Honeymoon Trimester with Triplets?

Everyone raves about the second trimester of pregnancy, referring to it as the "honeymoon trimester". You feel great, your skin is vibrant, you have the slightest baby bump and your energy is through the roof. From what I've heard, being pregnant with triplets is another story. Few women have a very long "honeymoon trimester". Since you measure 10-12 weeks ahead, by the time the nausea and fatigue of the first trimester vanish you are so large that you are having third trimester pains and complaints.

Well, I am in my "honeymoon trimester" right now and am living it up no matter how short lived it is! I have so much more energy, feel wonderful and proudly trot around with my "25 week" belly. Since I feel so good, I have been going to the pool and doing some light swimming (doctor's approval) and yoga, which only makes me feel even better. I no longer crave junk food so have replaced chips and processed snacks for fruit, yogurt a little chocolate and protein bars. I also have fallen back in love with steak after avoiding red meat for 5 years. Max and I will be heading to Orlando for a little getaway next weekend for our "pregnancy honeymoon". I can't wait.

So, I probably won't have much to update until March 14th, when we will go in for our level 2 ultrasound. Males-TMI warning. From this appt. on, they will start measuring my cervix to make sure it stays nice and long. If so, my chances of preterm labor and early bedrest are lower.

And no, I still don't think I feel any movements yet. It is still fairly early even though some women with multiples say they start to feel kicking around this time. From what I've heard, first time moms always feel this later...closer to 20+ weeks.

Thanks everyone for all your kind words and support. Since sharing our news, we have only heard posotive loving remarks. We appreciate everyone's thoughts and offers of help.

15 Week Appt. - Sex Guess!!

At today's appt. the doc just took a quick peek at the babies to make sure everyone's heart was still beating and guess the sexes. I'm always so nervous before every appt. but I think even women not having a high risk pregnancy probably are. Max and I let out a sigh of relief as soon as we see the three little peas moving all around. They seem to be doing well, Baby B and C kept butting heads :) So, here are the doctor's guesses on the sex:

Baby A - This one was tough since it is the lowest. 65-70% sure it is a girl
Baby B - 85% sure it is a girl
Baby C - 90% sure it is a boy

Yay! We are so excited. In 3 weeks we go back for our Level 2 ultrasound that will probably take 2 hours. We will confirm the sexes then.

Are they natural?

I am obviously beyond hiding my pregnancy. In my job at campus rec I interact with many different people every day. The questions are flooding in. Here are the questions I get and how I handle them:

"I didn't know you were pregnant, when are you due?" - If I do not know the people well and will probably not bump into them again I lie and say late June. If they are people I interact with regularly I will usually tell them mid-August. If anyone knows anything about pregnancy this is usually followed by weird looks since I look closer to 5-6 months along. Therefore, I usually let them know I am expecting triplets this is followed by either
"What, oh my gosh!" - These people's mouths always hang open afterward. They are usually the very uninhibited folks.
"Wow, triplets?" - These people often stare into space afterward looking very confused. It hasn't registered with them yet. I always give them a few more minutes to digest the info. They are the shy, reserved folks.
"Congratulations. Go Max! He has some good swimmers!" These people just have a huge smile on their face afterwards. They are usually the outgoing, fun folks. Of course, I let Max take the glory for this (Secretly I know I am the one that produced 3 eggs :)

Then is the inevitable question, "Are they natural, do twins run in your family?"

To this I will tell general acquaintances that twins do not run in my family that I know of, it was not IVF and this was a complete shock! If I know the people well, I have no problem telling them I did not ovulate and took Clomid to help me ovulate. A lot of people are familiar with drug or know someone who used it and they are still surprised it resulted in triplets. Many people out there have struggled with infertility or know someone who has so they will often share their own stories. Like all women, those that use fertility drugs; whether it be Clomid, injectables, or IVF, to concieve are very proud of their pregnancies and don't feel the need to hide their struggles and success. I know I will be asked about my triplets for years to come so I welcome the questions and conversation.

Piling on the Weight

Some experts really push mothers of "supertwins" or "higher order multiples" to pile on the weight. Research shows that mothers who put on more weight during their pregnancy have preemie babies with higher birth weights. This is crucial for the health of the babies and can influence the length of their stay in the NICU. According to some experts, moms of future triplets should try to gain 60+ lbs. My doctor is recommending I gain 45-60 lbs, most within the first two trimesters while I can still fit food in my belly.

So far, I am doing pretty well. I have gained 20 lbs since all this started. I can't say it has all gone to my tummy but I know I need the fat stores for later in the pregnancy. I would gladly gain 100 lbs if needed for the health of my babies. I do look closer to 5 months along rather than my measly 3.5 months. We recently went to lunch with our friends Joey and Joelle, who are also expecting a little girl. Joelle looked great, she was around 4.5 months and just had the start of an adorable baby bump, smaller than mine :) I can no longer hide my baby bump so I have started proudly wearing my cute maternity clothes. People always look at me a little odd when I tell them I am only 3.5 months. Of course after I explain I am having triplets it all makes sense.

Keep an eye out for more of my "belly pics". Hopefully I will continue to expand at astronomical rates!

Our first trip to Babies R Us

I went with my mom and sister to the infamous BRU this morning to start thinking about what I needed for my registry. Wow, overwhelming but extremely helpful to have my sister, who knows all about babies, there with me. Many of the items I will need, we will have to special order. We plan on getting a "triplet" table, double stroller frame, and an industrial diaper genie. Basically we will be shopping from daycare product catalogs. I never saw this in my future :) Of course, there will be plenty of basic registry items from BRU and Target. Here are some of the crazy things that will be on my registry:

30 bottles to cover one days feeding
1,000 diapers for one month
3 carseats
3 cribs
30 burp cloths
a minivan (ok, this will not really be on my registry...)

Bring it on!

Just for Fun - The Foods I Have Rediscovered

There are some perks to being pregnant with triplets. I get to eat A LOT! I’ll be honest; my super healthy eating habits before the pregnancy were a little too strict and boring. I maintained my size 0 frame but I was not providing my body enough fuel to fully function. Now, I am at the other end of the spectrum. I eat almost every hour. I still eat my yogurt, fruit, vegetables and healthy grains but this only provides about 1/3 of the calories I need. This leaves room for indulging in some of my rediscovered favorite foods of my past. Don’t let my clients see this post!

Calzones: Cheesy and saucy. Bring it on!

Juice: No “light” or splenda sweeteners here, I do try to go 100% juice though. V-8 fusion has been a vegetable lifesaver for me!

Chips and French Onion Dip – The Utz chips are definitely the best.

Ritz cheese sandwiches – I love these little bite size delights.

Combos! – Are you noticing a cheese theme?

Pepperoni – A girl needs some meat!

Pringles – Need I say more?

I am just starting to get my appetite back so sometimes these are the only foods that sound edible to me (although I manage to force even the healthy stuff down). I can only imagine what I will rediscover when the cravings start!

What I miss:
Coffee - I spent 10 min. in the coffe aisle at the grocery store the other day just smelling!
Sushi - Crunchy tuna roll....only 5-6 more months!

11 Weeks - Another A+ appt.

11.5 Weeks Old

We were very relieved to see all three babies bouncing around at our ultrasound today. Their growth is right on target and they all passed their nucal translucency scan which can help detect Down's Syndrome and other possible defects. The heart rates were between 163-165. According to old wise tails, this could indicate 3 girls. So would the extreme nausea I have been experiencing. Of course, these theories have all been proven false :) We go back in 3 more weeks for another quick u/s. The doc is going to guess the sexes at this time so we will see....