Recovering? Ain't Nobody Got Time for Dat!

A post on my attempts at recovering from a triplet C-section, then back to the important stuff - the babies!

After an amazing day that started with me trying to stay pregnant for 1-2 more weeks and ended with me holding the smallest of my new triplet babies, it was time to rest and recover.  I sent my husband home with our oldest two kids, but asked my Mom to stay with me. The guest bed (a pull out chair) they had in my postpartum room would have been terribly uncomfortable for my husband but it was just the perfect size for my petite mom.

Sometimes a girl, no matter how old she is, just needs her mom. Moms are wonderfully comforting and understanding, especially where my Mom had had three C-sections and knew what I was feeling and needing. It was wonderful to have some girl time with my Mom. We reflected on how life comes full circle, how it had been almost 34 years ago that my mom was in my place, lying in bed after a difficult C-section (they hadn't numbed her enough during my birth....um, ouch!), with a new baby girl to take care of....and now it was that same little baby that was lying in the recovery bed and Mom was yet again taking care of me.

Unfortunately, she did a lot more taking care of me than resting that night. I was bleeding fairly heavily, and the nurses were a little concerned. They couldn't give me medication because they were worried it would make my blood too thin and I would lose too much blood. My uterus wouldn't stay hard (the nurse kept saying "her uterus keeps going boggy on me", at the time that made me a little nervous but now I think it's kind of a funny way to say that), and they had to keep coming in and massaging it repeatedly throughout the night to get it to contract and harden. The nurse assigned to me kept having to bring in other nurses to help her take care of me. They also called my doctor and he prescribed some medication that would cause contractions. They almost gave me pitocin but the doctor ordered something else instead, which I can't remember the name of.

In the middle of the night, I woke up from one of my few cat naps because I felt a little cold. I tried to put my feet under the blanket and immediately began shaking uncontrollably. I woke up my mom and asked her to help me. I had been so warm, except for my feet, and in an instant I was freezing and shaking, and it scared me a little because I didn't know what had happened to cause that. I am sure it was just more of a reaction to the medication they had given me the day before, but at the time it was scary for me. The nurses came in with more blankets and that helped a lot.

Finally, around 4:30 AM I believe, I told the nurses how nervous I was that my uterus wasn't staying hard. They were really sweet and calmed my fears. They kept saying "It seems like you've lost a lot of blood when we look at it on paper, but you have to remember how much blood you had to begin with, having three babies inside of you." The explanation helped me calm down and I was able to get a little rest after that. Besides, my Mom was there and ever since I was little I knew nothing bad could happen whenever Mom was with you.

Morning finally came and sure enough, true to the warning given to me by the nurse the prior afternoon, I felt like I had been hit by a truck. That was a tough day as far as pain went. Luckily my uterus was cooperating a little more by then so I was able to take pain medicine again. It was much more difficult to walk that day,  but I still made it over to the NICU to see my babies a few times, and my big babies also came to see me, wearing their adorable shirts that my cousin Caryn had made for them:

My mom stayed with me two nights, and then on Friday night my husband stayed with me since the kids didn't have to be at school the next morning. I was discharged from the hospital on Saturday evening. I could have stayed til Sunday but I just wanted my own bed again.  It was so nice to be able to lay almost flat again (stomach was still a little too big to get incredibly comfy, but it was sooooo much better than sleeping while sitting up, which is what I had been doing for the last 2+ months of the pregnancy).

This hasn't been the usual recovery. It's definitely been more difficult than my first C-section.  I never got to have that baby honeymoon where all I do for days is sit and hold and feed a baby. I feel like I have barely sat down since I got discharged. Life in the NICU is incredibly busy - but that's for another post.

I started back to work after almost 2 weeks. Luckily my job isn't one where I have to be on my feet a lot, but it does require a lot of analytical thinking and brain power, which can be hard on little sleep (don't believe it when people tell you it will be "so nice" to have them in the hospital because "you will be able to catch up on sleep while they're there." At least for me, this couldn't be farther from the truth! Late night pumping, early morning pumping, and getting kids up and ready for school doth not a plentiful nights' sleep make!)   I have to admit it has been hard to have to go straight from the hospital to teaching lessons and not hardly have any break in my day. I even have to pump in the car most days, just to have enough time to do everything I need to.

The nice part about this recovery has been the weight loss. At my two week checkup, I had lost all the baby weight plus three pounds! You burn a lot of calories running between three babies in the NICU, not to mention all the pumping. Plus, when you're having triplets, most of the weight you gain is baby and placenta weight, after that, there isn't room for much else!  I only gained 37 pounds with this pregnancy. About 22 pounds was accounted for with babies and placentas. I probably lost the rest of it in sheer water weight from the insane amount of swelling I had in my legs and feet for 4-5 days following the C-section. I gained 40 lbs with each of my single pregnancies and the weight took about 10-12 months to come off. I am super happy this one was so much easier! Though I do still have all the lovely excess tummy skin/fat from being stretched from here to Timbuktu.

Speaking of the tummy, I am 4 weeks post op and my abdomen is still incredibly sensitive. Even just something brushing against it can cause me to cringe in pain. Oddly enough, however, I can cuddle my baby against my front and not feel any pain at all :) My belly button is just now returning to it's former "innie" status. I also have a good amount of scar tissue this time around, and still have pain along my incision, which makes it hard to walk sometimes. I often feel like I am constantly being pinched or poked with a sharp object.  I am hoping that will get considerably better with time, maybe after the babies get home and we can get into more of a "normal" routine, no more constant running between hospital, school, home, and work. And my feet hurt, but that's because they grew with the pregnancy and now my shoes don't fit right :o)

The Birth - Meet the Triplets!

