Once again, nothing but good news to report from today's visit!! The kiddos are all looking good. Their heart rates are all in the 130 and 140 range again. For the third visit in a row, they are all in the same position, so I guess that they are running out of room to scoot around. Baby A (the lowest) is still breech, Baby B (on my left side) is still head down and Baby C (on my right side) is still more or less sideways. So basically, all 3 of them literally have their heads put together right in the middle....already conspiring against me! That leaves Baby A's feet free to kick my bladder, Baby B's feet shoved up under my rib cage and Baby C's feet constantly pushing out my right side. Like I said, they are already in cahoots to make my life difficult... We still have to wait 2 weeks for another growth scan, so we won't know how big they are getting until then. Also, my cervix was measuring at almost 5 cm today which is unbelievably good at this point in the pregnancy. The ultrasound tech came to the conclusion that these babies are in absolutely no hurry to make their grand entrance which is just fine by me!
Otherwise, my blood pressure was 134/82, so still an acceptable reading and my blood sugars have remained good for the most part. Of course, it was Christmas this week so I had a few high sugar readings, but the doc said that they were awesome, all things considered. It was at this point that he declared me to be his "superstar patient"! I may not have a lot of talents in life, but apparently I am a Samoan triplet growing fool! I'll take whatever compliments I can get at this point. Of course, he then said that there was really no point in measuring my stomach...it's large, so we'll just leave it at that.
He also pointed out that we are at the point now that any time anything feels weird, I need to come in and have it checked out. So, any unusual cramps, back pains, etc at this point are a cause for concern. Hopefully I don't get too paranoid trying to decipher unusual pains from the usual ones. He has still given me the OK to continue my modified bedrest, but has encouraged me to start taking advantage of any handicapped transportation available in the stores. So basically, he wants me to start riding the motorized cart around Wal-Mart...that should be quite the sight. Wade has been trying to get me to do this for weeks now, but I figured it was mostly so he could take pictures and make fun of me!
Well, 29 weeks and 2 days down. Yes, I feel the need to include the 2 days because I figure that every day counts at this point. We'll go back next Wednesday for 30 weeks (and 2 days) checkup, so hopefully there will be nothing else to report in the meantime.
Hope everyone has a Happy New year! Have a New year's drink for me...it is definitely going to be an interesting 2011!
Pregnancy and life with triplet girls and their big brother and sister!
Lilypie Premature Baby tickers
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
28 Week checkup - Another (thankfully) Uneventful Visit
Well, another good doctor's visit today! Just a quick ultrasound to check heart rates.They were all in the 130 and 140 range which is a little lower than they usually are, but the girls were all pretty quiet this morning so that is probably why. They may finally be getting kind of squished in there because they were all in the same position this week that they were last, which is the first time that has happened. Also, my cervix measurement was back up to 4.5 cm this week so that is always a good sign that there will (hopefully) be no labor this week.
My blood pressure is still hanging in there as well at 130/82 and blood sugars are in normal range as well so no problems there. Physically, I'm starting to feel a little wear and tear, but really it is not nearly as bad as I would have expected. I'm starting to feel a lot more pressure and some achiness in my lower back, but nothing that is really troublesome.
So, 28 weeks is another big milestone. Babies born at 28 weeks have a survival rate of 90-95%, but we are definitely not ready for that yet. I'm setting the next short term goal for 32 weeks...after that point, I figure anything can happen!
Well, there is not much else to tell, so I guess that I will keep this short and sweet this week. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas!
My blood pressure is still hanging in there as well at 130/82 and blood sugars are in normal range as well so no problems there. Physically, I'm starting to feel a little wear and tear, but really it is not nearly as bad as I would have expected. I'm starting to feel a lot more pressure and some achiness in my lower back, but nothing that is really troublesome.
So, 28 weeks is another big milestone. Babies born at 28 weeks have a survival rate of 90-95%, but we are definitely not ready for that yet. I'm setting the next short term goal for 32 weeks...after that point, I figure anything can happen!
Well, there is not much else to tell, so I guess that I will keep this short and sweet this week. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas!
Monday, December 13, 2010
27 Week Checkup - Growth Scan Ultrasound
Today we had our 27 week checkup which included our 4 week growth scan. I have been looking forward to this for the past couple of weeks...it definitely feels like the babies have packed on the weight lately! We were hoping that they would all be at least 2 lbs., and for the most part we were not disappointed.
