Boy oh boy, it's BOYS!

Well, we were pretty sure after the 15 week ultrasound that they would be, but sure enough it was confirmed today at the 18 week appointment.  So it's official, we'll be the parents of 3 triplet boys.  We thought for sure there would be a mix, but we are excited about 3 little boys.  They were 8 oz each, and already have bigger than average heads!

As of today my belly measures 40 inches, I can no longer button any of my pants!  I can still wear them, just with the help of the Bella band around the waist band.  I need to get a body pillow to help me sleep, the belly pulls on my back :)  Otherwise, no pregnancy symptoms or problems!  I haven't thrown up for 3 weeks, just the occasional bit of light-headedness when I haven't eaten or had water in a while.

We are going to a Preparing for Multiples class this week, we need to go to Babies R Us and finish registering, and hopefully we'll get the nursery furniture in so we can paint and put the nursery together.  I can't believe how fast time is flying by...

14 weeks

I've been shopping and planning more lately.  I've spent so much of this pregnancy being afraid, afraid that something will go wrong, that one or more won't make it, fearing for the worst.  I am trying to give up the fear, knowing that God would not have given us this miracle, this blessing, this challenge, without us being capable of handling it, whatever happens.

So for the first time since we found out about the triplets I've been buying some things.  Yesterday I bought some receiving blankets and clothes at Target, today I shopped online for clothes and toys, and a few days ago I bought some baby CDs and a couple toys.  I even dragged Sean to USA Baby the other day to look around, I knew Babies R Us would be too overwhelming for him, it is for me!

I have a small bump now, though I call it a "bulge".  If you didn't know I was pregnant, you'd think I had packed on a few pounds (which I'm sure I have, but I don't get on the scale except at the doctors!).  I'm hoping that soon it will look more like I'm pregnant... but I'm not ready to be huge yet.  I also got a belly band the other day, which I haven't worn to work yet, but probably will this week.  Not only does it give me some flexibility with my pants, but I think it smoothes and makes the bulge look more bump-like than fat-like.

Next week we have our next doctor's appointment, I am excited to be more sure about the genders of A (guessed a girl) and C (pretty convinced a boy), and know B's.  That's all for now :)

bye bye first trimester!

Wow, I have to say I thought it would take forever to get to this point!  I almost feel like I've been pregnant forever already, and there (God willing) is so much farther to go.  I am still in normal clothes, but some days I look "fatter" than others.  No bump yet :)  I feel so much better to have this part under my belt, so far so good!

We had our 12-week check up on Monday and all looks good.  My cervix looks great, though at this point it is too early to expect a problem.  The babies were soooo active!  They were bouncing around and moving their arms and legs, A even looked to be kicking C at one point!  I could have watched the ultrasound forever.  They did measure the NT even though we declined screenings and they all look ok, I had to cough to get a couple babies to bounce in their sacs, which is funny because I had a cold last weekend and coughed and sneezed all weekend long!  I thought what a rough ride they must be having :)  We even have gender guesstimates... C got a pretty resounding BOY, and A they waffled on, but settled on GIRL, B had a cord between the legs :)  We don't know anything for sure, but they should be more definitive next appointment (15 weeks).

I am doing pretty well.  We had a super-fun trip to DC the weekend before Easter, and I managed to not be sick at all until the day we left.  Unfortunately that started another round of daily vomiting, but I'm currently at only 1 day in almost the whole last week.  Hopefully I am nearing the end of that :)  I can also sense a change in my appetite.  I went through the first trimester eating barely anything and never knowing whether I would feel sick or whether the food would make me feel better.  Now I am almost always hungry, and not nearly as particular or sensitive about what sounds good and what doesn't.  I think the babies must be screaming for calories!

Right now I feel like we can do this, but I have absolutely no idea what to expect.  I don't know when we'll deliver, I don't know how long they'll be in the NICU, I don't know what we'll do once they get here, I don't know any of this because I've never been through it before, not even with one.  Since I don't know what will happen I am making up my own expectations to keep me optimistic and positive, however "realistic" they may be... I expect to carry three babies as long as I can with minimal complications, I expect to deliver at 35 weeks, I expect the babies to spend less than a week in the NICU (though I'm hoping for take-home babies), I expect that we will be able to take care of all three babies at home and love every minute, and I expect to go back to work when I am able.  Whew.

bad blogger!

