Triplets @ 25 Weeks & 1 Day, Day 21 of Bedrest

For some reason when I woke up this morning I felt especially ginormous. After Mike took this picture I was thinking that it appears to show the same thing. :)

I went in for an ultrasound today. Unfortunately, it did show continued movement and shortening where we were hoping for none. I think Baby Girl is just determined to get out and keeps pressing down where she shouldn't. My next dr. appt. isn't until Friday afternoon, so I asked the ultrasound tech at what point there should be concern about the length and she did check with a doctor who said that I should be okay to wait and talk to the dr. on Friday and just to continue on with the bedrest.

The goal has been to make it at least to 28 weeks (20 more days). I admit to being a little skeptical about that considering the continued movement and so I just rejoice each morning when God gives us another day. I do choose to encourage myself with the knowledge that God can do what seems impossible.

Triplets @ 25 weeks, Day 20 of Bedrest

YAY! Today is the start of another week. :) After my first hospital visit at 22 weeks and 1 day, I'm very thankful to have reached this point and have the babies still happily residing with me. I did have kind of a rough night last night and wondered if it was going to end with another trip to the hospital, but I'm holding out because I have an ultrasound tomorrow and that should tell us if things are moving or if everything is still staying where it needs to.

I have to work hard to keep drinking water as much as possible. I usually am between 84 and 112 ounces of water each day. And still every time I end up at the hospital, they tell me I'm dehydrated and give me an IV. Sometimes I drink so much that I feel like I'm going to float away, so it is crazy to me that I could still be dehydrated.

Mike's mom came in last Thursday and his grandma flew out last Friday. It has been such a blessing to have extra help. It will definitely be sad when Mike's mom leaves on Friday. I have truly been blessed with an amazing mother-in-law. We have a great relationship and I have really enjoyed spending time with her.

Mike likes to tease me about how I'm "so busy" just lying around all day and I have to remind him that I'm taking care of 4 of us while I'm doing that. :) I do have my moments of feeling like I'm not doing anything productive. It is hard to not be able to do so many things you took for granted and it is especially hard feeling like I can't take care of Jonathan like I should. I occasionally find myself very emotional about it, but I try to chalk it up to pregnancy hormones and move on.

One other great part about this week is the addition of being able to see the babies kick from outside. When I first started feeling them move, I thought nothing could be better. Then came being able to put my hand or Mike's hand over the spot and feel them kick and nothing could be better than that, right? Nope. It is so cool to look down and see my tummy moving as the babies move. Love it. I have to think the only thing that will top that is holding them in my arms.

Well, tomorrow is my next ultrasound, so I'll have Mike do a picture then. Thanks again to all those who have been praying for us. We've been overwhelmed by the support of those around us and we know God is going to do great things, no matter how He chooses to work.

Triplets @ 24 weeks & 1 day, Day 14 of Bedrest

Woohoo! 14 days of bedrest down and the goal is at least 27 more.

Well, the update from yesterday's doctor's appointment...

I went in planning to just get the same "stay on bedrest" lecture. The doctor, who I really liked, asked me if I was having contractions and I told her that this is my first pregnancy to make it this far and that I don't really know what they feel like, so I don't know. She decided to have them hook me up to a monitor and also take residual blood pressure readings. So, they camped me out in the most comfortable chair I've sat in for a long time with my feet propped up and started the monitors. At first they were trying to get a monitor to stay on one of the baby's heartbeats, but the medical assistant couldn't find one that would stay (the babies were moving too much). She kept saying that you would think it would be easier with three. I'm pretty sure my blood pressure was rising the longer it was taking her to find heartbeats. In the end the doctor told her not to worry about that since we had an ultrasound the day before that showed heartbeats were fine.

After a little bit the dr. came in and told me that I was having contractions every 8 minutes and that my blood pressure was reading higher than they wanted fairly consistently. So, she headed down to the high risk doctor to talk about what to do. She came back and said they were sending me across to Tampa General Hospital and that I would be admitted for the night for observation. She also said they might give me the steriod shots to help the lungs mature on the babies in case they are coming right away.

