Week 26 Appointment

On Wednesday John and I went to the 26 week appointment for the amigos - a growth ultrasound. We get an ultrasound every visit, because that's how we check the heart rates; but every four weeks, we get a growth ultrasound. This is when the technician measures each babies' head circumference, belly circumference and femur length. These values are then used to determine the size of each baby, which is expressed in terms of weight and gestational age. Now, just because the babies have different gestational ages doesn't mean they weren't conceived at the same time - they were. It just means that if each was a "standard singleton" this would be the expected gestational age for their size. It's a little confusing, but here's what we found for our guys: (remember, their true age is 25 weeks 6 days)

- Baby A - weighs 2 lb 3 oz with a gestational age of 27 weeks and 2 days

- Baby B - weighs 2 lb 1 oz with a gestational age of 27 weeks

- Baby C - weighs 2 lb 5 oz with a gestational age of 27 weeks and 5 days

Basically, they're all monster big for their age! This is wonderful news - the bigger they are, the better (especially since I'm having a C-section!!) They all measure larger than a singleton at the same gestational age. This may slack off with time, but let's hope it doesn't!

I wrote in the last post about a fetal fibronectin test that predicts preterm delivery, and we got the results that that test was negative. This means that there is a 99% chance that I won't go into labor in the two weeks following the test. We will repeat this test every two weeks from here on out. Everything else was great!

The babies can hear now, so John talks to them a lot. They definitely respond to his voice, which is super-cool. He even got a kick to the head one time he was down there "communing"!

We tried one last time to get 3D ultrasound pictures of babies B and C, who didn't cooperate the first time around. Now that everything is getting so crowded in there, it's hard to get clear pictures. I've attached one photo each of Baby B and C. They're not the clearest, but it's probably the best we're going to get.

Baby B has his foot right up next to his head, on the left as you view the picture.

Baby C has his arm in front of his face. Aren't they adorable!! I can't wait to hold them in my arms - only about 9 more weeks to go!

25 Weeks Appointment

Yesterday I went to our 25 weeks appointment with the doctor. This was also a follow-up regarding cervical length, as I talked about in the last blog. Well, everything was great! The doctor didn't actually call me a rock star, but if he were less professional, I think he would have used those very words! Just kidding! Really though, the results of everything were outstanding. So far, I have been amazingly blessed with no complications.

I got the results of the Glucose Screening Test from last week. This is a test to check for gestational diabetes, a high blood sugar condition that some women get during pregnancy. It was negative, so I can go ahead and continue to eat whatever I want. ;)

My cervix also showed no signs of premature labor. To be on the safe side, I had my first fetal fibronectin test. Since you're at an increased risk of preterm labor with multiples, the doctor orders this test if you're having premature contractions. Fetal fibronectin is a protein in vaginal secretions that can be a signal that your body is getting ready to give birth. If the test shows no sign of the protein, there's a good chance you will not deliver within the next week or two. If the test is positive, the doctor may need to take extra steps to prevent early delivery. It's a relatively quick turn around for this test, so I will get the results today. There is no reason to believe it will be positive.

The doctor reinforced to me yesterday that weeks 24-28 are crucial for the survival of the amigos. Every week that passes is hugely important, and as of today, we're at week 25! So please remember us in your prayers that the next three weeks pass quietly and we'll be well on our way to 3 healthy, hopefully happy boys!

Just for everyone's amusement, here's an updated picture of me. It's not pretty, but hopefully it's all worth it!

24 Week Appointment

Today John and I went for the 24 week appointment, which included an ultrasound (as we have at every appointment) and a consult with the doctor. Everything went really well - thank goodness! In the ultrasound, they measure the babies' heartrates and fluid levels. These were all within normal levels. I have attached a picture to show how they measure the heartrates. Because there are 3, they can't listen with a stethoscope - it's all jumbled together. So they measure it visually. They are all between 140-161 beats per minute.

They also scan to measure my cervix, to make sure it's not opening. The cervix is where the uterus (womb) opens into the vagina. The scan will look for early signs of the cervix opening before the baby is due. This is a hard measurement, because the cervix is a muscle that can change under normal circumstances. Well, the measurement this time was significantly smaller than last time. The doctor wasn't worried, because it's still considered an acceptable length, but I have to go back in next week (instead of in 2 weeks) to make sure it doesn't continue to shorten.

OK, now for the fun stuff! We got 3D pictures of baby A!! He is always really easy to see, and he was the only one that we could get really good pictures of, but he is adorable! I know, every mother says that, but I think he really is amazingly cute! I'm sure you'll all agree!

Symptoms and Side Effects

Friday morning, John looked kind of bummed out. He's usually a cheerful morning person, and I'm not, so I notice when it's different. After some badgering, he finally said, "Between Dax's (our eldest cat) late night yeowling and your snoring, I didn't get a lot of sleep." This caused me to break out in such rib-splitting laughter that I really had to make myself stop - I was afraid I'd go into labor! So this whole episode prompted me to write about some of the more outlandish side effects I have experienced. I think most of these can be common with a singleton pregnancy as well, but mine could be three times as intense (or annoying, depending on your point of view)! Also, some of these things they just don't tell you about in the books!

First, the snoring. I know everyone says they don't snore, but I really never did snore until I became triply blessed. I snore so much that sometimes I start snoring even before I'm asleep! I did some research and found out that when you're pregnant, the amount of blood in your body increases and your blood vessels expand, which can lead to swollen nasal membranes. I don't find my snoring to be nearly as troublesome as John does; in fact, I barely notice this side effect at all. But, since he's been so good to me, I decided to try and make it better. Sometimes I wear those little nostril spring expansion things, but John says they don't work. Well, like so many other things we're experiencing, it's temporary (and karmic).

