Happy Birthday - June 29th

They are here!

At 5:30 AM Sunday morning my water broke. By 6:29 AM, Amelia was born, followed by Marcus and Josie. They were one day shy of 33 weeks. Everyone is in the NICU and doing fantastic! Marcus was on CPAP room air for 1 hour and his saturation was so great they took him off. The girls have been breathing on their own since they were born. Everyone has already been feeding out of bottles and Max even got to change dirty diapers already :) We couldn't be happier.

I am doing ok. I just got all my tubes removed this morning and am thrilled about getting to move around more. Yes, I am in pain but as I learned over the weekend, I am not one to turn down narcotics ever again :) I get to shower later today!

OK, here is what everyone wants to see.

Amelia (Mia) June, 2 lbs 12.5 oz
She is tiny, a surprise to us, but is a fighter! You would never guess she weighs two pounds less than her brother.


Marcus Max, 4 lbs. 11 oz
Almost 5 pounds, there is where all my protein shakes went!


Jocelyn (Josie) Mary, 3 lbs. 15 oz
She was the first I felt move in the womb and was feisty from then on.



And here is dad feeding Mia and mom holding Josie


Many more pictures and stories to share! Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers!

Life is Better...on Drugs

Up to this point, I have tried to stay away from all drugs during my pregnancy. In fact, I could probably count the number of times I took Tylenol on two hands. However, the pain of the expanding belly has taken its toll on me. Just when I thought I couldn't make it one more second, the doctors introduced me to some stronger medications. Not sure the exact name of the drug given to me through my IV today but I call it "liquid heaven".

Labor appears very near so every time I have any strange pain at all (hello.....I am stretched to the max and carrying around 13 pounds of baby) the doctor's love to send me to the floor of torture, oh I mean labor and delivery. Here I get poked several times while trying to get my IV set up and get belted in to the monitoring devices. Then, I get left to "get comfortable and rest" for 4-6 hours. When the doctors finally make their appearance (btw, I love my doctor, he is very attentive and present but unfortunately he doesn't work 24/7) I am informed "well...I really thought I was going to deliver your triplets today but I guess not..."

Today something extraordinary happened, not only was I given a dose of the "liquid heaven" but I was also told I could take a Percoset every 4 hours upon request. The doctors assure me this is perfectly safe for the babies at this point. ("especially since they will be in the NICU for a period of time, they would detox there anyway" one nurse said...very reassuring don't you think ;)). Never in my life have I taken anything stronger than Ibuprofen, now I know how wonderful epidurals must be while in labor.

So, although I only get to eat once every 24 hours (the L&D floor doesn't allow food since surgery may be near) , it take me 5 minutes to wobble my way to the bathroom that is literally 2 steps away from my bed, and I must wear a needle attached to my hand, I think I may last at least a few more days thanks to pharmaceuticals. I promise, I'm keeping my spirits up :)

I want to send a special congrats out to my other Triangle triplet mom friend who had her babies a few days ago at 33 weeks, 3 days! She was on bedrest for a good 3 months so knows my pain all too well. However, she now looks so shiny and happy with her three precious babies. Her face screams "it is worth every second!". The other triangle triplet mom I know had her babies 4 weeks ago at 31.5 weeks. They also are doing great. I'm right around the corner ladies, the three of us will have 9 babies so close in age :)

Another congrats to our friends Joey and Joelle who had their adorable baby girl last weekend.

My next post may be very interesting....

The Growing Trio - 32 Weeks, 2 days

Just a quick post to update estimated baby weights. There seems to be some confusion over our girls. They either changed positions or they both completely flipped around. You wouldn't think there would be room for them to be so mobile but they appear to be claiming their space. All three are pretty stretched out.

Baby A (girl) - 4 lbs. 4 oz.
Baby B (boy)- 4 lbs. 7 oz.
Baby C (girl) - 3 lbs 6 oz.

As the babies get bigger it becomes harder to estimate their weights over ultrasound...especially with three babies! Obviously two of these kiddos are growing like weeds! These are pretty big babies even for singletons at this age. Our smaller girl was very difficult to measure since her head is very low. The doctors think she is actually bigger than the estimated weight based on her femur and abdominal measurements. Only time will tell....the waiting continues.