Following the quick ultrasound to peek in on the babies one last time before meeting them in person, I was wheeled into the operating room. I was lifted from the bed to the operating table by some very strong nurses (one of whom had been the head nurse when I had my second child as well, and she remembered me!), and was given the epidural (spinal tap? Is there a difference?). I can't even describe the thoughts going through my mind. I couldn't believe I was actually on that table, that this was really happening. All those months of waiting, the growing and stretching to inhuman proportions, all the pain and discomfort, the joints that had stopped working several weeks before, and the seemingly endless number of doctors appointments had all led up to this moment, and it was happening.  It was happening 4 weeks earlier than the doctors intended, and nine weeks earlier than nature intended, but it was happening and it was far too late to turn back. In a few short minutes, heaven and earth would meet as three beautiful and perfect babies would come into the world straight from the arms of their Heavenly Father and into ours. I was going to meet my sweet babies, and I was thrilled...and just the right amount of nervous.

NNP Kelly waiting to "catch" Asher

The nurses helped me lie down, brought my husband into the room, and about half the hospital came in as well, hustling around, getting three separate baby areas set up (we actually had to use the entire operating room and the operating room right next to it). My amazing doctor, Dr. Gulinson, began checking me to make sure I was numb. There was an excited hum in the air. It was perfectly choreographed craziness.

Finally, that blue sheet went up between my face and the rest of the world, and I was alone with my husbands' and anesthesiologists' faces peering down on me to comfort me. The familiar pulling and tugging began, and I waited. I hoped to hear cries as the babies were born, but knew that since they were coming so early, they might be silent.  But then in the hustle and bustle of an overflowing operating room, that first beautiful first cry soared through the air and my doctor announced, "Here is Asher!" Then, in what seemed like minutes later to me but was really only seconds, he announced "And this is Brooks!"  and Brooks let out a beautiful cry. Relief washed over me for another brief second, and then I braced myself for the last birth, certain that tiny Baby C would not announce himself as his brothers had. A few seconds later my doctor said, "Here is Caden!" and then, there it was - another beautiful, thin and high pitched cry, and the tears of joy and relief came that they were all here, they were all crying, and they were each in the arms of their individual, specialized teams.  I didn't know that Dr. Gulinson was going to announce each of them by name, and the fact that he did made the experience so special and personal. All of them were born in exactly the same minute, at 9:41 AM. Asher was 16 1/2 inches long and 4 pounds even, Brooks was 18 inches long and 4 pounds, 11 ounces, and Caden was 14 1/4 inches long and weighed in at a whopping 2 pounds, 14 ounces. Their Apgar scores were all 8s and 9s.

All I could do was listen and try and figure out what was going on. The nurses were counting in unison and sounded very enthused and jovial...I still have no idea what that was about but it was kind of funny to listen to.  And then, finally, the nurse practitioners for Asher and Brooks came to my side and showed them to me for a split second. Caden was too fragile to be brought to me at that moment and I didn't get to see him until later in the NICU, but JJ did snap a picture.  Asher and Brooks looked exactly as I had pictured them - like smaller versions of my older son and their Dad, all rolled into one (or three, haha).

Asher and Brooks being born.
This is an extreme close-up of the mirror that hangs on the wall that you can see in the picture above. If you look, you can see Asher laying outside getting his umbilical cord cut and Brooks being born. I was zooming in on the picture to look at something else and noticed you could see the babies in the mirror. I am so glad I found this, because I think it's pretty cool!

  

Brooks with his "catcher" Katie, NNP.

Dr. Gulinson handing Caden to Laura, NNP

Caden with NNP Laura

Unfortunately, our camera battery, unbeknownst to us, was defective and died right after these first few pictures. I will forever be heartbroken about that. Luckily, we have cell phones that can take decent pictures, though it's not the quality of our digital camera.

All of the babies were briefly intubated to have a special medicine injected into their lungs and were prepared for their first several days in the NICU with IVs, nasal cannulas, and feeding tubes. The developmental therapist wrote a detailed description of everything that the happened to the boys in the first few minutes of their lives, most of which I had no idea about until I read the reports. I am so grateful for such a detailed summary, I know the boys will find it fascinating to read all about their birth in such detail. She even vividly described their rooms in the report.

At one point, the neonatalogist, Dr. Leonard, came into my vision and told me how they were doing. I don't really remember what he said, but if it had been worrisome I would have remembered it. Then the work on getting my huge belly closed back up began. I remember hearing my doctor joking with the nurse, and I knew that if they were able to laugh, that I must be doing fine as well. One of my big worries towards the end of my pregnancy had been that I would bleed too much and need a transfusion - I even had a special IV just in case I needed one. But hearing the laughter helped me know I was okay.

Asher at almost an hour old

Brooks at almost an hour old

Caden at an hour old

Once I was pieced back together, they wheeled me into recovery, where the onslaught of phone calls, text messages and facebook posts began, and thankfully, they made the time pass quickly. I spent quite a bit of my 2+ hours in recovery shaking uncontrollably from one of the medicines they had given me. Then I was wheeled to postpartum, but first, since it was "on the way" my nurse wheeled me down the NICU hall and I got to see my little sweethearts.  That was an experience like no other - imagine meeting your baby for the first time and all that goes with that, and then being wheeled to the next room and experiencing that first meeting all over again...and then going to yet another room and doing it again!

They were so beautiful! I had expected them to look funny, being so early, but they were these perfect, albeit small, babies with 30 itty bitty fingers and 30 adorable toes among them and 3 beautiful heads of hair. Brooks and Caden had blonde hair (Caden's being nearly white blonde) and Asher had brown hair. They all looked like miniature versions of their dad and older brother. So that makes my husband 5 for 5, since none of my children look anything like me. I would have thought I had the dominant genes, having darker hair and darker skin than my strawberry blonde, fair skinned, freckled husband. Apparently not.

