34 week - final belly shot

These posts are a little out of order but hey... I knew everyone was more anxious to see the babies and hear about their births than to see my pregnant belly shots. I still wanted to get the final belly shot on here.





Also, Jessica dropped by Thursday morning, before my doctors appointment, to show me two of her babies (Payson and Hayden). Their third baby (Madison) was still in NICU, but was discharged Sunday. Isn't that wonderful!

Finally some pics

Craig is getting ready to go into surgery. He looks excited!



My first surgery EVER! Don't I look scared to death???? I was!



Day 1 Tyler is born first - leading the team! He was determined he was coming out first the entire pregnancy. For about the past few months, he like to hang out very low on my cervix...he wasn't letting his sisters steal his spot into this world.



Day 1 Whitney is born second - determined to beat her sister. She was always baby C and was in order to be born last. She is very much like she was in the womb...feisty and honorary.



Day 1 Hannah is born last - our laid back child. I call her our "loner" because she always wanted to be left alone from the other two in the womb. She always ventured off by herself.



Although being born last, Hannah met Mom and Dad first.



Tyler meets Mom for the first time.



Whitney meets Mom for the first time.



Day 1 Tyler - Just arrived in NICU



Day 1 Hannah - Just arrived in NICU



Day 1 Whitney - Just arrived in NICU



Day 1 - Mom seeing babies on way from recovery to post partum room.



Day 2 - Tyler's first pose



Day 2 - Hannah's first Glamour shot



Day 2 - Whitney's first Glamour shot



Day 3 - Tyler and Whitney co-bedding together for the first time!



Day 3 - Mom holding Tyler for the first time.



Day 3 - Dad holding Whitney for the first time and giving her her first bottle.



Day 3 - Mom holding Hannah for the first time.

The BIG arrival!

Hi family and friends,

Proud to announce that our precious babies have arrived! They were born Thursday, January 31st at 3:23 PM, 3:24 and 3:26 and are all doing wonderful.

Tyler Craig came first weighing 4 lbs. 6 oz, 18 inches long.
Whitney Nicole came second weighing 4 lbs. 13 oz., 17 1/2 inches long.
Hannah Michelle came third weighing 4 lbs. 9 1/2 oz., 17 1/4 inches long.

Just to give you an update of Thursday's events. I had my weekly sono appointment in the late morning. After seeing the babies and checking them and their fluids etc., my doctor determined that Tyler's (baby A) placenta was deteriorating and we needed to do the c-section that day. It wasn't a huge emergency, he was fine, but wasn't receiving the proper nutrition from me and the proper air flow. We had several hours to get packed up and ready to go.

I got to see them Thursday evening around 6ish and then again around 10ish. By the second time I got to see them, they had already taken all their breathing assistance off of them and were breathing room air and are still breathing room air! Isn't that wonderful?!?! The only tubes they have is their gavage tube, which is their feeding tube. This afternoon, they were ready to start bottles, so we started them on bottle/breastfeeding. Whitney was very successful, but Tyler and Hannah weren't quite ready yet. We will keep working on it. Tyler and Whitney started co-bedding this afternoon, but Hannah isn't with them yet, she still has an IV in and they don't want it to get pulled out. She is expected to join her brother and sister this evening or tomorrow morning. Isn't it great though that two of them are already ready to co-bed? It was so wonderful to finally be able to hold them today for the first time. Craig and I were on cloud 9 just staring at each other and our beautiful babies.

I am doing pretty good for the most part. No major complications; I had a few minor problems with getting my uterus to start contracting back down like it was supposed to, but now it is under control. We ask that you please not come by or call just yet, as we get through this transition period and recovery. Email is probably the best way to contact us for the time being.

We appreciate your thoughts, prayers and support during this time and would appreciate your continued prayers.

I was going to put some pictures on, but it isn't letting me download them right now.
I will try again later.

Love,
Amy & Craig

Exciting morning of hospital drama

I just thought I would give you a mid-week update and tell you about some of the things going on lately.