So, Grandma Becky (Mike's grandma) and I headed across the street to TGH. We got checked in and they put me on an IV and monitors. At one point the nurse told me that I was having contractions every two minutes and my blood pressure was still high.

After a little bit, our least favorite resident doctor returned to the room to talk to me. He had the ultrasound results from Monday but still wanted to check that everything was closed and long that is supposed to be. Apparently it was to his satisfaction. I asked about the steriod shots and he started with his usual speech I have heard before about other things..."there is no proof that they help but there is no proof that they hurt" but either way, that is something they wait on until they are absolutely sure the babies are coming. Of course, at least once he stated that he would have to talk to "his boss" about something. That drives me nutso. I understand he is a resident, but it doesn't give the patient much comfort when the provider keeps referring to his boss. I just want to say, "Never mind, SEND YOUR BOSS TO ME!!!" I know this is a teaching hospital and it probably wouldn't bother me so much if he didn't already rub me the wrong way, but it does. The topic is not something like "can you ask your manager if I can have a discount" - then I don't mind people asking their boss. We are talking about the lives of 3 of our children all at once! Okay, so I better get off my soapbox because I really could go on and on about this one. I work to remind myself that God is still in control even when I want to rip out the iv and run down the hall in my "airy" hospital gown when this guy walks into the room.

In the end, they didn't keep me overnight for observation. He came back in and said that since I'm not feeling the contractions, they aren't going to worry about it for now. My blood pressure had come down a little while I was there. They are doing a 24 hour test on me right now to figure out if the high blood pressure is just pregnancy related in general or if it is a sign of preeclampsia.

I have another ultrasound next Wednesday unless something happens before then. The good news is that at least we are to the point in the pregnancy where they CAN give the steriod shot to help the babies lungs develop.

In the midst of all the uncertainty and different reports from different doctors, I'm so thankful for a Sovereign God who knows my babies even while they are in my womb. Each day I carry them is a privilege and an honor (no matter how uncomfortable it gets). :)

Triplets Ultrasound Update, 23 Weeks, 6 Days

I know I just added a picture a few days ago, but today I actually was allowed to leave the house because I had an ultrasound, so I thought we better take advantage of the fact that I was actually showered and dressed to go out and see if we could have at least one pregnancy picture that didn't include my hair in a ponytail. :)

Today's ultrasound was a good news/okay news type of thing.

The good news:

*All three heartbeats were in the perfect range.
*Baby Boy B weighs 1 pound, 10 ounces.
*Baby Girl weighs 1 pound, 9 ounces.
*Baby Boy C weighs 1 pound, 7 ounces.
*All three are measuring ahead of schedule.

The okay news:

After 11 full days of bedrest (today is day 12), that which is supposed to stay long and had gone from 3.5 to 1.9 has remained the same length at 1.9. HOWEVER, Baby Girl's head is pushing down as if she wants to get as far away from her brothers as possible and that has led to a little of an opening beginning. This afternoon one of the high risk doctors will do a detailed review of the ultrasound and provide a report to the doctor I see tomorrow with a plan of where to go from here. Because of the location of Baby Girl's head, it wouldn't be safe to try to sew things up to keep escape from happening. So, we will see what they say tomorrow.

Most likely I will hear the same thing...bedrest from here on out, every day matters, etc. They did tell me today that if I start to feel any sort of cramping that I need to head to the hospital right away. The reality is, there isn't much they can do to stop the progression BUT I have a big God Who can keep these babies safely inside me for as long as He wants AND if He chooses to have them come now, He can protect them and give them life outside of the womb at this point too. That is the awesome part about having a BIG God.