Next, the laughing. Whoa - this is so strange and I had never heard of it before. Basically, I go into hysterical, sometimes inappropriate laughing fits that I just can't control! It's like the opposite of the hormonal crying jags that I've heard other women experience. (By the way, the only time that I cried hormonally so far was when we found out we were having all boys - imagine that!) At first I thought that I was just happy, until one day I couldn't stop and realized that there was something more to it than just my sense of humor. Also, someone told me that Angelina Jolie had the same thing when she was pregnant. Now, I'm not a fan of hers, but it gave me some sense that this was something other people have also experienced. It's really kind of fun actually, and I think it must be good for the babies - somehow.

Some of the more common things I've been experiencing include having trouble getting comfortable to sleep, but this has been helped by a body pillow sent from God through my friend Maggie. I also had a lot of bad headaches earlier on, but these have been mostly taken care of by Tylenol (again, sent by God through my doctor), ice and not working anymore. Nosebleeds - this was a strange one, and they kind of just went away on their own eventually.

And finally, the completely unavoidable side effect of having triplets - copious weight gain! John says I'm a super star in this respect and has even christened me his little roly poly. Cute, right? My doctor is really happy with my weight gain, so I am too. The big deal with having multiples is that by late in your pregnancy, there is no room in your abdomen for your stomach to expand, so it becomes difficult to eat enough to support baby growth. That is why it's important to gain weight early - the babies and I will live partially off of fat stores. Nothing like that sentence to boost your self-esteem! Well, I'm proud to say that I've excelled at this. As of my 22 week check-up, I had gained 55 lbs. To prove it, I've attached a recent photo. We got a new digital camera that I'm still figuring out, and I'll post more pictures once I get that all sorted.

All in all, it has been pretty smooth sailing so far. None of the above listed symptoms were really all that terrible, except the headaches, and those are under control. I feel very lucky so far, and pray that it just stays this way through the end. If not, I'll let you know!

Dancin' Babies

I thought I would write a little about the movement of the triplets. It's so awesome! We first saw them moving at a very early ultrasound, before you could even tell I was pregnant. That was at about 12 weeks. It was indescribable - they looked like they were all in there just dancing and playing around! (not together, or course - they're all in separate sacs!) That made it seem so real, that there really were 3 little people in there!

At around 14 weeks, I started to feel what they call a "butterfly" movement. It kind of feels like a fluttering sensation, and I would not have thought it was the babies except I had heard of this before. That was almost like an appetizer - it made me long to feel them moving, like I had heard so much about from other moms.

Finally, John and I both felt them move almost 2 weeks ago, on Thursday morning, July 23. I wasn't sleeping well (as usual) and it was about 3 in the morning. I was just resting my hands on my belly and all of a sudden, I felt a little bump! It was so quick, I wasn't sure if I imagined it, until I felt another one. I kept feeling for about 5 minutes to make sure that it would keep happening, then I reached over and woke up John. He wasn't really sleeping either - it's hard with me rolling all over the place trying to get comfortable. He was totally excited - he had been trying to feel them for a couple of weeks. It was just so amazing that we could experience that together.

Now they're moving almost all of the time! Whenever John or I want to connect with the babies, we're pretty likely to find one moving around in there. I think this made me truly realize one of the great things about triplets - you get three times everything! OK, so it probably won't feel like a blessing when there are three times as many diapers to change, but getting to feel three different little bodies moving around, that's almost too much to wish for. What a miracle!

By the way, you all know how much I love sports. Well, I don't know if we have a field goal kicker or maybe a soccer player in there, but one of them kicked the remote off of my belly the other day! Too cool.

Contractions!

Yesterday I got my at-home contraction monitor. This is something that my doctor (Dr. Elliot of Phoenix Perinatal Associates) wanted me to be on because of the risk of pre-term delivery for multiples. The thing is that with multiples since you get so (soooooo) big, your brain can send hormonal signals that it's time to deliver too early, so you really need to be aware of any signs that labor is starting. I was amazed to find out that for women pregnant with multiples, contractions can be felt at about 20% of the strength of a singleton pregnancy. Basically what this means is that you can be having contractions and not know about it. This happens throughout all pregnancies, but again, with multiples. you're more likely to go into labor early.

So, the nurse came by around 6:30 PM and showed me how it worked, etc. It's pretty easy - there's a docking station type thing that plugs into the land-line, and the monitor charges on that. When it's time to monitor (twice a day for an hour each time) you remove the monitor, put it on a (very large) belt that goes around the belly, and turn it on. After the hour, you plug it into the docking station, call a phone number, get a fax tone and hit a download button. About 1/2 hour later, a nurse calls to tell you what they saw.

A contraction is considered a muscle contraction prolonged for at least 40 seconds. So far I have monitored twice and found out that I had 4 contractions each hour! Isn't that insane? I never felt a thing that I would consider a contraction. My doctor has my limit set at 6 per hour. If I hit 6 or above, they will call me and ask me to monitor again for an hour. If the number is still above 6, I'll have to go to the hospital. The nurses said that 4 an hour is fine though - no cause to worry at all. I was just so surprised that this was going on and I had no idea! This really is an amazing journey that God has put us on - so much to learn and experience!