My contractions are beginning to come more frequently and I end up needing to have the terb shot earlier and earlier every couple of days. I had to have it yesterday around 2:30, which I thought was early. Today, I had to have it at 10:30. This is by far the earliest I have ever had to have it. I am becoming the "talk of the town", so to speak, with the nurses up here. They keep teasing me and asking if I am going for the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest gestation of triplets in history. I told them not hardly. I have heard of triplets going to 36 or 37 weeks before and I doubt I will go that far. Now they are asking me if my family and friends are making bets on when the babies will arrive. I wouldn't doubt it if my nurses are! :)

This morning, I was being monitored and all of the sudden I started smelling a burning smell. I immediately called for my nurse and they came right in. The three nurses and I all smelled the burning smell. The charge nurse called maintenance and had "Mr. Grumpy" come up. I have had several issues with this guy, as have the nurses, because he is so incredibly rude. Anyway, he didn't smell anything, so I asked one of the nurses to bring in a "fresh nose" to see what she thought. By this time, the smell was starting to fade and quickly dissipated, so I guess everything is fine. We've had a few electrical problems with a couple of the outlets in this room, so I was extra concerned about the smell.

I immediately had all these crazy thoughts going through my head like what if this whole area of the hospital goes up in flames and we have to be evacuated. I then go into labor due to all the chaos and moving and my doctor has no place to deliver my babies. :) I know...they are crazy thoughts. What can I say, I am almost 34 weeks pregnant with triplets and have been in the hospital for 8 weeks. I didn't really think deep down that all that would happen, it just went through my mind for a split moment. I thought you all would get a nice laugh out of it.

Good times with Jennifer

I don't have a whole lot new to report regarding the babies, they are still staying put since yesterday. I just wanted to share a few pictures with you. My good friend Jennifer came by today and brought me the cutest onesies and socks, a delicious lunch (homemade chicken and dumplings - I need that recipe!) and a lot of laughs! Jennifer, thanks so much for everything, I really do cherish the friendship we've developed over the past few years. We have been through so much together - almost like parallel lives and I/we are so excited for you and Todd and can't wait for our kids to play together and be life-long friends.



Jennifer is 30 weeks pregnant with a little girl. Doesn't she look nice and PREGNANT? Not fat? LOL Her words, not mine... No, I am not a horrible friend, we had a nice laugh about this today and I told her I was going to tease her about it because she has been getting some comments from people saying she doesn't look pregnant... She's like, "what do I look just fat?" I promise, you look very pregnant and happy! Jenn, you should show people before pictures and current pictures, maybe that will shut them up. I look like I am arching my back and sticking my belly out in this picture, but I'm not. Crazy!





These are the onesies she gave us...aren't they cute? Jenn, don't you feel so special, I did a post just for you. :) I can't wait to come by and see your nursery and especially meet your precious baby girl. I wish I could make it to your shower, but is looking unlikely.

We love you guys!

A LOT of baby! 33 weeks

I am sorry to keep you all in suspense all day. My appointment this morning took an extremely long time because Koster was having such a hard time getting all the babies measurements because they are so big. Needless to say, I had to rest from the appointment because I was so uncomfortable. Now, on to the good stuff...

The babies all look good - everybody's measurements are just fine. They gained between 7 and 9 ounces in the past two weeks. They now weigh:

Tyler 4 lbs. 5 ou.
Hannah 4 lbs. 3 ou.
Whitney 4 lbs. 4 ou.

I don't know exactly how accurate these weights are because she was having such a hard time measuring their heads, tummies, legs etc. She thinks they are pretty close to accurate, probably within a couple of ounces.

The new plan... Because the babies gained 7-9 ounces in the past two weeks, it is unlikely that they will gain enough to be at the 5 pound mark by next Thursday. So, we are now shooting for 35 weeks and 5 pounds each. I am very happy and thankful for their health, growth and my ability to keep them in, but I was a little disappointed that we are now looking at 2 weeks until their birth instead of 1 week. I really don't think I am going to labor on my own because I haven't yet and my cervix is still holding steady which is surprising all my doctors. It is still at 10 mm or 1 cm, just as it was two weeks ago. I would love to carry them longer, but I don't know if I can physically take much more. Nearly 13 pounds that I am currently carrying is so physically difficult, I can't imagine another 2 pounds. I am just ready to meet my babies, get out of this hospital bed and start this new journey of parenthood. There is a chance they might not even spend any time in the NICU if they are born at 35 weeks and 5+ pounds each. We will be crazy busy getting me recovered and getting everything ready with them coming straight home, but then again, no NICU time will be awesome.





Isn't my belly getting HUGE?!?

It's a full moon tonight!

Does a full moon increase your likelihood of going into labor??? Give me your thoughts, opinions and experiences. My nurse and I were talking about the full moon and wondering when I was. She told me the moon was pretty full, but she thought it was getting smaller. I looked it up online and discovered the full moon is tonight! We'll see what happens. I may have these babies tonight.

