Weekly news

Okay so the last couple of days have been interesting!! We had the growth ultrasound yesterday...we have some chunky babies! I am so happy! Addison is 2 lb12ou, Kathryn is 2lb7ou, and Jack is 2lb10ou at 28 weeks 4days!! during the ultrasound I found out that Addison is waaaayyyy down low. I also thought that my cervix looked dialated. The doctor came by this morning and went through everything with me. The cervix is not dialated but it has shortened substanstially because of the weight of the babies. He said it was expected. He started the steroid injections today to help the babies' lungs and I will get the final dose tomorrow. Then after 48 hours, it should have taken full effect.
My goal at this point is the same, 30 weeks. Only 9 or so days to go so that is my next milestone. The doctor is confident that they would be fine if born today given that they have passed alll their tests, but nothing on the outside is as good as being on the inside for just one more day!
I am also having contractions which are being monitored. I finally realized that is what I was feeling and the doctor confirmed!! The plan is to wait and see what happens - either the babies or my body will do something to tell them that it is time. I don't think they think I will make it to 32 weeks but we will see!!
The babies are great, kicking and playing!! They have cute little faces!! I am getting excited and fighting the weepies at the same time! Part of me is not ready to not be pregnant anymore no matter how uncomfortable it it!! then at the same time, i am ready to meet them!! I think Briny is a little nervous!! He is so cute!! He is going to be a great daddy once he realizes it!! He is in love with these little ones already!! It is the sweetest thing ever to watch him talk about them...sorry dearie if this causes issues with the man card!!

28 weeks...WOO HOO!!

So by the title you can tell that today was the 28 week mark. this is a HUGE milestone. We are now at 95 percent survival and less than 10 percent chance they will have any long term complications. I am sooooooo excited. Brian and his mom were here all day and we had a great time. this milestone somehow felt different than all the others. it was like a weight is off my shoulders or something. i can't quite pinpoint the feeling i have had all day. i was treated to most of my favorites today....chinese for lunch (finally some broccoli, who would have thought I would look forward to that!), sushi (cooked) for dinner, and the marble slab ice cream (didn't eat all of it so have left overs!! :)) needless to say, I am stuffed!!
today has also been a milestone for pain! i woke up at 4 a.m. to a horrible pulling in my back and all the way around my lower belly. turns out not contractions, but is tendons pulling against the weight of the babies. this persisted all day with times of absolute torture!! i tried everything to make it better, laying on both sides, laying on back etc. to no avail. i took tylenol which worked for about 30 minutes!! when it got to the point of not being able to take a good breath of air, the nurses thought it better for me to take something stronger. i was trying to get through it with no strong meds but now i see that that is just asking for misery!! i have now decided that i am going to enjoy all this "not so fun time" (doctor warned me of this!) of the pregnancy one way or another!! i figure that after adjusting to what is a triplet preganancy, we triplet moms have to make it the best we can!! So instead of laying here in misery, i fully intend to enjoy how many ever weeks I have left!!
i did ask the doctor today if he would schedule a c-section once i make it to 32 weeks. he said no. he said he was going to wait for my body or the babies to say when enough is enough. okay, so i guess i am in for the duration!! haha it feels kind of liberating to not know what tomorrow will bring as i have always been a control and schedule freak but at the same time, i find myself wondering all of the time what is going to happen and when!!
the gestational diabetes is not cooperating right now. the doctor ups my insulin and the glucose numbers go up more...it is a non-stop game!! today i had the highest reading since being diagnosed. i plan to talk to him about this tomorrow as that just freaks me out!! by the way this was before any ice cream!! i am good about no sweets all day in case we splurge at night or if i know it is a special occasion and ice cream is involved!! hahaha hopefully he will have a solution!!
overall, this has been a wonderful day and i continue to marvel in the blessings that surround us everyday!!