Asher, Daddy, and Mommy

Brooks, Daddy, and Mommy

Caden, Daddy and Mommy
Gotta love that post-delivery double chin.

I couldn't stay in the NICU for long since I was in a huge hospital bed, so eventually they wheeled me toward the postpartum area. As I entered the wing, they played Brahms' "Lullaby" over the speakers three times - the tradition in this hospital is to play that song each time a new baby is born. I've had the opportunity to have that song played for me and my children 5 times in this hospital, with three being one right after another.

I was feeling pretty good following the C-section. After a little time in postpartum, my nurse had me get up to walk and I felt like a rock star. I had no issues getting up and walking around the nurses' station (I didn't even need the stomach brace that they offer!), and my nurse exclaimed, "Wow, you are the best C-section patient I've ever had!" I responded that it was a lot easier to walk now that I didn't have three people inside of me.  Plus, they had promised me I could go see the babies again as soon as I walked so I had a big incentive. One of the nurses warned me to take it a little easier, that if I didn't I would wake up the next day feeling like I'd been hit by a truck (turns out she was right, but I will get to that in the next post).

After I walked, they allowed me to go over to the NICU to see my babies again, and by this time, my older babies were here to meet their new little brothers too. They were fascinated and immediately took to them, speaking lovingly to them and touching their little fingers.

Asher

Brooks

Caden

After this visit, I spent the rest of the afternoon in postpartum, but got to come back and visit them once more at about 10:30 that night. And I got a great surprise - they let me hold Caden for the first time!

He was so little, 6 pounds smaller than the size babies I was used to holding. But I loved holding every single ounce of him.

I am so grateful for the amazing team of doctors, nurses, sonographers and therapists I had throughout this pregnancy and delivery. Dr. Pedron and Dr. Gulinson were incredible, and their staffs were each so supportive and caring. I could not have been in better hands.  It was also fun being able to watch the excitement of the doctors and the nurses at getting to do something that just doesn't happen very often. That afternoon, my doctor posted on Facebook:

"Obgyn of Phoenix
August 21 via mobile

Exciting day to um...deliver triplets!!! What a great day. Mom and all three are doing fantastic!!! And the dad is about to fall over. From 2 to 5 children in an instant. :o)"

I was so flattered that he was so excited about the birth of his first set of triplets. In fact, one of his staff later told me he practically floated around the office for days afterward! How often does a patient get an opportunity to see a doctor that excited? I feel so blessed that my boys came into the world straight into a room full of people who were genuinely thrilled that they were there.

After my special time with Caden, I headed back to postpartum for what would prove to be a very long night. But I will save that for another post!

The Birth - Part 1

Wow, what a whirlwind the last couple of weeks have been!

Last I blogged, I was 30 weeks and feeling about as good as could be expected. I hadn't been placed on bedrest yet, though I spent most of my days in my recliner, except when I ventured out to the living room to teach piano lessons. The babies looked good and comfy, and I was preparing myself for at least another month of pregnancy. I was quite confident that I would make it to 34 weeks at least.

Sorry for the blurry picture!

On Monday the 19th, I went in for my usual bio-physical profile appointment with my perinatologist. My friend Amanda had taken me to the appointment since my husband had to work and I was expecting that this appointment would be more of the same. I had also brought my son with me since he had had a traumatic first day of preschool and refused to leave my side. He was so excited to "see" the babies on the screen during the ultrasound. I was a day shy of 31 weeks.

We got through to the end of the appointment, and to my untrained eyes everything had looked good. But then my sonographer started a sentence with "Unfortunately...". Immediately I was transported back to week 14, the only other time my sonographer had started a sentence with that word, and then followed it with the heartbreaking news that Caden had a serious birth defect.  I nervously waited for the rest of her sentence, and she told me that Caden's blood flow was showing some unusual activity. I relaxed a little, knowing it could be serious but thinking that in the case it probably wasn't too bad since her face didn't show too much alarm. She left the room and I waited for the doctor to come in and tell me what he thought about it.

A few minutes later he came in, his demeanor obviously reserved,  and proceeded to explain to me what the blood flow problem was. I have to admit I don't remember much of the conversation or the details. I remember him likening the blood flow to switching a light switch on and off when it really should be staying on all the time. I remember my son getting restless and Amanda taking him out to get him a lollipop. I remember them coming back in and Amanda, upon seeing the look on my face, kneeling in front of me and holding my hand. I remember the doctor telling me I would be going to the hospital, most likely for the duration of the pregnancy. Everything else is a blur.

On the way back to the car I called my mom (my husband wasn't answering...his office is a black hole for wireless signals) and cried and cried. Then my husband called and I explained to him what was happening. I texted my students and told them lessons were cancelled. I cried to Amanda that I wasn't ready, the babies weren't ready. Then I cried that they would likely be born in August and have the peridot as their birthstone, when I had really been hoping to have some sapphires in my mothers' ring.

Amanda and I drove to pick our kids up from school and then came back to my house to get a bag together for me and the kids. My husband met us at home and Amanda took our kids to her house for the afternoon and a sleepover (seriously, every girl needs a friend like her).

My husband and I drove to the hospital and we were soon admitted to antepartum. Two wonderful men from our church, and personal friends, George and Scott, had met us shortly before we were admitted and joined me in the room to assist my husband in giving me a priesthood blessing, a very important part of my faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They also provided some lighthearted and witty (hilarious, actually) banter that helped to greatly ease my anxiety. 