Baby A - 1 lb. 14 oz. (gained 12 oz.) - 19th percentile
Baby B (formerly known as Baby C) - 2 lb. 5 oz. (gained 1 lb. 2 oz.) - 45th percentile
Baby C (formerly known as Baby B) - 2 lb. 4 oz. (gained 1 lb. 2 oz.) - 45th percentile
So, while we were extremely pleased with the growth of Babies B & C (both of whom doubled their weights again), I immediately started stressing out about why Baby A was suddenly falling behind. Up until this point, they had all weighed pretty much exactly the same. As usual, Baby A was curled up and very low in my pelvis, so I'm not really confident that we got the best measurements on her. Also, after the ultrasound, apparently the ultrasound tech found the doctor and told her that she thought that the weight of Baby A was a system error because the measurements were pretty much the same on that Baby as they were on Baby B and C, so there should not have been that much of a weight difference between them. The doctor said that regardless, we could not expect that all three of the babies would grow at the same rate because all babies develop and gain weight at their own pace and that we would not be concerned with the weight of Baby A unless she fell below the 10th percentile. As long as she continues to grow (even if not at the same rate as the other two), then everything is OK. It is when they stop growing completely that we have a problem. So, I was hoping that we could do another growth scan in the near future to monitor her more closely, but the dr. didn't feel it was needed again until 4 weeks, which will put me at 31 weeks .... so it is extremely possible that it will also be my last growth scan. My daughter, Simone, was a pretty small baby, only weighing 6 lbs. 2 oz. when she was born, so I am already lugging around more actual baby weight then I was when she was born...and hopefully I will be carrying around at least twice this much before we are done!
All babies looked good during the ultrasound. Baby A and Baby B had heart rates of about 145 and Baby C was 160. Apparently they still have some room to move around because they are always in different assortment of positions every week. Baby B has been the only consistent one who has been head down for the past few weeks. Baby A was breech this week and Baby C has somehow managed to get in a transverse position and is shoved way up under my ribs with her butt sticking out of my side. I guess that's why the right side of my stomach always sticks out further than anyplace else.
Then, of course, there was the dreaded cervix measurement. Last week I was back up to 4.5 cm, but this week it has dropped down to 3.5 cm. This is still considered to be a good length, but all I can think about is that if it drops another cm this week, then that puts us at 2.5 cm which is getting into the danger zone and would probably mean much stricter bedrest for me at the very least. Hopefully that shouldn't be the case, but I guess I'm getting to the point where every little change stresses me out! Especially considering that most triplets are born at 32-34 weeks, and 32 weeks is only 5 weeks away! I still have every intention of making it until at least 34 weeks.
The good news is that my blood pressure was much better than last week at 136/88. Not perfect, but it beats the heck out of 160/100, so I didn't have to have an additional blood pressure med added yet. My blood sugars are also hanging in there so we have avoided increasing the insulin amounts also.
Otherwise, things are pretty boring around here. I'm STILL waiting to get the border for the babies room, so that project is still on hold. This weekend we will be celebrating our first of 4 Christmases, so that gives me something to look forward to. Also, it was nice to have a little snow this weekend and have a perfectly legitimate excuse to do nothing except stare out the window and watch it!
Hope everyone has a great week. Out next appointment is scheduled for next Tuesday...let's hope it goes well so that I can at least make it through the holidays without any additional restrictions on my activities.