OK, so I apparently stink at this.   I am still a victim of morning to all-day sickness, I am usually sick at least once a day, and this weekend it was up to 3 times in the day.   Oy.  I feel a lot better after lunch typically and so far I've only lost it at work once :)  And, I am definitely seeing a bigger belly than I would usually tolerate.  Clothes still fit, but only because I like them roomy anyway.  Otherwise, morning sickness, exhaustion, frequent trips to the bathroom, and mood swings are about my only symptoms :)

So Monday I had my second appointment with the new doctor, and I am so pleased with him.  He is so nice, and even though we were still one of the last people there, he was still asking us questions and not rushing us at all.  We had a quick abdominal ultrasound and saw the three babies and their heartbeats (first time abdominally!), the rates were 175, 178, and 175.  I always get so nervous that one won't be there anymore, but then once I see all three I make them look for more, just to make sure!  He said I could come back in 2-3 weeks, he asked how my stress level was, if I needed to come back in 2 weeks, or if 3 would be ok.  I said three was fine, but since the receptionists were all gone by the time I got there I had to call for an appointment.  Which I forgot to do until today, and he is booked until 4 weeks!  I don't know how that will go...

Otherwise life is good :)  We still stress about insurance, finances, still can't believe this is really happening to us, etc. but we are dealing.  Every day is different, with new worries, anxieties, excitement, or whatever.

I had an interesting case at work last week, an indoor/outdoor 8 month old cat whose owner was out of town for 5 days and came home to find a couple nails looked infected and she thought he may have been digging under a bedroom door.  But as soon as I sedated him to clean his toes up, it didn't look like that was the case.  The first nail on one food was completely gone, including the bone attached to the nail.  There was a hole where the nail/bone should be.  This digit is not a weight bearing digit, and is the least likely to be affected by trauma.  The rest of the nails on that foot looked completely normal.  The other affected nail was the second digit on the other foot, but I could see the nail protruding through the crusty discharge, so I thought it was still present, but as soon as the crust was cleaned off the nail popped right off the pulp (or blood supply) of the nail.  The nail pulp was still attached to the bone, and the skin was still around it.  Again, all the other nails on that foot looked fine.  I didn't think this looked or sounded at all like trauma, and more like an immune-mediated condition.  I sent photos and consulted my favorite veterinary dermatologist in Dallas, and he agreed.  The most likely diagnosis is considered VERY rare in cats, and unfortunately no good treatments with a generally poor prognosis.  The only cat he has ever seen with it was euthanized at 1.5 years old.  Very sad for the kitty cat, we'll see what happens...

That's all for now, I'll try to be better about updating!

Still at home...

I'm still at home sick.  I'm 99% sure I have the flu, one of my coworkers has the exact symptoms of fever, cough, congestion, sinus infection coming on, etc. and tested positive for Influenza A.  I can't be on tamiflu, so Tylenol will have to cut it.  The fever has come down, and I'm feeling a little better, with a little more energy.  But I still have a horrible cough and congestion.  The nausea was back today, but I may have contributed by taking too many medications at once.  Bleh.  Tomorrow I'll go back to work with the help of drugs, definitely not all taken at once again.

Yesterday was the first appointment with the Perinatologist, our new high risk doctor.  He confirmed that there are still 3, growing and with more similar heart rates now.  They appear to be "triamniotic, trichorionic", which means separate sacks, placentas, etc. so they are probably fraternal.  They are called "spontaneous" because we weren't on any fertility medications.  We go back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound and bloodwork.

The biggest risk is going to be preterm labor, which he says is higher for me because this is my first pregnancy and my uterus hasn't stretched before.  The other cause of preterm labor will be the cervix, so they'll be checking it as we go along and there are some treatments they can do if we need to.  He doesn't believe in bed rest, which is HUGE for me.  Basically I can work as much as I feel up to it and can.