I was soon draped in the latest in hospital gown couture, and fitted with several monitors and elastic bands. One monitor tracked my contractions, which I was having every two minutes. That came as a surprise to me, as I had been dismissing my contractions as Braxton Hicks for the past two weeks. Most of the contractions I couldn't feel, but the ones I could feel were quite painful. They were especially bad on Monday night. 

The other monitors tracked the babies' heartbeats - it sounds a lot easier than it actually was. My babies are only the second set of triplets ever born in this hospital, and to my knowledge, the first set of triplets to be monitored in this way (known in single pregnancies as "non-stress tests"). I had to have several NSTs over the next 2 days, and each time the poor nurses would have to stand in awkward positions over my belly, holding the monitors over their intended baby, and try to get continuous readings of their heart activity. I think they had to have 10 or 20 minutes straight of monitoring, but it really took more like 45 minutes, because inevitably a baby would move and they would have to chase after it and start all over. I laid there as still as possible, afraid to move and mess something up.

Even when they weren't performing an NST, I had to keep the monitors on each baby, though they did finally give up on trying to keep a monitor on Asher since he was on the underside of my belly, thus very hard to get to. His readings were perfect so they weren't too worried about him. Monday through Wednesday morning was spent trying to keep the monitors in place, nurses running in at all hours when the flat monitors would finally give in to gravity and start sliding down my enormous and round belly. I had a brief respite from the restrictive bands and uncomfortable monitors on Tuesday when I had another ultrasound which showed no change in Caden's condition.

Early Wednesday morning, my nurse informed me that Caden's heart rate had dipped a few times during my contractions in the night. I remember thinking, "This could be the day", and waiting for daylight to come so that my doctor would come in and give me an update, since I figured he and my perinatologist would not want to take any more chances. Then I opened my iPad and saw an email that said it was President Thomas S. Monson's birthday and I thought, "What better birthday present than to have three future missionaries born on his birthday?"

At 8 AM my doctor came in and told me that he felt it would be safer for the babies on the outside, and told me "We are having these babies today!" I figured "today" meant "later this afternoon", but then he told me that I would be going to get prepped for surgery immediately.

I called my husbands' office phone. No answer. I called his cell phone. No answer. Finally, I called the front office and told the school secretary what was happening. She immediately sent one of the other secretaries running to find him while I waited on hold. Eventually she came back on and told me he was on his way. Apparently, he had stepped out of his classroom and had just gotten back when the secretary ran in and told him. He said he became very flustered and started stammering about where she could find the lesson plans for a substitute teacher, and the secretary basically stopped him and said "Go now. We will take care of everything." Luckily, he works only about ten minutes away from the hospital, so he was by my side shortly after I had been wheeled into the room where I would be prepped for the C-section.

Things like this always make me feel like I am caught up in a whirlwind. I was signing consents, meeting the nurses who would be assisting, talking to the anesthesiologist, getting IVs in, and drinking this horribly disgusting sour drink that was supposed to help me with...something...I can't remember what, but it was the nastiest thing I think I have ever tasted. We quickly snapped a pre-delivery picture, and afterward I realized I had forgotten to cover up my belly and there wasn't time to take a second one. So, if you don't enjoy looking at very pregnant bellies, please quickly skip to the next paragraph. I include this here despite my great personal embarrassment (I am a very modest person) only because I want to remember how we looked right before we met our three miracles. I had never seen myself from this angle during the pregnancy, and after the delivery, when I saw this picture for the first time, I was astounded at just how far away my belly was from my face. It looks like it's in a different time zone.

My doctor came in and announced that we had been delayed due to an emergency C-section. Most people would be annoyed at being bumped, but I was fine with it - it meant that I must not be in as much danger and that the babies would be fine a little while longer. It was actually comforting. My doctor had a portable ultrasound machine brought in so he could get one last look as to where the babies were at so he knew where to make the cut.  When he knew where the three babies were positioned, he pointed to each of them and asked me what their names would be. Then it was time to go into the operating room.

30 is the New....40?

Today is a day of CELEBRATION! I have reached the big 3-0!!!  Most people who see me think I am 40 weeks or more. The other day, I shuffled into a store to try and find my daughter shoes, and as I walked in a husband looked at me, turned to his wife and started whispering, keeping one eye on me as I walked by. I can only imagine what he was thinking! But I am happy to be here, despite the stares and whispers! The pinpoint of light at the end of the tunnel has grown to the size of a small animal and it is quickly growing larger by the second....kind of like my belly, shown here with only a mere 11 days difference between the two shots (for comparison, check out the bottom of my shirt in the two pics):

No wonder my belly has been aching non-stop!

And for more comparisons, here is a pic of me the day I delivered my just-shy-of-9-pounds daughter at 38.5 weeks. Yes, same shirt. This shirt was the best $20 I ever spent. It lasted me through three pregnancies. Thank you, Target.

Years ago, I thought this was the biggest I could look.

I had a growth ultrasound/BPP combo yesterday. Babies A and B passed, Baby C wouldn't practice his breathing again. But he looked great in every other way.  Baby A is going to be my easy child. He is the quickest to pass every single time.

Here are their current weights:

Asher: 4 pounds, 4 ounces. He actually weighed in first at 4 pounds, 10 ounces, so we decided to take measurements again because that seemed way too large, and his second reading came in at 4,4. I think that's probably a lot more accurate.

Brooks: 3 pounds, 15 ounces - just barely shy of 4!

Caden: 2 pounds, 6 ounces. Hey, I'll take it! I was hoping for 2 lbs 8 oz but knew that was a long shot. I am just happy he's solidly in the twos. Here's hoping he'll be near 3 by the next growth scan.

