I haven't yet been kept awake at night by their movements, so hopefully that's a good sign of things to come. I am, however, kept awake at night by my severe discomfort. I can't lie on my sides much and am most comfortable on my back, but my legs hurt so much at night that it's difficult to fall to sleep. I'm sure this will only get worse, so I'm trying to enjoy my sleep while I can.
As for how my body is handling things, my cervix is still 5cm. I also had a fetal fibronectin test this week, which came back negative...and that's good. Basically it's a vaginal swab and they look for fetal fibronectin, which should not normally be secreted after week 22 of pregnancy until very close to delivery. If the protein is not present, then one has a 99% chance of NOT delivering in the next 2 weeks. If it is present, there is a 30% chance of delivering in 2 weeks.
Next Saturday is the big 24 week milestone. Then I'll start focusing on 28 weeks, which is October 18th.
Ashlyn - 15oz
Peyton - 17oz
Olivia - 14oz
I have started feeling a lot more movement this week, especially from Olivia. Peyton has quieted down a bit...likely because she has so much space over on my side. Ashlyn has been doing more than kicking, though, as I can feel a lot of movement from her...especially in the mornings. All of the girls seem to wake up around 7am to stretch and play "kick my sister in the head". I haven't yet been kept awake at night by their movements, so hopefully that's a good sign of things to come. I am, however, kept awake at night by my severe discomfort. I can't lie on my sides much and am most comfortable on my back, but my legs hurt so much at night that it's difficult to fall to sleep. I'm sure this will only get worse, so I'm trying to enjoy my sleep while I can.
As for how my body is handling things, my cervix is still 5cm. I also had a fetal fibronectin test this week, which came back negative...and that's good. Basically it's a vaginal swab and they look for fetal fibronectin, which should not normally be secreted after week 22 of pregnancy until very close to delivery. If the protein is not present, then one has a 99% chance of NOT delivering in the next 2 weeks. If it is present, there is a 30% chance of delivering in 2 weeks.
Next Saturday is the big 24 week milestone. Then I'll start focusing on 28 weeks, which is October 18th.
Friday, September 5, 2008
22 Week Update
I had a big, fat, level III ultrasound yesterday. The tech measured the girls' parts, looked at their brains, hearts, kidneys, bladders, spines, umbilical cords, etc. At first glance, they appear to be perfect!!! Now, we never did the down syndrome screenings, so we have no idea about that, but at my age, risks are low. As for the level III u/s, we won't get the final report until next week, but it really appears that all 3 girls are looking great.
I'm only 2 weeks away from the big 24 week mark. At 24 weeks the babies are considered viable. Our doctor said that our NICU has a 70% survival rate for babies born at 24 weeks. That goes up to 100% by 26 to 27 weeks. So while it's nice to reach that 24 week mark, I would hope that if we're going to have issues, that they not arise for at least a couple of weeks after that.
For those of you interested in my cervix, it's still holding out at 5cm. I'm hugely impressed with the strength of that sucker. I know Ashlyn's head is constantly hitting it, but apparently it doesn't matter. At what point do you think I should tell her that her first pillow was mommy's cervix?
Baby movement/kicking is in full force. I am 99% sure I can feel all 3 now. Peyton has planted her butt directly in my left side and Olivia's butt is up under my breasts. The u/s yesterday confirmed that Ashlyn and Peyton are still head-to-head and that Olivia is in perfect position to be kicked by the both of them. Apparently she kicks back, though...so it's nice to see her standing up for herself.
Here are my 21 week belly pics...
I'm only 2 weeks away from the big 24 week mark. At 24 weeks the babies are considered viable. Our doctor said that our NICU has a 70% survival rate for babies born at 24 weeks. That goes up to 100% by 26 to 27 weeks. So while it's nice to reach that 24 week mark, I would hope that if we're going to have issues, that they not arise for at least a couple of weeks after that.
For those of you interested in my cervix, it's still holding out at 5cm. I'm hugely impressed with the strength of that sucker. I know Ashlyn's head is constantly hitting it, but apparently it doesn't matter. At what point do you think I should tell her that her first pillow was mommy's cervix?
Baby movement/kicking is in full force. I am 99% sure I can feel all 3 now. Peyton has planted her butt directly in my left side and Olivia's butt is up under my breasts. The u/s yesterday confirmed that Ashlyn and Peyton are still head-to-head and that Olivia is in perfect position to be kicked by the both of them. Apparently she kicks back, though...so it's nice to see her standing up for herself.
Here are my 21 week belly pics...
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