I read somewhere over the weekend that at this stage of pregnancy that a baby will grow up to 6 ounces every 7 days. That is probably just for a single baby, but since all of my babies are currently measuring ahead of where I actually am, I'm hoping the same holds true of them. That means if they can just stay put for one more week, we are past 2 pounds for all but one of them. Every little bit truly does matter, so I continue to thank God for each day that we get past without problem.

The goal from the doctors before today was at least 29 more days. That would get me to 28 weeks, which is still early, but starts the time frame they expect the babies to come (28-32 weeks). We will see if tomorrow they have changed that projection.

I am going to ask, nay, virtually insist, that they schedule me for another ultrasound next week to keep an eye on if that 1.9 is going down. Plus, Mike's mom comes on Thursday and will be staying until the next Friday, so that would also allow her to see the little ones. Mike's grandma was able to go with me today and she really enjoyed seeing the babies on the screen. Since I hope they stay put until after she leaves (on Friday this week), this might be the only time she sees them for a long time.

Thanks for your continued prayers. We praise God for each step of this process and for the privilege of carrying these babies.

Picture, 23 Weeks & 4 Days, Triplets

Triplets @ 23 Weeks & 3 Days, Bedrest Day 9

For my picture this week, instead of showing you what I actually look like, I thought I would show you how I feel. Yes, that is a beached whale. Yes, that is how I feel. To some extent, that is how I look too. :)

Well, we are officially at 23 weeks and 3 days. At this point, each day is a day to celebrate. I did start out the week with a quick trip to the hospital on Monday morning. Thankfully everything was okay. The dr. told me that with triplets and where I'm at, we will probably be on a first name basis before this is all over. Um...no thanks. He also told me that pain is to be expected and doesn't necessarily mean anything, so I should start adding daily Tylenol to my pre-natals. I'm not 100% comfortable with that. I guess I want to know that I am feeling what is actually happening and not feel like I'm always in a drugged state. I know Tylenol wouldn't make me not feel anything, but still...

Today marks Day 9 of bedrest. Bedrest is an interesting thing. To clarify, my current form of bedrest is that I'm only supposed to get up to go to the bathroom and to take a quick shower every few days. I don't have to be in bed the whole time, but can be on a couch and I don't have to lie 100% flat...just weight neutral. The weight of the babies can't be pushing down, so I can't sit straight up. When it comes to lying down, I'm not supposed to lie on my back because the weight of the babies can cut off circulation both to me and to them and that isn't a good thing. I can't lie on my right side for long because I get this stabbing pain in my chest that just doesn't feel pleasant. So, my left side gets tons of lying down action. The hardest part of that is that my left hip and left shoulder start to ache fairly easily. More than the physical aches of bedrest come the mental aches of bedrest. I read an article that said that bedrest often leads to depression (and have also heard some testimony of this from others) because your friends think you are on a mini-vacation (and who among us wouldn't enjoy the thought of being forced to rest and not do anything for a few days) while each day you go through gets tougher and tougher. You run out of things to do. Your mind is losing it from boredom. Your body just wants to move. You wonder about the weather. You start thinking about how nice it would be just to walk out and get the mail. You realize you took for granted how easily you could obtain Taco Bell. And the list goes on and on.

I will say that I'm currently VERY blessed because Mike's grandma is staying with us until next Friday and his mom is coming in next Thursday, so I will have company for at least the next 2 weeks. That is a huge blessing. Having someone to talk to in the middle of the day is nice and having help to get food and water and etc is a big help.

I guess the biggest thing I've taken away from these last 9 days is a new appreciation for those who are put on bedrest and even more so for shut-ins. For me, I know my bedrest is temporary and, Lord willing, will result in giving a healthier start to three precious lives that we have loved and longed for. For others, bedrest doesn't have that happy ending for which to look forward. How discouraging must it be to be trapped in your house with no countdown to when that changes? How many of us think to pray for our shut-ins? Though I know my life will be crazy in the next little while, I wonder if God will open the door for me in the future to have some sort of outreach to those who are stuck at home or stuck in a nursing home or hospital room.