TOTAL:  10 pounds, 9 ounces of baby!

They all had fat tummies and fat cheeks. We could only get pictures of Caden, and he was being oh so cute - puckering up his lips, opening and closing his mouth, bringing his hand to his mouth, and even faced us and smiled.  The other boys are getting way too big to get good pictures.

For a bit it looked as though they were going to send me to the hospital because of C failing the breathing again, but my Peri said I didn't have to. I was very relieved because I did not want to cancel piano lessons!!!  I am really hoping to make it all the way through August. My Peri was visibly surprised when I told him I didn't have time to go to the hospital because I needed to teach and he said, "You are 30 weeks pregnant with triplets and you are still teaching?" I assured him it was actually a life saver for me - it gives me something to do every day, a reason to think, to move. When I don't teach I feel like I've completely wasted time all day. Teaching saves my sanity and gives me a challenge that I find myself desperately needing at this point. It seems it is one of the only things I can still do to make myself productive and to provide for my family, now that I haven't cooked or cleaned in months - which as much as I enjoy NOT doing that, there is a definite sense of guilt and helplessness that comes with it.  I assured him that if it became too much I would stop, but so far the only difference between modified bed rest in my recliner and teaching lessons from my comfy office chair is that I get to actively use my brain and have meaningful conversations about something I am passionate about. And I figure I am making my babies smarter with every lesson since I am sure they hear it too! Though today my student playing Khachaturian's Toccata is coming and that may scare them more  than help....haha!

My Peri said that I am "doing a great job" and "looking fantastic", and in two weeks at the next scan he would like to sit down with me, his partner, and my OB and have a "pow wow" about where to go next. It sounds like this is getting very real and very close!  I am stuck in limbo between wanting this pregnancy to be over (I can't wait to wake up in the morning without that "Just hit by a truck" feeling, can't wait to walk - not waddle - again, can't wait to be able to be on my feet for more than a minute without my legs burning and being out of breath!) and being terribly apprehensive of what life will be like when I have three babies outside of my tummy (forget waking up feeling awful - will I even be waking up at all since I will likely be awake all night? and forget about walking around when I will be rotating three babies between eating and sleeping all day).  But I think the joys of having three special little babies around will outweigh the difficulties.

My kids can't wait to meet them.  They talk to them all the time and love to rub my belly, feel their hiccups, etc. I know they are a going to be a great big sister and brother. This morning, my little boy came in my room after I got his sister off to school, and he climbed up on the arm of my recliner and cuddled in to me and fell asleep for the next two hours. At one point he opened his eyes, smiled at me, patted my arm with his little hand, and fell back asleep. I am trying to savor every little bit of these moments with my kids because I know that pretty soon we simply won't have the time to have long, two hour cuddles.

Last night, the kids were being crazy, running around and making lots of noise. We asked them to go in the other room for a while and when they left, my husband paused the TV and we just listened to the silence for a few seconds and breathed a big sigh of relief as our ears decompressed. Then my husband started laughing hysterically as he chuckled "Another two weeks and our lives won't be quiet like this again for a LONG time!" and then I started laughing as I realized he was exactly right.  Might need to invest in a good set of earplugs.

Loud or quiet - a house full of love is a blessing, right?

29 weeks

Just a quick update on how this week has been!

I had two biophysical profile scans this week. I will have two a week from here on out because they are watching very closely for any signs of distress in the babies, especially C. BPPs are ultrasounds that check the babies' fluid, movement, heart rate, and breathing.  All 3 babies scored 100% on Monday's BPP, although we had to sit and watch and wait for B and C to finally breathe, which took about 10-15 minutes of waiting.  At today's scan, A and B got a perfect score but C only scored 6 out of 8 - he wouldn't breathe for us. Not too worrisome at this point, especially since B and C were busy fighting while we watched and waited. That was pretty cute.


I don't normally blog here about my two other awesome kids but I have to include a little tidbit just in case I don't get around to writing this in my personal journal. My baby girl started 1st grade this week and boy has that been tough for me, though she is loving it! It's so lonely without her at home. She has been such an amazing helper all summer. She cleans (if this pregnancy hadn't happened, I doubt I would have ever known that 5/6 year olds are capable of doing the laundry!), takes care of her brother (and me too), and keeps me entertained. :o) I miss her personality and her imagination. I don't miss her torturing her little brother, however. It has been blissfully quiet during the day. I guess I should enjoy that while I can!

It's also tough waking up early and having to immediately get moving. It's been an exhausting couple of days. I have two wonderful friends who pick her up and take her home every day. I don't know what I would do without them. It's hard for me not being able to be there for my girl but I know she is in good hands all day long. 

She seems to be starting a habit of having eventful 1st days of school, however. On the first day of Kindergarten I got a phone call from her teacher after school to tell me that my daughter had yelled at her in class. Luckily, after a week, she was used to having to listen to somebody besides Mom and Dad and she had high behavior marks the rest of the year.

No phone call home came with the first day of 1st grade, thank goodness. Only a note from the nurses' office that she had suffered a minor head injury. My goodness! Apparently she fell off of the monkey bars and slammed her head. Luckily, the nurse is a friend of mine, so when I got the note that she had been hurt, I knew that she had been in good hands. I don't want to know what the first day of 2nd grade will bring, though!

Next Tuesday marks 30 weeks. My doctor said today that because of C, he's hoping I make it to 36 weeks. And then he apologized and said if I made it that far I would be truly miserable. He also said that C is really the one calling the shots, however, and that I should be prepared to be sent to the hospital at a moments' notice should the doctors decide it's time. He told me they (my OB and my Peri) talk about me all the time. I'm not used to that kind of attention but it also makes me feel very secure.  It will be interesting to see how this all plays out!