Baby A - 1 lb. 14 oz. (gained 12 oz.) - 19th percentile
Baby B (formerly known as Baby C) - 2 lb. 5 oz. (gained 1 lb. 2 oz.) - 45th percentile
Baby C (formerly known as Baby B) - 2 lb. 4 oz. (gained 1 lb. 2 oz.) - 45th percentile
So, while we were extremely pleased with the growth of Babies B & C (both of whom doubled their weights again), I immediately started stressing out about why Baby A was suddenly falling behind. Up until this point, they had all weighed pretty much exactly the same. As usual, Baby A was curled up and very low in my pelvis, so I'm not really confident that we got the best measurements on her. Also, after the ultrasound, apparently the ultrasound tech found the doctor and told her that she thought that the weight of Baby A was a system error because the measurements were pretty much the same on that Baby as they were on Baby B and C, so there should not have been that much of a weight difference between them. The doctor said that regardless, we could not expect that all three of the babies would grow at the same rate because all babies develop and gain weight at their own pace and that we would not be concerned with the weight of Baby A unless she fell below the 10th percentile. As long as she continues to grow (even if not at the same rate as the other two), then everything is OK. It is when they stop growing completely that we have a problem. So, I was hoping that we could do another growth scan in the near future to monitor her more closely, but the dr. didn't feel it was needed again until 4 weeks, which will put me at 31 weeks .... so it is extremely possible that it will also be my last growth scan. My daughter, Simone, was a pretty small baby, only weighing 6 lbs. 2 oz. when she was born, so I am already lugging around more actual baby weight then I was when she was born...and hopefully I will be carrying around at least twice this much before we are done!
All babies looked good during the ultrasound. Baby A and Baby B had heart rates of about 145 and Baby C was 160. Apparently they still have some room to move around because they are always in different assortment of positions every week. Baby B has been the only consistent one who has been head down for the past few weeks. Baby A was breech this week and Baby C has somehow managed to get in a transverse position and is shoved way up under my ribs with her butt sticking out of my side. I guess that's why the right side of my stomach always sticks out further than anyplace else.
Then, of course, there was the dreaded cervix measurement. Last week I was back up to 4.5 cm, but this week it has dropped down to 3.5 cm. This is still considered to be a good length, but all I can think about is that if it drops another cm this week, then that puts us at 2.5 cm which is getting into the danger zone and would probably mean much stricter bedrest for me at the very least. Hopefully that shouldn't be the case, but I guess I'm getting to the point where every little change stresses me out! Especially considering that most triplets are born at 32-34 weeks, and 32 weeks is only 5 weeks away! I still have every intention of making it until at least 34 weeks.
The good news is that my blood pressure was much better than last week at 136/88. Not perfect, but it beats the heck out of 160/100, so I didn't have to have an additional blood pressure med added yet. My blood sugars are also hanging in there so we have avoided increasing the insulin amounts also.
Otherwise, things are pretty boring around here. I'm STILL waiting to get the border for the babies room, so that project is still on hold. This weekend we will be celebrating our first of 4 Christmases, so that gives me something to look forward to. Also, it was nice to have a little snow this weekend and have a perfectly legitimate excuse to do nothing except stare out the window and watch it!
Hope everyone has a great week. Out next appointment is scheduled for next Tuesday...let's hope it goes well so that I can at least make it through the holidays without any additional restrictions on my activities.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
26 Weeks - Dr. Visit and Tour of NICU
One more week down! We had a pretty good doctor visit today. The only glitch is that my blood pressure kind of skyrocketed in the dr. office (160/100 - yikes!). All of my home blood pressure readings have been good, though, so I think the key is to rest as much as possible. When I get out and about is when the blood pressure starts creeping back up...not to mention my uncanny talent for making my blood pressure shoot up anytime I get within 100 ft. of a doctor's office. So, for the first time in well over a month, the doctor increased my labetalol to 500 mg. three times daily. If that doesn't do the trick, then we have to add another medication to try to keep it under control.
Other than that, the babies all looked fine. I can't remember the heart rates, but they were all normal. Also, my cervix measurement was back up to 4.5 cm. That was a relief after last week when it dipped down below 4 for the first time. Next week we will finally do another growth scan on the kiddos....I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are all at least 2 pounds. I had to have some routine lab work done today as well. I'm not sure what all it was for, but let's hope I don't get any calls from the dr. office in the next day or two saying something doesn't look right. The past two times I've had labwork I've gotten phone calls like that so hopefully the third time's a charm.
My mom went up to Columbia with me today so we decided to head over to labor and delivery and the NICU to take a tour since I had never been there and I wanted to feel like I was more prepared. The labor and delivery area was pretty much what I expected. The antepartum and postpartum rooms are very nice, very big and private (thank God). So, if I end up on hospital bedrest for a while before this whole thing is over, it doesn't look like it will be quite as bad as I had imagined it would be. In the same area is the well baby nursery and the Level II nursery, which is where the babies will eventually end up most likely when they reach the point of being "feeders/growers"...which means that they are healthy, but they just need to gain weight before they go home.