One of the ways I'm hoping to combat restlessness during this time is to go through an intensive Bible reading program. One of my friends sent me a link that charts out reading through your Bible in 90 days. I'm going to start that today and I'm kind of excited about it. When she first brought up the program a few months ago, I knew there was no way with my schedule that I could do it. I was taking care of Jonathan all day, plus coaching, plus dr. appointments, plus life in general. Now that I'm limited in what I can do, I'm going to start the program and see how it goes.

Without a doubt, the hardest part of bedrest for me so far has been having to say goodbye to my little man each morning and not see him until the evening. Many times he is so exhausted from a full day of playing that he falls asleep on the way home and doesn't really wake back up much, if at all, when he gets home. It has been hard to go from full-time stay-at-home mom to only see him for such a short period of time. I cried several times the first few days because I felt like I was a failure and couldn't meet his needs. But, I have had to remind myself that right now I am the only one humanly who can take care of the triplets and that is what my priority has to be. Jonathan has been able to stay with friends that we trust who will treat him as one of their own. I know that he is in good hands and that makes it easier, but I do miss my little guy.

Mike has been amazing through it all. I know you must get sick of hearing me talk about his greatness, but he truly has been great. He gets himself and Jonathan ready in the morning, gets Jonathan dropped off, survives a full day of work, survives the Tampa traffic to get Jonathan and come home, goes to the post office for me, picks up slushies for me (my current craving because it makes my heartburn feel better), goes grocery shopping, rubs my aching back, takes care of Jonathan in the night, and every other thing you can imagine that I can't do. And not once have I heard him complain about it. I am blessed with a true man and I'm thankful for him.

Well, this update is getting long, so I should let you go. Extra points if you made it this far in reading it. Monday is my next ultrasound and I'm looking forward to hearing how big the babies have grown. Each ounce will help them if/when they come early.

As always, thank you for your prayers. We do not take them for granted and we know that the effectual fervant prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5).

The Update

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to update those of you not on facebook who are following the blog. On Wednesday of this week, I started having different symptoms than my normal stretching feeling. My abdomen just started feeling really tight and it hurt to stand all the way up. I ended up calling Mike during the day and he came home to take care of Jonathan because I was struggling. Then that evening, Mike and Jonathan left for church and I started right away having lower back pain/spasms. I decided to call the on call dr. just to ask if it was something I should be worried about. I half expected her to tell me, "you are having triplets - of course your abdomen is tight and your lower back hurts", but instead she told me to come in right away.

So, I called Mike and let him know and then met him at church and we headed to the hospital. Thankfully since I was 22 weeks along, they sent me straight up to the labor and delivery level instead of making me sit through the emergency room.

They discovered that I was dehydrated and may or may not have a bladder infection (should find that out in a few days). The big news came during my sonogram. In the past 5 days since my last sonogram, things had changed significantly and my body was starting the process of preparing for delivery. There was also extra fluid around the boys and that night we saw a resident high risk dr. who told us they might have to do an amneoscentesis (I'm sure I spelled that wrong) to take out some of the fluid.

I stayed overnight so in the morning I could see the real high risk doctors and see what they wanted to do. In the end, the answer was strict bedrest from here on out in the pregnancy. I can get up to use the restroom and for a quick shower every few days, but need to spend as much time weight neutral as possible (not necessarily lying flat, but keeping the weight from pressing down and making them think it is time to come out). I'm really still not far enough along, so every day I can give them will make a difference in their start in life. The doctors never ended up addressing the extra fluid, but they did choose to release me, so I'm assuming at this point that is not high on their concerns.

So, bedrest begins.

Feeling them Move!!!

So, I have been feeling flutters on the inside for a long time, but haven't really felt anything on the outside until about 30 minutes ago. I put my hand over where I felt the flutter and could feel the kick.

I'm so excited. I wish Mike were here. I want him to feel them kick.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me this moment that I never thought I would have the privilege of experiencing!