Attention Family and Friends!

OK, so I beg your forgiveness in advance, but I am going to get into 5 Star General Mom mode now. If you are a relative or a friend that hopes to visit the babies, either in the NICU or at home before they are 5-6 months old, this is a VIP (Very Important Post) for you.

I have never been one of those germaphobe moms in the past. I never required that people spritz their hands with sanitizer or not breathe in my house if they had been recently sick. Then I had a baby taken by ambulance to the hospital at just 2 months old with a bad case of RSV, and my thinking on being a germ freak started to change a little bit.

Now that I will have not one, not two, but THREE preemie babies, I have decided that I would be an irresponsible mom if I didn't get into Mama Bear mode with their health!  Plus,  now my doctors, the NICU, and my friend who just had triplets 2 months ago have urged me to make sure that our friends and family members abide by a few guidelines:

 1. Everybody needs to have had a whooping cough/pertussis booster shot in the year 2013.  This shot needs to be administered at least 2-4 weeks before you see the babies. So those of you planning on visiting the NICU, that means get the shot ASAP because this could happen any day now!

Why? Adults can carry the virus without even being aware of it, and can easily spread this virus unknowingly to babies. Preemies are especially susceptible for several months after birth, into their toddler years.

But I had my booster shot in 2011 and they told me they were good for x # of years. That's what I thought too. I just had mine in April 2012 and they told me I need another one. I did some research, and basically, in the 1990s people started having reactions to the vaccine that was in use then - nothing serious, just a lot of uncomfortable side effects like sick stomachs, etc - so researchers made a new vaccine that successfully eliminated the side effects. Everybody was happy until a few years ago when they noticed that the number of whooping cough cases had been steadily on the rise. 2012 was the WORST year for whooping cough cases since 1955. What researchers have found (and this is really recent info, as in the past 1-2 years) is that changing the vaccine in the 1990s caused it to have a shortened lifespan. Within one year after the vaccine is administered, it loses HALF of its effectiveness.

So please, if you haven't had a booster in the calendar year 2013, please get one. This is incredibly important to JJ and I. If you don't wish to get the vaccine, that is your choice and I respect that, but please don't put us in the difficult situation of having to tell you that you can't come see the babies. I am a softie and I would feel just awful having to turn somebody away. But it is my babies' health and I will do it if I have to.

It is a super easy, painless shot (just make sure to massage your arm afterward so it doesn't hurt the next day), and you can get it in ten minutes at your primary care office, or even at Walgreens.

2. Get a flu shot.

3. If you have been sick, please wait at least 7-10 days after the sickness has completely passed to come and visit.

4. And of course, hand sanitizer will be required, and it would be nice if clean clothes that haven't been around children or people who are sick (teacher/nurse friends) were worn when you visit. With Jace, I was very careful to change my clothes after I finished teaching piano lessons before I touched him. And he still ended up back in the hospital :o(  We may also employ the use of masks, depending on the babies' health and strength. I know that nothing is 100% certain to prevent illness, but I am going to give my 3 preemies every chance to stay healthy.  It is especially important to protect their lungs, since even after being outside the womb for several months, their lungs are not nearly as developed as full term babies. I saw diagrams. It was scary. They can look totally normal on the outside, like any baby or toddler, yet inside, their lungs are vastly underdeveloped.

So please, don't be offended by these simple requests that we will abide by until the babies are deemed strong and healthy. Please don't feel like you are the only one we are asking to do this - or the exception. And please don't be offended when you ask if you can come visit and we ask if you have had your shots or have been sick recently. Just remember these guidelines are coming straight from a high risk doctor, a triplet mom who knows and the NICU.  And I am not trying to be mean, just trying to protect my babies. :)

Thank you!!

Hello Third Trimester!!!

28 weeks! 
I can hardly believe it! Another "milestone" reached. It's all easy and downhill from here, right? (HA!)

Now begins my twice weekly appointments to check the babies' maturation - for example, checking to see if they are practicing breathing, moving normally, and just watching for any signs of distress. I am already exhausted thinking about all of these ultrasounds and appointments but I will do whatever it takes to get these boys here healthy.

Let me recap the last couple of weeks real quick before moving on to my 28 week growth ultrasound.

Last week I had my OB appointment where I was informed that I did indeed fail my glucose test so I am now officially diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. I meet with a dietician tomorrow to create a plan of action, but I've already started monitoring my blood sugar 4 times a day. I do not like pricking my fingers!

After my OB appointment, they sent me to the hospital to have my first steroid shot (just as a precaution) and to have a non-stress test. Well, the hospital informed me that they didn't have the equipment to properly monitor all three babies, so they gave me an ultrasound instead. My poor friend Amanda (who has been my lifesaver throughout this entire pregnancy and is my "on call" friend, anytime, day or night - seriously, every girl needs an Amanda), was stuck with me the entire morning while we visited doctors, got shots (FYI - steroid shots burn! But they are survivable.), and had an ultrasound. It's always fun seeing the babies though.

My parents came into town last week (just left yesterday), and it was so wonderful having them here to take care of every little thing and give my poor, long-suffering husband a break, especially since he just returned to work full time.  So week 27 was by far the fastest and easiest week of my pregnancy!

On to the week 28 ultrasound! My mom took me to the appointment (they didn't have to leave until yesterday afternoon) and I was glad she got a chance to see the babies, although they are getting hard to see very well since they are so big!  My sonographer (Wanda - I LOVE her) had to start with Baby C since they were all in strange positions. Their heads were all together near my rib cage. No wonder I have felt some serious movement going on these last couple of weeks!