7 weeks in the hospital

I just got weighed today and I have gained 5 pounds since last Monday. I am up to a 44 pound weight gain. This brightened my day because after 7 weeks of hospital bedrest, 8 weeks total bedrest,and eating less, I was surprised to have gained that much. Hopefully, most of it is the babies weight gain. I am sure it is because my belly is getting SO BIG and HEAVY!! I am really looking forward to Thursday when we get the babies weights again.

My contractions are still about the same. Some days I have more than others, but between the procardia and terbutaline, they are staying under control. Who knows...I may not go into labor before the 34 week mark. If the babies are 5 pounds each by then, the plan is to do the c-section.

I've been doing much better emotionally over the past few weeks, until this weekend. This weekend, I had a rough time with being cooped up and it all hit me again. I haven't been leaving my room for wheelchair excursions since my cervix shortened so much two weeks ago. But yesterday, I just had to get out of my room. There is only so much a person can take. The last time I got out of my room on a regular basis, it was really cold, so we just strolled around the inside of the hospital. I couldn't tell you when the last time was I have been outside the hospital. But yesterday, I had to get outside. Craig wheeled me around outside for a little bit and the fresh air felt so good on my face. Normally, I would be complaining it is cold and want to go in, but not after being in the hospital so long. I have almost missed an entire season in this place. The trip did me good and I feel better. Maybe that will last me until I get discharged.

We have so much to do after I get discharged and before the babies come home. We are so thankful that they have stayed put so long and are gaining weight so well. Maybe they won't be here in the NICU too long. I just hope we get all the stuff done that we need to get done before they come home. This 2 month hospital stay has definitely put us behind in preparation for their homecoming. There are a lot of things Craig or others could do, but I really want to be a part of some of it as their mother. I haven't been able to do anything besides lay in a hospital bed for nearly 2 months and I want to experience the normal joys of getting ready for my babies to arrive.

Thank you again to all of you have been praying for us and sending us words of encouragement. We are so thankful for you all.

UPDATED - 32 weeks - HUGE milestone

This past week, I have noticed an extreme amount of growth. My belly is noticeably bigger and the babies kicks are much stronger. I know many of you have said I don't look that big for triplets, which I agree with you...until now. My belly is so big, I have outgrown almost all of my maternity clothes. It is so heavy, every time I switch from one side to the other, it is a workout. I think the profile pictures that we normally take on a weekly basis doesn't give an accurate idea of how big I am because all the babies hang out far on my sides, sometimes they are all on one side believe it or not. So, we decided to take a few pictures from the frontal view to give you a more accurate idea of my size.

We just got back from my doctor appointment and all looks good with them. At this point, baby C (Whitney) is laying on top of the other two and is head down. Koster said Baby C is in the penthouse. Baby A (Tyler) is still breach and is bouncing on his butt on my cervix like a trampoline. Baby B (Hannah) is also breach just a little bit higher than Tyler. My cervix is measuring at 10 mm - not a lot of change, but a little... My doctor now thinks I could go to 34 weeks again. Everyone seems very amazed that I have lasted so long because I am not that tall. I (we) feel very encouraged to have made it this long.

An update on the situation with my doctor going out of town.... She told me the different doctors that would be on call and on which days and she said Trylovich would be willing to come deliver the babies despite who is on call if she is available. So, it is still not for sure who will be delivering. We may actually see if Koster can do it. Whatever happens, we are comfortable with who will be doing the c-section.

A possible change of plans

My doctor came by to see me today and she had a little bad news to tell me. She is going out of town on the 18th and will not be returning until the 27th. She was very honest with me regarding the situation. She said she had known about the trip for quite some time but she didn't want to worry me and she had hoped the timing would work out to where I would have the babies when she was in town. She said Ennis would be on call and covering for Nivens while she was out. I have met Ennis two or three times in my hospital stay, but I know very little about her and it makes me a little nervous that the person who could possibly be delivering my babies is somebody I don't know from Adam. I know Trylovich a little better and feel more comfortable with her mostly because I have several friends who see her and they all brag on and on about her so I asked Nivens if she would ask Trylovich to do the c-section if I go into labor while she is gone - she is letting me know what Trylovich said tomorrow. Only thing is Trylovich will be out of town a few days while Nivens is gone too. So, if I go into labor during that time, Ennis will do it. I am sure Ennis is fully capable, she delivered my friend Jessica's triplets, it is just the uneasy feeling of having a doctor that knows very little about me and vice versa, delivering my triplets.