A Big Thanks

Monday will be a big day for us...32 weeks! We never imagined at 32 weeks I would still be pregnant but it looks like we are going to make it. I want to take a post to thank those who have helped us get this far.

Thank you Max! Although my husband has not carried these babies, there is no doubt he has helped us get this far. While working full time he has also managed to keep house, stay on top of car issues, coordinated care of our dog Hayden, supported me, and is proactive in my care here at the hospital. The pull out "bed" here is very uncomfortable yet he still spends most his nights here with his family and stays around for important appointments. Max is going to be an amazing dad.

Thank you mom and dad! My mom was a great help while I was on bedrest at home by making me meals and helping get the nursery organized. She ran errands for us like getting groceries and picking up the rest of the baby necessities. I must say, I think she has supplied us with half our babies' wardrobe. My dad has helped with some much needed projects around the house. My parents have also helped us by taking care of Hayden some since I have been in the hospital.

Thank you Max's parents! Max's mom and dad have helped out around the house by doing laundry, cleaning, and putting together nursery furniture. Carol also always makes sure I have fresh flowers at the hospital and brings me treats and games whenever she comes to visit. This makes my hospital stay so much brighter and bedrest more bearable!

Thank you Tracey! My sister has been a priceless wealth of information to me throughout this pregnancy. As a labor and delivery nurse and an extremely organized and efficient mom herself, I am constantly bombarding her with questions. She is also lending me her hospital grade pump for after the babies arrive. For any mom who has decided to pump, especially moms of multiples, you appreciate the importance this expensive little device has in your life. Of course, she also threw me an amazing baby shower that was tons of fun...even though I had to lie on the couch the whole time :)

Thank you Max's sister Jes! Jes and her kids came all the way down from Northern Virginia to spend a few days at our house helping out. She made us 17 meals to keep in our freezer for after the babies arrive! What a nice change of pace this will be from hospital food! She also brought us some great garage sale finds we needed from our registry. Thank you Jes, what an invaluable gift!

Thank you Ben and Kathryn! Our good friends have not only been companions through the months of bedrest by visiting and making us dinners but have also agreed to babysit our current baby, Hayden. Our dog absolutely loves Kathryn whose cuddles rival mine. He also sees Ben as another Max and is very at home with them. We know Hayden is happy and safe with you all and the burden it takes off Max is priceless!

Thank you Nick! My brother has taken Hayden for us for the weekend and has been so much fun to visit with. He lives close to the hospital and comes by about twice a week and entertains Max and I. I know Max enjoys having him around to take the "edge off" by going running together and getting downtown for some "non-hospital" dinners. Nick, we hope to see you around just as much when the babies arrive ;)

Thanks to all the rest of our friends and family who have supported us through these past few months. It has been great emailing and chatting with friends and visiting with family. Your encouraging words and prayers have helped us get through each day.

Assuming I am still pregnant on Tuesday, we will have our growth scan! This is always exciting for us...we are hoping our kiddos are still growing well and are close to 4 pds! Health wise, I am hanging in there. My bp's are still creeping up (140's/90's) although my blood work continues to come back fine (so still buying time). Babies all still look great!

Keeping the Trio Cooking - 31.5 Weeks

We knew from the start that the end of this pregnancy was going to be challenging. Seeing images like the one above of our little boy is enough to keep me going for another week. Our Baby B, the photogenic sweetie looks like he is showing off his bicep. I must say, he takes after me in that department already...ha ha. His lips are all Max. We would love to share pictures of our little girls but I guess they just want to surprise us the day they are born.

This past weekend was rough. I received a shot of progesterone on Friday (still an experimental drug to possibly help prevent preterm labor), and then another round of steroid shots (to help mature babies lungs in case of delivery in next week or so) on Saturday and Sunday. The combination of the drugs did not seem to have the most uplifting effect on me. I felt restless, headachy, sleepy, moody and just to give me that extra boost, gained 12 pounds in 4 days (Shrek feet and chipmunk face, lovely)! The doctors have been watching me like hawks.