27 plus 4

So I met with the doctor today. He loves to wake me up early!! Things are looking good with the babies. He is tweaking my meds again! Since being taken off Motrin (due to the low fluid with A), I have noticed some headaches. He is worried that this is a sign of the preeclampsia trying to advance. SOOOO that means I am now on phenyl barbital (sp?). He said this will prevent any seizures but will make me oh so sleepy!! I am also getting three ultrasounds per week (M, W, F) and monitoring of the babies 2 times a day (the nurses are going to love me!!). He also increased some of my insulin doses to stabalize my sugars...who knew I was so sweet!! All of this should keep me busy!! I do have to say that all of the nurses here and my doctors have been more than I ever expected. The nurses are always coming by to talk to me even if they are on other assignments on the floor. They like to check in and see what the "lady with triplets," as I am so known by all the student nurses, is doing! It has been a very good experience and has gone by pretty fast!!
I have decided to let the doctors do the worrying. I just lay here everyday and enjoy feeling my little aliens moving and playing! They have been picking up steam lately!! Last night A, Addison, was playing and kicking until I talked her into going to sleep! It was amazing!! C, Jackson, has grown his legs and kicks up a storm!! He kicked his daddy really hard a couple of days ago!! B, Kathryn, is always moving but doesn't kick as much yet!!
Well, we are creaping up on 28 weeks which is a huge milestone!! Say that to just any expectant mom and you will get a strange look but for me and our trio, 28 weeks is amazing!! I hope they are growing and getting stronger. I really am starting to understand that I will soon have three little ones!! Brian and I talk about this almost every night!! It is mind-blowing but so exciting at the same time with a little bit of fear of the unknown thrown in there!!

27 weeks plus 1

Ok so it has been an entire week since I have updated...I have been a total slacker!! :) So what all has happened this week? I have been sleeping more and more. It is insane. I try so hard to stay awake but it never seems to work. The babies are moving and kicking a lot more now. Brian has gotten kicked and the nurses laugh when they see my stomach move around. It is so big that I cannot see over it to see it move!!
I also have moved to having 2 ultrasounds each week. This week I had one on Monday and Friday. On Friday, I learned that Addison's fluid level is a little low. The doctor said that it was in the normal range but close to being considered in the low range so he was going to monitor it pretty closely. He also said that the cord flow in her umbilical cord was not as much as he would like so they will be checking on that also. He says not to worry but that doesn't help!! The nurses are so nice and keep telling me that these things often fix themselves. Oddly, this constant encouragement makes me feel better. Maybe it is just denial but I know that if it was really a problem, my doctors would be scheduling a c-section!!
My parents came to visit this weekend to celebrate the 27th week. My mom came down on Thursday and my dad on Friday. This gave Brian a little bit of a rest time which he needed. He and my dad took Saturday night off and grilled out and had guy time. I think he had fun and it was a much needed respite!! I miss him when he is not here but he has been here every day since I have been here except maybe 3 or 4!!
My sugar levels have no rhyme or reason!! Everytime I try to control it with my diet, it seems to go higher so I am now going to listen to the doctors and just take the insulin!! I did have one day this week when my levels were normal and I didn't need any insulin!! WOOHOO!!
My blood pressure has remained normal. the doctor even says it is low sometimes. I still have some symptoms of preeclamsia so I am being monitored but the signs are staying the same and not increasing so that it is a good sign.
I keep setting my mini goals to make it through these weeks. Now, I am focused on next weekend, 28 weeks, and then will set my sites on 30 weeks. It has been a long time since I came into the hospital, June 10. I remember how bad the first couple of weeks were and I remember the beginning of July when I looked at the blank calendar and almost panicked!! Now, I see how fast it has gone by. It is mind-blowing!!
We have been blessed and I am so grateful to all of our friends and family who have been supporting us through this!! Soon we will have three little babies!! How crazy is that???!!!!

26 weeks

So today was a pretty big day...26 weeks! YAY! Brian and I just hung out all day. I have been taking insulin for my sugar levels and in an attempt to figure out the correct dose, the amounts have varied resulting in me sleeping A LOT! The nurses and doctors say this is normal but I feel bad sleeping a lot when Brian is here. I want to spend time with him!! My FIL visited today and brought me lunch and I slept almost the entire time he was here!!
Brian did get to help with the NST/monitoring of the babies. The heartbeats all going at the same time are the most calming sound you will ever hear!! I think this is the most relaxing part of my day even though at this point it is not the most comfortable position!! It is well worth it though!!
I am so thankful to have made it this far. We truly are blessed each and every day!!