It upset me a little for the obvious reasons, but at the same time, she seemed very sincere and sorry about the situation. It is pretty much out of my control as is everything else, so I am going to try not to worry about it.

Not too much longer - 31 weeks

Today marks 31 weeks which we are thrilled about. We had our doctor appointment this morning and the babies are all growing like crazy! They all weigh 3 pounds 12 ounces! That is 11 pounds 4 ounces total!! My doctor said she could honestly say she has never seen triplets grow so well - she said they are very big for their age and they are all maintaining the closeness in size, which is a very good thing. All their fluids, heart rates and cord doppler measurements are great. Koster said the surgeons are going to get a bath because I have SO much fluid.

I mentioned recently how I started feeling a lot more pressure and that I felt like baby A (Tyler) has moved a lot further down. I felt like this pressure has done a number on my cervix and I was right. My cervix is now measuring 12-14 with a constant funnel; I am 75% effaced, but she didn't check to see if I am dilated. I haven't seen Nivens today yet, so we will have to wait and see what she thinks. Koster is thinking I may go another week, but I am not so sure. I think that was a best case scenario guess. I haven't been feeling well at all today. I've been having a lot of nausea, heartburn, dizziness and just sheer exhaustion today. My doctor said some of these symptoms can be a sign that labor is quickly approaching. Nivens just came by and she also thinks it will be within the week. She said she would be surprised if I made it to next Thursday. Time will tell...

If you would like to visit, it would probably be best if you just send me an email at this time due to my increased discomfort and exhaustion. Thank you to everyone who has come by to visit, emailed and called. We appreciate all your love, support and prayers and will keep you updated as things progress.

More contractions.

Just thought I would give you all an update and let you know I am still here and hugely pregnant. Nothing much is new except that the terb shot is becoming a regular thing with me again. Once I started procardia twice a day, my need for the terb decreased tremendously, but now that the babies are getting bigger and bigger, the contractions are increasing. Luckily, the terbutaline works well for me and they don't have to send me to L&D for magnesium. I hear that stuff is awful!

I am not sure how much longer I will go before the babies are born, not because of the increased contractions but because I am feeling a lot more lower pressure. I think Tyler is ready to make his grand entrance into the world. I pretty much have to stay lying down all day - it is even difficult to sit up for a short time to eat. I am laying down even as I type this.

I got up this morning feeling better and more rested than I have felt probably since I got here. Yesterday, I got an air mattress put on top of my bed, which made a huge difference. I wish somebody would have told me about these earlier, they beat the heck out of the egg crates I've been using for the past 5 weeks.

I wonder if I may be nesting because when I got up this morning, I had this sudden urge to clean out my refrigerator and organize my non-perishable snacks. Maybe its nothing...probably my borderline OCD. :)

I had a few visitors over the weekend. My MIL, Jami and Kim stopped by and brought me lunch. Thank you both for coming by to visit and bringing me lunch. Sorry if the visit was a drag for you, but it was sweet that you both joined me in my cry-fest. ha ha.... My friends, Lindsay and Julie came by and brought us some delicious dessert snacks. Thank you for coming by and bringing the snacks, it was fun visiting with you. My inlaws came by again after staying the night at our house to take care of Lacy and some chores. Thank you for all that you do...the cleaning, laundry, dog sitting and thanks for the beautiful cross.

Craig stayed nearly all weekend, which was so nice. He spent the night Saturday night and I felt so much better to have him here. Although, Sunday, I felt very nervous and uneasy. I don't know if it was because I didn't feel good and was having some out of the norm aches and pains or if I was just paranoid. I keep fearing that I will go into labor while Craig isn't here and that he won't get here until after they have already taken me to L&D. I am sure he will get here before they start the c-section, but I would rather him be here before they take me over there to prep me. I think part of my problem is when Craig is able to spend more than a couple of hours here on weekends as opposed to during the week, I get so used to him being here, so when it is time for him to leave, I get scared and start having a lot of anxiety.

I have my all time favorite nurse today, so I feel much more comfortable and less anxious. Hopefully this will keep up. I will blog again in a few days and give you an update from my doctors appointment on Thursday.

30 week update

I made it to 30 weeks!! Another big milestone. Everyone including my friends, doctors and nurses keep telling me what a good job I am doing, although sometimes I don't feel like it. The isolation of this hospital room has taken its emotional toll on me. I would appreciate your continued prayers for the babies and also please pray for my emotional state of mind.