Luckily things seem to be back on par. My bp's are still hovering around 130's/80's and I have been peeing like a champ (4 pounds down today from yesterday). My blood work is still fine and I have some energy back and actually feel pretty good now. I am determined to make it 5 more days at least. Ideally, I would love to go to July and get these babies even bigger and healthier (oh, and I love rubies).

I will update more soon with another belly shot. If you haven't been too blown away by the size of the belly yet. just wait....this next pic will be impressive :)

A Day at the Hospital

My doctor said he liked to keep women at home on bedrest as long as possible before admitting them to the hospital. "At the hospital you get a lot of interruptions and people bothering you". Really....what do you think?

6:30 AM - Resident comes in to see how I am doing. "Are the babies moving, any vision problems, headaches, etc.?" I just woke up, I feel sleepy and that is all I know right now.

7:30 AM - My daytime nurse comes in to take my vitals.

8:15 AM - Nutrition and Food Services comes in with breakfast. I love this lady! She is so sweet and cheerful. I get a lot of "wow, 3 babies", "oh my gosh, how are you going to do it?" but this lady always just smiles and says "What a blessing, you are such a lucky lady!"

8:45 AM- The doctor's come in on their rounds. More of the same..."babies moving, vision changes, etc." This morning I was informed my delivery would be scheduled for 35 weeks if I am still here...yikes!

9:00 AM- Nurse comes in to give me my progesterone shot.

9:15 AM - Food services comes and picks up my meal and drops off morning snack

10:00 AM - Cleaners come in and take out trash

10:45 AM- Nurse checks to see if I need anything, baby heart rates are collected

11:00 AM- Nurse assistant takes my vitals again

11:45 AM - Different cleaner comes in to wash mirrors and floor

12:30 PM - Lunch is here!

12:45 PM- PM Snack is here

1:30 PM- Lunch is taken away by different Food Service employee. I attempt to nap

2:00 PM- Volunteer comes by to see if I want newspaper or magazines

2:30 PM- Nurse assistant comes in to weigh me

2:45 - A lady comes in to check on supplies (gloves, paper towels, etc.)

3:00 PM- Nurse checks on me

3:30 PM- Time for vitals again

4:00 PM- I try to nap again but....

4:15 PM- afternoon nurse comes in to check babies heart rates

4:30 PM - My doctor comes by to check on me.

5:00 PM - I often have outside visitors in the evenings.

5:30 PM - Dinner is here! Max usually arrives around this time

6:00 PM - Nurse checks on me

7:00 PM - Vitals again by nursing assistant

8:00 PM - 11:00 PM - It is usually quite. I watch a little TV and go to bed until....

12:00AM - Night nurse comes in to take my vitals and check babies heart rates.

12:00 AM - 6:00 AM - SLEEP!!!!!!!

The hospital is such a calm, restful, private environment. I don't know what my doctor was talking about.

No babies yet

No news is good news. That is it for today.

A Look Back - 30 Weeks

I have posted several belly shots of me lately so I thought I would post a picture of me from my better side today :)

In all seriousness, today is our official "30 week milestone". This is a huge deal and we are extremely grateful to be here today. Here is a brief history:

16 weeks-I was feeling great, we took a trip to Florida and we walked around Sea World and Universal Studios. I got to enjoy the wonderful weather poolside...wearing a bathing suit.

20 weeks - My belly starts to get BIG! It is much harder to get around but I'm still walking around campus and working.

23 weeks - My cervix begins to shorten (from 3.8 cm to ~2.4). I am told to "take it easy" and try to lay in bed as much as possible.

24 weeks - The day before my thesis proposal I am sent to Labor and Delivery b/c my cervix has gone from ~2.4 to ~1.6. I receive a steroid shot to mature babies lungs in case I deliver...VERY early. The babies are viable (~60% live) but it would be a long road ahead. I do not appear to be in labor but it is strict bed rest from here on. No more school or work for me.

28 weeks - This is another huge milestone. Babies have 90% survival rate at this point. After 4 weeks of bedrest my cervix has only shortened to ~1.3-~1.1. I am still not dilated and have made two trips to L & D due to contractions/short cervix but....no delivery. I am given another steroid shot at the end of the week as a precaution.