We then went downstairs to the NICU, which is in all likelihood where the babies will spend at least some time after they are born. I am extremely glad that I took the opportunity to check it out for several reasons. The biggest reason is to mentally prepare myself for what the babies will probably look like when they are born. I realize that I will be lucky if these babies are all 4 pounds or more when they are born, but until I went to the NICU and saw all of the preemies, I don't think I really had any concept of just how tiny a 4 pound baby really is. If I hadn't gone to the NICU, I think it would have really been a shock to me.
The other reason I'm glad we went on the tour is that any time that I think I am just completely miserable being pregnant and that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have the babies a little earlier, all I need to do is remember how tiny those babies were and all of the tubes and ventilators they were on. That will quickly cure me of any concerns over my own discomfort and remind me that the ultimate goal is to keep these babies cooking as long as it is healthy for all of us to do so. I'm still sticking by my goal of 34-36 weeks, which will be anytime between January 31st - February 14th. We'll see...ultimately I guess it's not really under my control!
There's really nothing else exciting going on. We got the Christmas decorations put up, so that was the highlight of the week. Honestly, if it wasn't for the kids, I don't think I would've even bothered with them this year, but I'm glad we did now that they are up. Physically, I'm still feeling pretty good. My carpel tunnel has been pretty frustrating this week and often wakes me up at night. I've also found that I've gone from wanting to sleep all the time and taking lots of naps, to being up and down all night long and not really napping at all. I guess that's to be expected as it becomes more difficult to get comfortable and as Baby A grows bigger and takes up residence right on my bladder.
I was hoping to have the nursery done last weekend, but unfortunately I am still waiting for the border to arrive before we can go any further. The tracking number shows that it was picked up by the post office two weeks ago but has still not been delivered! I'm starting to get frustrated because I would really like to see that room get done!
Well, no new pictures to post...once again the girls were completely uninterested in posing for the camera. Maybe next week when we do the long ultrasound.
Other than that, the babies all looked fine. I can't remember the heart rates, but they were all normal. Also, my cervix measurement was back up to 4.5 cm. That was a relief after last week when it dipped down below 4 for the first time. Next week we will finally do another growth scan on the kiddos....I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are all at least 2 pounds. I had to have some routine lab work done today as well. I'm not sure what all it was for, but let's hope I don't get any calls from the dr. office in the next day or two saying something doesn't look right. The past two times I've had labwork I've gotten phone calls like that so hopefully the third time's a charm.
My mom went up to Columbia with me today so we decided to head over to labor and delivery and the NICU to take a tour since I had never been there and I wanted to feel like I was more prepared. The labor and delivery area was pretty much what I expected. The antepartum and postpartum rooms are very nice, very big and private (thank God). So, if I end up on hospital bedrest for a while before this whole thing is over, it doesn't look like it will be quite as bad as I had imagined it would be. In the same area is the well baby nursery and the Level II nursery, which is where the babies will eventually end up most likely when they reach the point of being "feeders/growers"...which means that they are healthy, but they just need to gain weight before they go home.
We then went downstairs to the NICU, which is in all likelihood where the babies will spend at least some time after they are born. I am extremely glad that I took the opportunity to check it out for several reasons. The biggest reason is to mentally prepare myself for what the babies will probably look like when they are born. I realize that I will be lucky if these babies are all 4 pounds or more when they are born, but until I went to the NICU and saw all of the preemies, I don't think I really had any concept of just how tiny a 4 pound baby really is. If I hadn't gone to the NICU, I think it would have really been a shock to me.
The other reason I'm glad we went on the tour is that any time that I think I am just completely miserable being pregnant and that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have the babies a little earlier, all I need to do is remember how tiny those babies were and all of the tubes and ventilators they were on. That will quickly cure me of any concerns over my own discomfort and remind me that the ultimate goal is to keep these babies cooking as long as it is healthy for all of us to do so. I'm still sticking by my goal of 34-36 weeks, which will be anytime between January 31st - February 14th. We'll see...ultimately I guess it's not really under my control!