My SIL, Jill came by this morning and went with me to my appointment. I thought she would like to see all the babies moving around in there. I also thought it would be good to have someone be here with me in case my appointment didn't go well. It is much easier to have someone here rather than going back to my room by myself - Craig wasn't able to come to this appointment this week.

The appointment went well; all the kiddos look good. We only do growth every other week, so I won't have their new weights until next Thursday. Today was heart rates, fluids, cord doppler and cervical checks. Tyler felt the need to show off his boy parts to us. It was very clear! We also saw a few girl parts as well. Maybe TMI, but it was funny because it was more evident than ever before. I thought you might find it humorous. But, all in all, everything looked great with the babies.

On another note... several of you have asked about the date and plan for the c-section. The goal as of a few weeks ago when my cervix went down hill was 30 weeks (peri's goal), my OB's goal was 32 weeks. Since then, my cervix has improved and my peri changed her goal back to 34 weeks, but my OB still says 32 weeks. This week my cervix did shorten some more with the occasional funneling. Last week the cervix measured 32 or 3.2, this week it measured 30 or 3 cm. I still had the funneling with the residual of 18 which has shortened from last weeks 21 residual. This basically means this is the amount in length of my cervix after the cervix has funneled. My doctor seems to think I have a very strong cervix which doesn't show to be funneling constantly, so between the occasional funneling and the gradual, not drastic decline of the cervical length, she thinks I may go several more weeks. So, to make a long story even longer, there is no plan to take the babies at any certain date. When I speak of goals, that is just that...a goal. They obviously would love for me to go longer. If I go past 32 or 34 weeks, they will not take the babies, they will continue to allow them to grow and get healthy as long as everything with Mom and the babies are healthy. The only point where they would take them....the only scheduled date for the c-section is February 13th, which is 6 weeks from now. It is highly unlikely that I will make it that long, but if I did, that would be the ultimate goal for the babies. All these other goals are just short goals based on what they are currently seeing and how my body is reacting to the progression of this pregnancy. My doctors may set goals 2, 4 or 6 weeks out, but for me and my sanity, I set goals for me one week at a time. If I do anything more than that, it becomes all too overwhelming and feels like a life time away - more than I would like to think about.



This evening, my brother and SIL, Les and Kim stopped by. They brought me dinner and a little bucket of goodies. Thanks for coming to visit and for the food and goodies.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you! Our New Year was obviously different this year. Craig and Lacy came up to celebrate the new year with me. We also celebrated with a few of the nurses. One of them brought New Years hats, blowers etc. to me and we all got into the celebrating mood.



I think Lacy is listening to the babies!



Do you think Lacy misses her mama?







New Years Day our friends Mike and Ame and their son Blake stopped by to see us. Thanks for the beautiful flowers. They really brighten up my room.



Our friends Al and Faye also stopped by to visit. They brought us some yummy almonds and pistachios. I've already gotten the chocolate covered almonds eaten! Yum!



Today...was a pretty good day. I had a couple of visitors, but of course forgot to take their picture. Craig is so much better at remembering than I am. I also got a nap in this afternoon, which almost never happens. Isn't it silly...I look forward to naps???

Matt & Sharon, our friends from church stopped by. It was good to see them again. I hope you feel better soon Matt.

Jennifer stopped by also and brought me lunch again. Thanks Jenn for lunch and for the company! Your cheery personality always puts me in a better mood.

Tomorrow, I will have another doctor appointment in the morning. I am very anxious to see how that goes and how my cervix is holding up. I will update you as soon as I can.

A little scare with Whitney

This morning, my nurse came in to do my daily monitoring for contractions and the babies heartbeats. Normally we monitor the babies heartbeats for 20 minutes, today, they searched for Whitney's heartbeat for over an hour and still could not find it. Granted she is almost always the most difficult to find, but they are usually able to find it within 10 or 20 minutes. My nurse brought in 2 other nurses, which happens sometimes, but they were still unable to find it. They decided to stop searching because all that pressing on my uterus causes contractions. They paged my doctor (well, not my OB, but the one on call) and she ordered for the radiology department to come do a sonogram. They weren't able to get anybody on the phone to come up and we were worried and growing impatient, so Craig called my perinatalogist, Dr. Koster to see if she could come and do a sonogram for us. She was on her way up here and would be here shortly. In the meantime, the nurses came back in with a 4th nurse to try monitoring again. This time, they found Whitney on the other side of my belly. They have never found her on that side so it was surprising to find her there. All the babies were on the right side of my belly and we couldn't believe my belly wasn't bulging on one side from all the babies on one side. It was such a relief to finally find her and know that she was okay. BTW, we did not have a sonogram because they were able to find her.