22 Weeks Along, Picture and Update

Happy 22 Weeks. I celebrate each week because it is a week more that God has allowed my body to carry the babies. There isn't any real big news since my last post since I haven't had any doctor's appointments and won't have the next one until Monday, March 19th.

I continue to struggle with sleeping because I just can't get comfortable and my back hurts. Last night during one of my short snooze sessions I dreamt that something was wrong and I had to go to the hospital. I distinctly remember crying and saying over and over again "it's too early" as I was being wheeled down a hallway in a hospital bed. Then when I started moving around this morning, I noticed a new achy and sore feeling going on which has me a little nervous. Here I am presented with another opportunity to trust God with my babies. I know it was a just a dream last night, but my human nature wants to turn those pangs of pain and soreness into something much more than that.

From the beginning we have known that God is the Giver of Life. These babies will be born according to His will and in His timing. If that is today, God is good and knows what is best for us. If that is 12 weeks from now when the doctors prefer, God is good and knows what is best for us.

As Christians, we are blessed with the gift of this knowledge. So much of what we have been through in the last 6 years seems impossible to deal with outside of the gift of the knowledge that God is in control.

So we continue on and wait to see what He does. When fears and doubts arise, I return to Scripture to comfort me and remind me that (Psalms 84:11) "For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly."

He will give us what is best...and only He knows what that will be.

21 Weeks With Triplets

Hey everyone, a picture will have to come later when Mike comes home.

Well, I'm officially 21 weeks and 2 days along. Today I had a doctor's appointment. I really expected to hear that bedrest is nigh because I've felt a bunch of twinges this past week that made me think that things were moving that shouldn't be moving. But, yay for everything still being long and together so no bedrest on the horizon just yet. :)

The babies all looked great. We got to see them a little extra because they were working to get good pictures of their hearts today. Mike and Jonathan were able to come with me today, so that was super great. Of course, Jonathan wasn't super enthralled for more than just a minute or so of seeing "Mommy's babies" on the screen, so Mike spent most of the time entertaining him.

I was hoping for them to be able to tell me their weight today, but apparently they won't check that for another two weeks because there is a margin of error and they only check it every 4 weeks.

The "funniest" part of the day was when I met with a delivery doctor who measured me to see how big my belly is measuring. And the result? 35 weeks! As mentioned in the first paragraph, I'm only 21 weeks and 2 days. So, there is some validation to the fact that I feel humongous. I told Mike that it is no wonder that I'm uncomfortable at night and going to the bathroom all the time. Most women at this point are nearing the end of their pregnancy. I have 13 more weeks to go just to make it to their 34 week goal for me. It really should be interesting to see where my body expands from here. If we could just avoid ramming any more organs into my ribs, that would be nice.

This past Sunday I did go to church only to have to leave early. I truly felt like I was going to pass out at any moment. I wasn't sure what could have caused it, but after talking to a friend who had twins this past year, I think maybe it was a low blood sugar/not enough breakfast problem. I had two pieces of toast and a banana and figured that after church there would be something at my Sunday School to eat. I think I really need to start carrying snacks with me so that I can eat throughout the day whenever that feeling starts coming on. I'm thankful for my husband who took immediate and excellent care of me on Sunday, including a quick pullover on the way home so that I could open the door before I threw up. I know I say this a lot, but I really am overwhelmed by the awesome man God gave me. He takes amazing care of me and of Jonathan every single day. Without a doubt, he was worth the wait. :)

So, I guess that is it for now. As for cravings, I have hit big time the "need a slushy" craving. 52 oz slushy. Sure. I'll finish it in less than an hour.

Oh yes, one more question...for those of you who have been there (have been gigantic in pregnancy), what product did you use for stretch marks and when do you start (probably I'm already running late on that). I am already getting dark purple stretch marks and would like to do whatever is necessary (on a tight budget) to make that better.

Also, be prepared, I have a "deep thought post" percolating in my head that is getting ready to come out one of these days.