I asked about expectations, we wondered what the likelihood of losing one would be, and he said it will more likely be 3 or none.  Basically, if one starts to have issues then it is a bigger risk to the other two, and could result in the dreaded preterm labor before they are viable.  The crucial week to get past is 32, where survivability is essentially the same as full term, and the biggest "danger zone" period is 18-20 weeks.  He said we should expect that they will spend time in the NICU, something I'm dreading already.  We will now have September babies if we are lucky, not October, as the doctor won't let me go past 35-36 weeks, and hoping to get past that 32 week mark.

I think that is all for now :)  Trying to rest and recuperate before going back to work, especially since I'm at the e-clinic this weekend so no more time off until next weekend :(

Triplets...

It's for real.  We went in to the doctor for an early ultrasound last Tuesday after I had bad abdominal pain and bleeding when we were leaving Orlando.  I couldn't believe it, I still can't believe it.  Everything's changed.  I had picked out the perfect stroller, nope that one won't do anymore (for those of you out there, the Uppa Baby Vista looked ideal).  I was adamantly opposed to a c-section, not only will I have a c-section but I will probably deliver early and the babies may spend time in NICU.  I was going to see my lovely, female doctor, nope now I get the male high risk doctor.  I was going to work my butt off until the day I delivered to save money for the baby and maternity leave, now I will likely have to cut back on hours significantly before they even get here.  It's a lot to take in.  Before it felt surreal, especially because I had no symptoms of pregnancy, so it was a mind-body disconnect, I knew I was, but I didn't feel like it, especially didn't feel like I was having 3!

But now... I feel it.  I got a cough/cold this weekend, and actually had a fever (I never have fevers).  Everytime I cough it is body wrenching, and makes me want to vomit.  I think the cough and morning sickness hit simultaneously, yay.  I certainly don't know how much longer I can go on like this.  Hopefully the cold goes away, but right now it feels like it is moving to my sinuses, so I'll have to check with my doctor to see what kind of antibiotics I can take.

I go to the high risk doctor TOMORROW, yay!  Hopefully all three babies are still there and doing great.  I have a long list of questions: our upcoming travel plans, suggestions on insurance plans (we're covered but wondering if we should switch), what to expect for my work schedule, antibiotics, radiation and gas anesthesia exposure, and lots more...  I'll keep you posted!

We're pregnant!!!

So we found out on Valentine's Day, but I'm writing this the day after, and I won't post it until we tell our families.  I took the test because I had been feeling exhausted, peeing a lot, there was a chance we might be, plus I thought "how neat to find out on Valentine's", AND, we had a test left over from a previous scare.  I had convinced myself that it would be negative, and it was too early, and I wouldn't tell Sean if it was negative.  So bright and early I got up to use the bathroom, and almost forgot I was going to test.  Before I knew it, there seemed to be a faint line where there had never been one before.  I had to look again, and there it was, less faint than before.  And I hadn't even waited the 3 minutes.  I crawled back into bed and woke my poor sleeping husband.  I can't even remember what I told him, something about how I took a test and I thought it might be positive.  He turned over and told me my heart was pounding, and I told him he better go check and make sure I wasn't imagining things.  He did, and came back to bed saying it was there, not as dark as the control, but very clear and obvious.  We prayed together for our baby and our lives changed.

We have spent the last 24 hours talking about going to the doctor to get the confirmation, talking about how and when to tell our families, and how things will change.  I am worried about losing it, for all the people I know that have had babies, almost half have had miscarriages or problems.  I am worried about all the plans I had and how this will change them.  But for every worry, I am more and more excited.

I am still having trouble getting my head wrapped around this.  I just re-read this post and realized I didn't say the P word once.  Not once did I say we were ready to get pregnant, or that I am now pregnant.  Maybe I am waiting for that final confirmation from the doctor telling me it's true.  I have a long list of questions for my doctor, and hopefully they can get me in tomorrow for the real test, because I had been walking by the HPT every hour or so to be sure it was really there, until my dog ate it this morning while we were at church.  Now I have nothing to reassure myself it's really happening...