On another note, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Happy New Year to you! I hope you all have a nice and safe New Year! Have fun bringing in the new year with your family and friends. Me, Craig, Tyler, Hannah, Whitney and Lacy will be celebrating the new year a couple of hours early. :) We will all be sound asleep by midnight I am sure.

A different Christmas, Drama drama drama & 29 week update

Our Christmas was okay...it was different for sure. I didn't go into labor and we had several visitors, so that was the upside. Craig brought Lacy up to spend the day with us. It was nice to have her with us rather than at home by herself. My Mom came by for a quick visit. She brought the babies several little gifts and she brought us some Christmas desserts. Craig's brother and SIL, Kyle and Michaela stopped by also and brought Christmas to us. Craig's parents stopped by and they also brought us some nice Christmas gifts. Our friends John and Angi came by last. It was so nice of them to take time out away from their family to come visit us on Christmas day. Thank you to all of you who came to see us. All in all, I felt fairly decent that day (physically), but it was a more emotionally difficult day and your company helped tremendously.

Christmas day with Lacy.



Let me preface this next portion of the post by saying I not only use this blog to keep you all updated, but also as a journal (public as it may be). Some of the things I say may not be necessarily surface level positive all the time. I try to spare you with all the negative details most of the time, but sometimes I just need to vent. Some things have been VERY stressful lately, aside from the babies. My Mom's health has been a concern along with my worry over my dog. All that being said, let me vent a little about my day yesterday.

My day was going on as normal, then about 1 in the afternoon, the charge nurse came in and advised me that the hospital was doing some remodeling and they had started on the floor I was on. She said they had painted the rooms they wanted to do first and were now ready to paint my room. She literally told me she wanted me moved by the next hour or two! I was pretty upset because obviously I can't pack up my stuff and I had nobody here or planning to be here to help me pack my stuff. She acted like it was no big deal because the nurses would be able to pack my stuff and I would be right there to supervise them. She obviously has never been on the other side of the hospital doors before. Well...my first question to her was, did this other room have a couch. We try to make some kind of arrangements for somebody to watch our dog at least once a week so Craig can at least spend one night with me a week. Not all the rooms have couches, so if this one didn't have one, that would be a problem. Second question I asked was, what about my bed. I recently got a bed that is not older than I am. My first bed was so old and rickety - it squeeked every time I moved it up or down, and it had ancient springs underneath that caused me to sink into a hole in my mattress, and it was killing my back. I can't believe a hospital this nice would have such awful beds for their patients, especially when the patient is staying/living here long term on top of carrying lots and lots of baby(ies). Anyway...after a couple of days of repeatedly telling the nurses I need a better bed, I finally got one. I think I did pretty good not saying anything for the first 3weeks I was here. So, back to my original point... the charge nurse told me that I could keep my bed and that they would wheel me down to my room in the bed. My third question was, how long did you guys know about the painting process and the need to move patients. She said they had known for quite a few weeks, but that the painters just told her they were ready to paint my room next. I was pretty upset because this was just one more thing that I have absolutely NO control over. I told her I didn't want the nurses packing my room and that I would make a few phone calls and see if I could get somebody up here to pack my room. She was cooperative and said that would be fine, but she still wanted me out of my room in the next hour or so. It wasn't that I didn't necessarily trust the nurses, but when you spend any extended length of time in the hospital, you lose ALL privacy and ALL control over EVERYTHING. There is just something about a bunch of people you don't know throwing all your stuff into a bag and treating you like "just a number" rather than respecting you as a human being and respecting your belongings. How do I know they do this??? My friend Jessica, who was here in antepartum with me for many weeks experienced this last week when she went into labor. They were packing up all her stuff within minutes after she went into labor. The nurses had told me that they allow you time to get family up here to pack it for you, but from what I can see, that is not true. Its not like they are full here and in diar need of the rooms...they have several rooms open now. All that being said, I called my MIL, Jami because I knew she had a few days off for the holiday and would probably be the person to be able to get up here the quickest. She was up here within an hour and a half or so and packed up my entire room for me. I had called Craig after calling my MIL and told him the situation and he was more upset than I was. He talked to the charge nurse who was being so pushy that I move rooms RIGHT NOW, and it didn't go over well. He said he wasn't rude to her, but her body language was very rude in return to me and it made for a very awkward situation. Most of you who know me on a more personal level, know I am not the type of person to put up with stuff like this, but there is just something about being on bedrest in a hospital that puts you in a very vulnerable position. I count on these strangers to take care of me and I don't want there to be any bad blood between us. So, I got all moved and I guess on a positive note, I have a new view (not that there is anything to look at), but at least its different. The shower in this room actually works decent as opposed to my old shower, but the door doesn't lock, which gives me no comfort in knowing I have at least a little privacy when I use the restroom. It's just as well though because I have decided to start taking my showers at night so Craig can help me. I guess this will kill two birds with one stone because I will have his help and I won't be worrying about somebody walking in on me as I would if I were taking a shower in the day while Craig isn't here. Craig got here last night and spent the night so he would be here for my appointment this morning. It was still pretty awkward and stressful with the events of the day that had taken place earlier, but it passed, we went to sleep and got up this morning for a brand new day.