still here

We are still hanging in here. I have been going through the routine the last couple of days. My sugar has risen but they are adjusting the insulin to handle it. It makes me a little shaky and VERY SLEEPY!! My blood pressure is regular/low per the doctor so that is good. The big event was that Briny felt the babies kick really hard for the first time! His eyes were so big and he was amazed!! It was so cute!! I feel them all day and night so I was really happy that he gets to experience the kicks too!! They are moving more everyday and the kicks are stronger everyday. It is an amazing experience to say the least!!

mid 25th week

To catch ya'll up...Monday we had an anatomy ultrasound. The news was good. The babies are all growing and getting big. A/Addision weighs 1 pound 12 ounces, B/Kathryn is 1 pound 9 ounces, and C/Jackson is 1 pound 13 ounces. The nurses and doctor tell me these are great weights for their ages!! I was happy! All of the peices parts are on target also and the hearts and brains are normal. It will probably be about 3 more weeks before we have another anatomy ultrasound.
Yesterday, my blood sugar was high (low end of high) all day so they now have me on scheduled insulin and sliding scale after meals. UGH! My poor fingertips!! It will take a few days to "tweek" the standard dose so I look forward to bottoming out at some point and feeling bad. The nurses are worried about this happening to me so they always are checking on me!!
Today, we should get the results of my tests for the preeclampsia that I have weekly. I hope these are decent!! It is amazing how fast things can change with triplets!! I am constantly amazed at how you cannot ever get complacent with the test results because they always change!!
We are doing well though! We really appreciate everything that ya'll have done to make this journey as bearable as it has been! I appreciate all of your support for me and the babies but also for helping Briny through this! He has been a rock and I know without your support that may be harder on him that it has been!! He is a wonderful husband and I know he will be the best daddy ever!!!

25 weeks

WOO HOO we made it to 25 weeks! It is also July 4. It has been a wonderful day today!! This weekend Brian's mom is here visiting! She and Brian have been spoiling me since Friday!! It has been awesome! I am so excited to have made it to this important day!! The doctor came in today and is so happy. He says we have many more weeks to go!! We are now looking to 28 weeks when he has approved a definite "wingdinger" as he put it!!

This hospital experience, though difficult, has been as good as you can expect. All of the nurses are so nice and we talk every day! They all tell me and Brian that they fight to have us assigned to them. That is nice of them. They are my social lifeline these days!! We also have amazing doctors who I beleive are so trustworthy and honest! They never rush visits and if anything beg me to ask them questions!!

The babies are moving and shaking! Monitoring today was a disaster! None of them would stay in one spot long enough to be monitored! It was a LONG hour of the nurses trying to chase them and get them monitored. In the end, I think there may have been two or three minutes of Kathryn and Jackson and as has been the tradition, about three beats at a time on Addison!!

Yesterday we went to tour the NICU. It was a little shocking to see how many babies are in there but because of all of my friends who have explained their experiences with NICUs, we were a little prepared for all the lights and sounds. The NICU here makes me comfortable. The nurses were all nice and I liked that there are so many nurses that the babies have close monitoring.

We are hoping more every day that these little ones are fat little dumplins. We should find out next week how much they have grown over the last month!! I am hoping for close to 2 pounds each. That would be fabulous!!

Okay, so now I guess I need sleep when it is actually dark outside!! My schedule is all off!! Right now, Addison is kicking her brother and sister who are not so happy about having to escape her. One day soon, I am sure they will eventually kick her back!!! It would suit us to have three little feisty babies!! I was hoping for calm!! hahahaha

Last couple of days

It has been quiet around here lately!! Thank goodness! The doctors say everything is going well and they anticipate us being here a while...they talk about making it to 34 weeks! I told them I am focusing on this week first!! :) I am not having any contractions which is a blessing!! Mostly I just sit around here and talk to the nurses. They have been really nice!! I am learning all the gossipp!!

The babies are kicking and playing a lot these days! Addison "A" is the most active. She enjoys kicking her brother and sister, especially when the nurses are trying to monitor all of them. It makes for a long hour!! Kathryn "B" has calmed down. She was a runner at first but now she seems to stay put. Jackson "C" flips to escape Addison's kicking. This morning I awoke to Jack plastered under my ribs. He is still hanging out there even though I keep pushing on him!! It makes breathing VERY uncomfortable!! The things they don't tell you about in the pregnancy books!! :)

This is about all that has gone on. Briny and I are going on the tour of the NICU tomorrow morning. That should be scary but necessary!! We will keep ya'll updated!!