There's really nothing else exciting going on. We got the Christmas decorations put up, so that was the highlight of the week. Honestly, if it wasn't for the kids, I don't think I would've even bothered with them this year, but I'm glad we did now that they are up. Physically, I'm still feeling pretty good. My carpel tunnel has been pretty frustrating this week and often wakes me up at night. I've also found that I've gone from wanting to sleep all the time and taking lots of naps, to being up and down all night long and not really napping at all. I guess that's to be expected as it becomes more difficult to get comfortable and as Baby A grows bigger and takes up residence right on my bladder.
I was hoping to have the nursery done last weekend, but unfortunately I am still waiting for the border to arrive before we can go any further. The tracking number shows that it was picked up by the post office two weeks ago but has still not been delivered! I'm starting to get frustrated because I would really like to see that room get done!
Well, no new pictures to post...once again the girls were completely uninterested in posing for the camera. Maybe next week when we do the long ultrasound.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
25 Week Checkup
Not much to report again today....another week down! All babies looked good and were very active during the ultrasound. Baby A's heart rate was 143 and Baby B and C both had heart rates of 150. They have all changed positions since last week and are all head down at this time...although their position seems to change on a weekly basis. My cervix length is down to about 3.8 cm. This is the first time that it has been below 4 cm, which makes me somewhat nervous, but the doctor says that all is still good and he is not the least bit worried about it.
My blood pressure was OK at this visit (130/90), but I have noticed that my blood sugars are starting to creep up on me. The doctor said that this was to be expected as we go further into the pregnancy and that the insulin amounts will probably have to start being increased fairly soon.
We got a couple of decent pictures today, but Baby C was facing away from us so we couldn't get any good shots of her. The pictures we did get were pretty fuzzy, but there was a cool one of all three of them together. However, my camera batteries have died so I'll try to get them posted later in the week.
I did get to enjoy two delicious Thanksgiving dinners during the week while I laid on the couch which was pretty nice. I also enjoyed some quality Black Friday shopping on the computer from the comfort of my own bed.
I guess that's about everything. Looking forward to another week of laying around, cooking babies, and sleeping 10+ hours a day. Might as well enjoy it while I can!
My blood pressure was OK at this visit (130/90), but I have noticed that my blood sugars are starting to creep up on me. The doctor said that this was to be expected as we go further into the pregnancy and that the insulin amounts will probably have to start being increased fairly soon.
We got a couple of decent pictures today, but Baby C was facing away from us so we couldn't get any good shots of her. The pictures we did get were pretty fuzzy, but there was a cool one of all three of them together. However, my camera batteries have died so I'll try to get them posted later in the week.
I did get to enjoy two delicious Thanksgiving dinners during the week while I laid on the couch which was pretty nice. I also enjoyed some quality Black Friday shopping on the computer from the comfort of my own bed.
I guess that's about everything. Looking forward to another week of laying around, cooking babies, and sleeping 10+ hours a day. Might as well enjoy it while I can!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
24 Week Checkup - No News is Good News!
Well, at this rate these posts are going to get downright boring, but I am not complaining at all! We did a quick ultrasound check of the babies who all looked to be sleeping so there was not much exciting to see there. All of the heartrates were good and in the 140s. It is starting to get more difficult to get good pictures of them because things are getting kind of crowded in there and they weren't being very photogenic today. Also, my cervix remains unchanged and measuring in at 4.4 cm.
I did actually gain like 3 pounds this week which I wasn't too thrilled about, but I figure the babies alone probably gained almost a pound. Plus, as pathetic as it sounds, I usually try to wear my most lightweight outfits to the doctor so as not to add any clothing weight to the total. It was cold today, though, so i went ahead and layered up. So I am blaming the other two pounds on that :) My blood pressure was back up a little bit today also...143/93. But, almost all of my blood pressures at home look good and there was no protein in my urine so it doesn't look like it is anything to worry about at this point.
Reaching 24 weeks is actually a pretty big milestone. This is the point in a pregnancy where the chances of the babies surviving outside of the womb are greater than 50%, and the odds continue to improve dramatically every week. Also, at this stage, I can be given steroid shots to improve the babies lung function if there are any signs of premature labor. So, if the worst happened and the babies had to be delivered, they would still have a good chance. The next goal is 28 weeks. At that point, chances for survival are greater than 90% and the babies would have less of the complications associated with prematurity than they would if they were born before that point.