If you would like to come by or call, send me an email so I can give you my new room number.

I made it to 29 weeks! Yeay! My doctor appointment this morning went well. The babies are looking great - they have good fluid around them still, good heartbeats, all their measurements look normal and their weights are ahead of schedule. All are measuring about a week ahead of time.

Baby A (Tyler) - 3 lbs. 4 oz.
Baby B (Hannah) - 3 lbs. 4 oz.
Baby C (Whitney) - 3 lbs. 3 oz.

I don't know where all these babies are fitting because I seriously don't feel big enough to be carrying 9 lbs. 11 oz. of baby and I am not seeing it in my weight gain. As far as everything goes with me, my cervix was longer this time, (32 or 3.2)which is good, but my doctor did see some funneling, which can be a progression to deliver sooner than if it weren't funneling. However, the fact that it is longer than last time is an improvement. Confusing...I know. I am borderline anemic now, so I am now taking iron for that. My contractions are still coming and going all day every day which is to be expected, but they remain under control most of the time. My comfort level is pretty bad. I pretty much have about an hour or two in the morning before my serious discomfort sets in. The longer the day goes on, the more uncomfortable I get. My blood pressure has been a little lower the past few days, but it is still in the "okay" range. My nurses will have me sit up more to make it go up a little more especially before taking my procardia, which can lower the BP even more. Only problem is if I sit up to improve my BP, it causes more contractions.

I made sure to get my pants low enough where my belly size would look more accurate. I think the past few have made it look smaller than it is. Even though I don't feel like I've grown much, I can tell a difference in the picture.



If you look at the right side of my belly, you can probably see it bulging out. This is Hannah. She likes to hang out way far over on my far right by herself. She has been causing me the most discomfort the 28th week. :)



Before Craig left this afternoon, we went by the NICU (I still have wheel chair privileges) and saw my friend Jessica's babies. She was the girl I mentioned earlier that was in antepartum with me, also pregnant with triplets. She had her babies on the 19th and she and the babies are doing great. It was so nice to see them in person and gain comfort in seeing how well taken care of they are. She had her babies at about 30 1/2 weeks and the babies all weighed and still do weigh over 3 pounds. They are so precious.

This is me and Jessica taken several days ago.



This is the highlight of my day...some days but not every day, Craig takes me on a wheelchair tour of the hospital and we usually go down to this huge comfy couch for me to lay on in the lobby. Its funny some of the looks I get from other people.



Eating is so fun!

Christmas carolers

Friday... was probably the most uncomfortable day for me so far. The babies were just pushing and poking me all day long. I just started taking procardia twice a day and yet I still had to have the terb shot to control my contractions more efficiently. I was extremely discouraged and felt like I may deliver these babies any day now. Also, I didn't get to see Craig at all that day due to work scheduling. I didn't get to see him Monday either. :( It is getting easier to not have to see him every day. We are adjusting.

My spirits were lifted when my friends Jennifer and Vickie stopped by. They brought me lunch and some yummy Christmas cookies. Later that afternoon, the Christmas carolers came down the hall singing Christmas carols. I was already somewhat down emotionally and laying in my bed doing nothing when I heard the people singing outside my room. I immediately got upset and started to cry. I got up and opened my door to listen to them for a few seconds before they made their way down the hall. Then, I waved at another antepartum mom, who was standing at her door, she waved back and we both went back to our rooms. It was so nice of them to do such a sweet thing for us.