C
I was excited to start with Caden because I wanted to see his growth. I was really hoping for two pounds minimum, and I about burst into tears on the table when she told me he was only 1 pound, 14 ounces.  I was so discouraged and I feel so helpless to help my poor little baby grow.  But other than his size, he appears to be doing fine. He's moving, has good blood flow, and his head is normal size for his age. It's just his body that's small.  I spent most of my consult with the doctor discussing him, and he basically said he's not even paying much attention to his size. Rather, he's more focused on how he's maturing, making sure everything is working the way it should. He said that growth restriction could be caused by chromosomal abnormalities or birth defects, but that his gut tells him that this is not what is causing it and that he believes Caden will be just fine. He says we will just need to be vigilant and watch for signs of distress. As soon as that happens (if it happens), we will deliver all three of them. But he's still hoping to make it past 34 weeks.

B
Then on to Brooks, Caden's twin.  He also looked great...and FAT! He weighed in at 3 pounds, 3 ounces! I about passed out when she told me that! We also caught him practicing his breathing at one point.

Since the babies are getting too large for the ultrasound screen, we didn't get many pictures yesterday, but here is one picture that we caught that cracked me up. You have to put on your ultrasound goggles, but once you see it, it's really quite funny:

 

This is a picture of Caden sitting his little bum on Brooks' face! I love seeing that brotherly instinct already coming out in them :)

A
Asher really shocked us too. He has always been either the same size or just smaller than Brooks. Well, this week he has taken the lead! He is now 3 pounds, 5 ounces!!! Yikes!  That means I have over 8 pounds of baby in me, and still at least 5-7 weeks to go!

All looked well with Asher, though he would not get into a position where we could get a good picture, so this will have to suffice. It's a sweet picture of what I like to think is Brooks kissing the back of Ashers' head. We actually saw his mouth close to his head and then he pulled back just as the picture was taken. Again, those brotherly instincts that warm my heart and make me even more excited to meet my little boys:

That's it for the update on the boys! As for me, I look like Buddha when I sit now. My belly is huge, and it aches constantly from the never-ending growth. When people touch it, it feels tingly - like when somebody touches your arm after it's fallen asleep. I have that numb, tingly feeling all the time now, combined with stretching pain.  My back is also always in pain. I've been trying to use a belly support for some relief, and it helps a little, but there's always discomfort somewhere. And of course, my lovely congestion and cough hasn't gone away, though it is a little more bearable lately.

I am still not officially on bedrest, though I do get winded walking halfway down the hallway!  My mother took great pleasure in secretly videotaping my pregnancy waddle while she was here. I'm sure my brothers are laughing at the video right about now...but if I know my sisters-in-law, they are laughing on the outside but sympathetic on the inside!

I haven't taken a 28 week picture yet, so the 27 week will have to do:

26 Weeks!

We're moving right along! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel slowly starting to get bigger!

I am doing fine. Definitely uncomfortable but I can handle it. I miss my bed and the horizontal sleeping position. I also miss my brain. I seem to be getting dumber by the day!  I can't seem to form coherent sentences anymore, and where I once used to enjoy using large and obscure words in my daily conversation, now I use words that are equally as obscure, but only because I made them up for lack of being able to remember the actual word!  For example: the other night I needed more ice in my water that had become too warm for my liking. I said to my husband, "Can you please go out to the kitchen and....uh....mmmm....RE-COLD this for me?" Seriously, how hard is it to say "put more ice in my cup?"  But for the life of me I could not come up with those words!

The ultrasound today went well, for the babies anyway. They were all having a party in there. Here we are, in alphabetical order:

Baby A: Asher is weighing 2 pounds, 4 ounces, well above average. He was comfy and cozy, down low in my belly. He's getting so big now that we can't see more than just a section of him on the screen at a time. They couldn't get a measurement of my cervix because he's too big, so they had to also do an internal ultrasound. The last time I had an internal, we could see all three babies and it looked like this:

This time, we could see my cervix and then, along the entire left side of the screen, we could see just a portion of Asher's tummy.  It really made it hit home just how small they were at 7 weeks and how big they've gotten!  Cervix is still looking good, thank goodness. According to my sonographer,  my cervix is "strong as steel". Yeah baby! My cervix is Superman!!!

We couldn't get a very good shot of Baby B. He basically is standing on his head right now. I almost had to stand on MY head just so the sonographer could get a shot of him. OK not really but I did have to take a very uncomfortable side position and just when I thought I couldn't take it any longer, she finished. Phew.  Brooks is a GIANT, weighing 2 pounds, 6 ounces.

In other Brooks developments - he LOVES music. When my students start playing the piano, or he hears his Daddy singing, he starts to go crazy. I love it.

 

And on to Baby C. Ah, Caden. GROW child, GROW! PLEASE!  He only weighed in at 1 pound, 8 ounces today. Still moving like crazy, and looks great other than being really small. My Grandma told me yesterday that she dreamed he grew up to be a professional basketball player. So far he's not off to a good start! 

I've been nervous about Caden this week because I just don't feel him move very often. Every ultrasound shows he's practically doing somersaults in there but I rarely feel him. It was reassuring to see him having fun today.  I am grateful for weekly doctors' appointments that tell me he's okay. The last few days before every appointment are the days I start to freak out a little bit if I can't feel him move. A couple of nights ago I sat in one place for probably 2-3 hours with my hand on the left side of my belly (Caden's place of residence) just trying to feel any little movement at all, and repeated this several times over the next couple of days. Luckily, yesterday and this morning he gave me a few strong kicks that kept me from going over the edge. I hope he will get bigger soon so I can feel him a little more.