Bedrest continues to be boring and unproductive, but time has gone by much quicker than I thought it would. I was actually surprised to realize I have already been off work for 3 weeks now. My mom and sister came over this weekend to paint the nursery and I ordered border for it so hopefully we will get everything finished up in the next week or two and get one crib setup. We're planning on putting them all in the same crib for the first month or two anyway, so as long as one crib is up I will feel pretty good about it. I'll post pictures as soon as it is ready.
Well, back to the doctor next Tuesday. Wishing everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend. I for one am thankful this year for my uneventful doctor appointment and for the fact that my "modified" bedrest still allows me to go to other people's houses and lay on their couches while I eat my Thanksgiving feasts!
I did actually gain like 3 pounds this week which I wasn't too thrilled about, but I figure the babies alone probably gained almost a pound. Plus, as pathetic as it sounds, I usually try to wear my most lightweight outfits to the doctor so as not to add any clothing weight to the total. It was cold today, though, so i went ahead and layered up. So I am blaming the other two pounds on that :) My blood pressure was back up a little bit today also...143/93. But, almost all of my blood pressures at home look good and there was no protein in my urine so it doesn't look like it is anything to worry about at this point.
Reaching 24 weeks is actually a pretty big milestone. This is the point in a pregnancy where the chances of the babies surviving outside of the womb are greater than 50%, and the odds continue to improve dramatically every week. Also, at this stage, I can be given steroid shots to improve the babies lung function if there are any signs of premature labor. So, if the worst happened and the babies had to be delivered, they would still have a good chance. The next goal is 28 weeks. At that point, chances for survival are greater than 90% and the babies would have less of the complications associated with prematurity than they would if they were born before that point.
Bedrest continues to be boring and unproductive, but time has gone by much quicker than I thought it would. I was actually surprised to realize I have already been off work for 3 weeks now. My mom and sister came over this weekend to paint the nursery and I ordered border for it so hopefully we will get everything finished up in the next week or two and get one crib setup. We're planning on putting them all in the same crib for the first month or two anyway, so as long as one crib is up I will feel pretty good about it. I'll post pictures as soon as it is ready.
Well, back to the doctor next Tuesday. Wishing everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend. I for one am thankful this year for my uneventful doctor appointment and for the fact that my "modified" bedrest still allows me to go to other people's houses and lay on their couches while I eat my Thanksgiving feasts!
Monday, November 15, 2010
23 Week Checkup
Our doctor appointment today involved a very long ultrasound....not the most comfortable position to be in for over an hour, but totally worth it to get to watch the babies for that long. The girls have literally doubled in weight over the past 4 weeks:
Baby A - 1 lb. 2 oz. (up 9 oz.)
Baby B - 1 lb. 2 oz. (up 9 oz.)
Baby C - 1 lb. 3 oz. (up 9 oz.)
These are good weights for a single baby, and extremely good for triplets. It is also very good that they are all so close in size, although, since they each have their own placenta, it would not really be a huge concern if there were some weight variations. It is only when multiples share a placenta that this can become a big problem because one baby hogs all the nutrients. We will continue to monitor their growth every 3 weeks to make sure that they are still growing at a good rate and that there are no signs of IUGR (inter uterine growth restriction). They were able to get a look at each of their hearts and see that each one had all 4 chambers and were functioning properly. Heartbeats continue to be in the 140s and 150s, which is good. They also got a closeup look at their nose and lips to check for a cleft pallet and they all looked fine. They did another measurement of their necks (thickening of the neck is a marker for down syndrome) and these measurements came back good again also. So, basically everything that can be seen with an ultrasound looks great!
Speaking of great, my cervix is still measuring in at over 4 cm. I know that this is probably not something people really care to know, but anyone who has been pregnant with multiples or who has had cervix problems in the past can tell you that this is a huge deal, and it is a very big relief to hear that it is still doing its job and keeping the babies in there. So, I will continue to bore you with cervical measurements every week :)
Other than that, the doctor just doesn't have much to say except for keep doing what we're doing! My blood pressure was actually 118/70! I'm pretty sure that is the lowest that my blood pressure has ever been in a dr. office in my entire adult life. My blood sugars are all looking good. I gained no weight this week, which is OK (I have plenty in reserve!) and my swelling continues to stay down. We'll head back to the dr. office next Tuesday for a quick checkup and heartbeat and cervix check.