29 weeks - I have protein in my urine and my blood pressure is higher than normal. I have mild preclampsia so am admitted to the hospital. At this point we think I am buying days till delivery. Growth scan shows my babies are great sizes for triplets..even a little robust!

30 weeks - Another huge milestone. Survival rates are close to 98% and preemie long term health problems drop dramatically. I am still in the hospital and my preclampsia seems to be slowly smoldering onward. At this point, I could definitely still be "buying days" but things look optimistic. I may just make it another week....or two :) We can expect the babies to stay in the NICU for 4-7 weeks.

Looking ahead - If we make it to 32 weeks, our babies may be all over 4 lbs! The average for triplets is 3-3.5 lbs. At this point, each day the babies spend in my belly is 3 less days in the NICU.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, prayers and encouragement. It has made a huge difference.

Goodbye torture chamber

Here is what some other triplet moms said about the joyous non-stress tests given daily on their triplets:

"It was torture"
"Horrible"
"I hated being monitored. I mean HATED it!"
"I had my doctor give me something to put me to sleep during these sessions"
"This was the worst thing about my pregnancy"

Imagine someone massaging and poking your extremely overextended uterus for 1.5 hours for 5 minutes of data. All the while, your babies are kicking from the opposite sides and their body parts are being jammed into your internal organs. FUN! I can stand the discomfort but my uterus can't. I usually start having intense contractions that are around 2 min. apart during this ordeal.

Put a 30 week pregnant triplet mom through this the day after she received a high dose of progesterone and deal with the emotional consequences. Sorry residents, get used to lugging the ultrasound machine up to your triplet patient...sometimes exceptions have to be made :)

Is that Baby A?

-"OK, "A" and "B" are definitely different".
-"No...wait, now they are the same. Actually, no those ARE two different babies"
-"Hold on, "C" just disappeared"
-"Those are definitely three different babies"
-"I have no idea if we have three different babies or not...we definitely have at least two different babies"
"Angle that one up, hold it....yep, now hold baby "A" down, don't press on Baby "C"'s, she doesn't like that."

You may think I am exaggerating but this is exactly what my "20" min (1 hour) daily baby monitoring sessions are like. Don't tell any nurses but I just chuckle during these sessions and think "good babies, way to give them a challenge".

Our growth scan yesterday went well. All three munchkins look good and approximate weights are:
Baby A = 3 lbs. (and is curled up into a tiny ball with her head against my cervix and nowhere to go..poor thing)
Baby B = 3 lbs. 4 oz. (he is spread out taking up 50% of the available space)
Baby C = 3 lbs. 2 oz.

My blood pressure is VERY slowly creeping up but still under the danger zone. My labs today came back fine so no changes evident in my blood yet. We really hope we can continue this trend and make it well into week 30 if not beyond.

My New View - 29.5 Weeks

The time has come. I took a one way trip as a pregnant women to the UNC Hospital on Monday afternoon. I will remain here for the remainder of my pregnancy. At Friday's appt. I had trace amounts of protein in my urine. I did a 24 hour urine test that weekend and monitored my blood pressure 4 x daily. It wasn't until Monday morning when I returned to UNC with my urine sample that my blood pressure was up. The 24 hour test showed I was just above the cut-off for protein in my urine. I have mild preeclampsia.

Living at the hospital is not that bad. The staff is great and my room has an awesome view. There is a pull out couch so Max can stay the night and the food is actually decent. The "fun" part is the 2x/day monitoring of the babies. Trying to find three different heartbeats for an extended period of time is close to impossible. The 20 min. monitoring sessions usually take at least 1 hour. Squirm babies squirm :)

Preeclampsia is not something any women wants to deal with. But, I am being watched very closely and as soon as we see a change, the babies will come out. So far, my blood pressure hasn't gotten over 140/90 but even 133/89 is concerning for someone like me who usually runs in the low 100's/60's. We could be in here for several weeks or a few days...only time will tell. I will have thorough lab work done every few days.

The great news is the babies are doing wonderful and we have passed the 28 week milestone! Certainly they will spend some time in the NICU with the awesome staff but will most likely grow and thrive. Tomorrow we will have a growth scan so will know a lot more about the babies then.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we will be sure to keep everyone updated.