It appears that those worrisome last few days before each appointment are about to disappear, however. Starting in 2 weeks I will be going in for bio-physical scans twice a week. They will still only measure growth every other week, but will check other things like breathing, fluid, etc. twice a week to make sure they are all healthy and happy.

As far as delivery dates: last week at my 25 week appt., my OB again mentioned that they will take the babies at 32 weeks. This concerned me for two reasons: 1) My instinct is telling me that's too early - though where I get said "instinct" is a mystery since I have no expertise in multiples (though my high risk dr. today said I know them better than anybody). And 2) to have them before 33 weeks would cost me an extra $4500 because my new insurance won't kick in until then. So they MUST stay in there until September 1st. Of course my body may decide otherwise.  Hopefully I have trained my body better than to make such an expensive decision.

Anyway, I told Dr. P how much this concerned me and he agreed with me completely. In fact, he called my OB during our consult to discuss a more realistic due date (among other things, like steroid shots - getting my first one next week). They decided I should carry them til 34 weeks if I can make it, and if things are looking good, keep them in there until 35.  He apologized that this was going to be a long road for me, that I would have to be going in for so much testing for so long, but he promised me it will all be worth it and I know he's right. Besides, as uncomfortable as this pregnancy is, it just HAS to be easier having three babies on the inside than on the outside, right?!?

Today was the last time that my husband will be able to go to my appointments with me. It makes me sad! I love having him there, but he has to go back to work.

Also coming up this week: Pertussis booster (even though I had it a year ago, they are not taking chances. In fact, everybody that wants to have any contact with the babies for their first several months has to have one that is very recent - the more recent the better. More detail on that later) and my GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST. Yay. My favorite.  My sonographer told me today that she is pretty sure I will fail it because Baby B's tummy is big and he has a lot of fluid around him, both indicators of gestational diabetes.  We'll see how it goes!

An Exercise in Humility

I am choosing to call it humility because it makes me sound more noble than if I simply admitted that I was embarrassed!

The past couple of weeks I have grown so doggone tired of being in my house. At one point I would say I got downright depressed simply because I was sooooo bored and uncomfortable.

Last Friday I woke up feeling a tiny bit better than usual, so I decided a trip to Hobby Lobby was in order. The triplets' bedroom didn't have a single bit of decoration and I wanted that to change. So we packed up our family and off we went.

I walked (shuffled and waddled is a better description) around for a good hour and a half in Hobby Lobby. There is not a single place to sit down in there, unless you are lucky and find an empty display shelf - which I finally did, and lowered myself down to 6 inches off the floor just to sit down for a spell. But the rest of the time was walking and more walking - which I am not very good at these days as my joints and muscles are too busy holding three babies up to bother with helping me to do things like stand or walk. I felt like a rockstar, holding my own weight in Hobby Lobby.

Then I got home, and for the next 2-3 days I could barely get out of my chair. Hobby Lobby was a bad idea. Very bad idea. I decided if I ever got the notion to leave my house again, I would only go places with wheelchairs or plenty of seating.

This past Thursday, my husband and I both had the day off so I decided we needed to get to Babies R' Us and finish up our registry. They had a wheelchair, and I will tell you, it is embarrassing being pushed around in one of those! I kept second guessing myself, thinking, "I am being such a wimp. I'm only 25 weeks along. Do I really need this? You made it though 2 pregnancies never needing a wheelchair," etc.  But I knew that walking around the store would mean another 3 days spent motionless in a chair. I know it sounds like I am being dramatic, but sadly, it's reality. It is so painful to walk! To get into my Suburban takes every upper body muscle I have. To even do simple things like stand in one place and pivot my body is major exercise!

Then today, I decided to venture out (with my husband driving me, of course...I am not sure I even remember how to drive. It's been weeks) to Joann's for a few things to finish up the crafts that I bought at Hobby Lobby last week. I called ahead first to make sure they had some kind of a wheelchair. They have an electric scooter. Cool, I thought.

First, those things are kind of fun. But again, I felt so embarrassed as I drove around the store, this relatively young girl passing elderly ladies who could have beat me in a foot race with plenty of time to spare. I again kept telling myself I was such a wimp, I looked foolish, employees in the store must think I'm taking a joy ride and must be mad at me, etc. I saw people watching me as I rolled by, or passing me in the aisle that the scooter was taking up half of,  and I was just sure they were either inwardly laughing at me or cursing me (I'm paranoid). I felt very humbled by the whole experience, as I realized I needed to admit my limitations and accept them, no matter what the people around me were thinking.

I'm not used to feeling that way, and it was kind of a tough pill to swallow. I'm sure I will swallow a few more of those during this pregnancy. It made me feel a lot more compassion for people that deal with chronic pain in their lives. At least I know in a few months my body should be relatively back to normal - I mean, I should at least be able to walk again without wincing every step. But some people will deal with it the rest of their lives. As I was heading out of the store, I met an older lady who asked if I was done with the scooter, and as I was clearing out my stuff to give it to her, we were talking and she mentioned she had barely been able to walk for 35 years. I can't even imagine, and it really helped to put my small problem into perspective, especially as she told me her story while keeping a cheery disposition and then sending me on my way with a hearty congratulations.  She could've become bitter after that many years of pain but she was just the opposite. I thought she was rather inspiring. I hope I could be as positive if I were dealing with something like that.

On a lighter note, I am now getting asked the golden question "Are you due pretty soon?" and yesterday the cashier even asked me "Are you in labor?" I have to admit I take great joy in shocking them with the reply "My due date isn't for three more months," and then answering the confused looks on their faces by telling them it's triplets, and getting another look of shock. Great fun!

Tuesday is my next ultrasound. More then!