The ultrasound tech asked me if the babies were always this active when they were trying to get measurements today. I had to tell her that this was tame compared to when they really get going. Earlier this week, I actually freaked out for a minute one morning thinking I was having contractions. Then I realized that this was actually just all of the babies moving/punching/kicking at once. Their movements are getting very strong and increasingly uncomfortable sometimes. They seem to be on somewhat of a schedule for the past few days. Every morning after I eat breakfasat they seem to turn into little ninjas for about an hour, and then again late every evening for about another hour. Otherwise, their movements have been more sporadic throughout the day.
So, I really have nothing else very exciting to talk about this week. Bedrest is making me very lazy. I accompanied Wade to the grocery store on Friday for my weekly outing and was winded about 10 minutes into it. That may be the end of my grocery shopping for the next few months....we'll see...
And I think that we have finally settled on names for these girls...but don't hold me to it. The names are a little more rhymey than what I wanted, but I like them and we agree on them, so for now, here is where we stand:
Ava Munai
Lia Rose
Mya Anne
Lia is pronounced Leah, it is the Samoan spelling. Munai for Wade's mom, Rose for my mom and Anne is the middle name of my mom and both of my grandmothers.
Well, hopefully there will be nothing eventful to post between now and next week's appointment!
Baby A - 1 lb. 2 oz. (up 9 oz.)
Baby B - 1 lb. 2 oz. (up 9 oz.)
Baby C - 1 lb. 3 oz. (up 9 oz.)
These are good weights for a single baby, and extremely good for triplets. It is also very good that they are all so close in size, although, since they each have their own placenta, it would not really be a huge concern if there were some weight variations. It is only when multiples share a placenta that this can become a big problem because one baby hogs all the nutrients. We will continue to monitor their growth every 3 weeks to make sure that they are still growing at a good rate and that there are no signs of IUGR (inter uterine growth restriction). They were able to get a look at each of their hearts and see that each one had all 4 chambers and were functioning properly. Heartbeats continue to be in the 140s and 150s, which is good. They also got a closeup look at their nose and lips to check for a cleft pallet and they all looked fine. They did another measurement of their necks (thickening of the neck is a marker for down syndrome) and these measurements came back good again also. So, basically everything that can be seen with an ultrasound looks great!
Speaking of great, my cervix is still measuring in at over 4 cm. I know that this is probably not something people really care to know, but anyone who has been pregnant with multiples or who has had cervix problems in the past can tell you that this is a huge deal, and it is a very big relief to hear that it is still doing its job and keeping the babies in there. So, I will continue to bore you with cervical measurements every week :)
Other than that, the doctor just doesn't have much to say except for keep doing what we're doing! My blood pressure was actually 118/70! I'm pretty sure that is the lowest that my blood pressure has ever been in a dr. office in my entire adult life. My blood sugars are all looking good. I gained no weight this week, which is OK (I have plenty in reserve!) and my swelling continues to stay down. We'll head back to the dr. office next Tuesday for a quick checkup and heartbeat and cervix check.
The ultrasound tech asked me if the babies were always this active when they were trying to get measurements today. I had to tell her that this was tame compared to when they really get going. Earlier this week, I actually freaked out for a minute one morning thinking I was having contractions. Then I realized that this was actually just all of the babies moving/punching/kicking at once. Their movements are getting very strong and increasingly uncomfortable sometimes. They seem to be on somewhat of a schedule for the past few days. Every morning after I eat breakfasat they seem to turn into little ninjas for about an hour, and then again late every evening for about another hour. Otherwise, their movements have been more sporadic throughout the day.
So, I really have nothing else very exciting to talk about this week. Bedrest is making me very lazy. I accompanied Wade to the grocery store on Friday for my weekly outing and was winded about 10 minutes into it. That may be the end of my grocery shopping for the next few months....we'll see...
And I think that we have finally settled on names for these girls...but don't hold me to it. The names are a little more rhymey than what I wanted, but I like them and we agree on them, so for now, here is where we stand:
Ava Munai
Lia Rose
Mya Anne
Lia is pronounced Leah, it is the Samoan spelling. Munai for Wade's mom, Rose for my mom and Anne is the middle name of my mom and both of my grandmothers.
Well, hopefully there will be nothing eventful to post between now and next week's appointment!
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