Saturday....was much better. I didn't have too much pain and discomfort. I did have my normal contractions, but nothing too extreme. Thank goodness because I needed a break. It was a low-key day. I did some reading and computer work while listening to some Christmas music. After Craig got off from work, he came up to the hospital with Lacy. It has been a while since I have seen her. She actually acted like she knew who I was this time. I think maybe she is getting used to the hospital environment. The three of us had a good time watching the football game together. Craig is going to bring Lacy back up to see me on Christmas day--we are looking forward to that.

Sunday...Kevin, Jill and their kiddos are supposed to stop by. We will have Christmas/birthday gifts to give to them. We'll just do an early Christmas with them.

A rough day

Yesterday was a rough day with all the appointments we had and the news we received. We were a little stressed out from the doctor's appointment and I also didn't feel very good physically. I had to have the terb shot last night, so I am now on procardia twice a day. I pretty much figured my doctor would get a little more aggressive with the contractions considering my shortened cervix.

We had our NICU tour and that was very good for both of us to see the ins and outs of the NICU. The lady giving us the tour talked to a couple of parents who were there at the time and they gave us permission to see a couple of babies that were born at 28 weeks (which is where we are currently). It was encouraging to see these babies because they weren't as small as I thought. I just wish I would have thought to ask how much the babies weighed at birth. That way we could compare them to how much ours weigh now.

The neonatalogist finally came to talk to us around 5pm. He gave us a quick overview of the NICU and answered any questions we had. Also, Dr. Koster told us the NICU was full, which didn't comfort me one bit considering my cervix is shortening and it seems our babies may come sooner than expected. I did talk to Dr. Nivens and the neonatalogist about this and the neonatalogist told us the NICU was currently not full, but this was the fullest the NICU has EVER been. I asked about the probability of our babies being sent to another hospital and they both said it is highly unlikely because babies go home all the time. But, if it is full, he said they would probably be sent to Presby Dallas, Medical City or Medical Center of Plano. They all have level 3 NICU's, but we would rather them be here. This morning, my nurse said they closed the NICU last night because they got a set of twins. Hopefully, our babies will stay put for a while and we won't have to deal with this added stress of them being sent to another hospital.

28 weeks - good and bad news

Before I start with today, I'll give you a quick update of the past few days. My SIL, Lisa and two of her little ones, Victoria and Leah, came by to see me Monday. They brought me some nice little snacks and we also let the kids open their Christmas gifts up here at the hospital so I could watch them open their gifts from me and Craig.



Tuesday, Craig took me down to the lobby for my exciting wheelchair outing and I managed to leave my cell phone on the couch where we were sitting. Thank God an honest man found my phone and called Craig to come get it. I can't believe I forgot my phone...that is just not like me, but then again, I was a little preoccupied with contractions.

Wednesday, my friend Jodi brought us dinner. We had a good time visiting with her. I keep forgetting to take pictures of my visitors...I guess I am already getting the mommy brain. :)

On a good note, today marks 28 weeks, which is a huge milestone for the babies. My belly really doesn't look any bigger to me, but the babies are growing.



We took a better shot of the baby monitoring and contraction monitoring that I do every day.



Today, we had our doctor's appointment. Craig was able to come this time, which I am very thankful for because it was not the best appointment I've had. The good news is, the babies all look great, they still have good fluid and good heart rates. The cord doppler measurement for Tyler's heart was a little off, but she said it is nothing to worry about because he is still getting enough blood flow and his placenta still looks fine. The bad news is my cervical length has shortened quite a bit since last week. It is now 2.5 or 2.6. Koster wants to set a new goal for 30 weeks rather than 35 or 36 weeks. Thirty weeks would put me at January 3rd. Obviously, if I can go longer, we will...they won't be wheeling me to the OR at 30 weeks just because it is 30 weeks. Thirty weeks is just our new goal.

Later this afternoon, we are having our NICU tour and consultation. I will update you on that in a couple of days. Thanks for all your prayers and please continue to pray that these babies will stay put for at least a few more weeks.

2 week anniversary

Today marks the two week anniversary of my stay here at the hospital. Considering I haven't had the babies yet, I am going to assume the FFN test was a false positive. It does give me a lot of comfort and relief to have made it to this day. I know each day and week is still a big deal to get through, which is still very stressful, but at least I got through these first two weeks. We aren't doing anymore of those tests because it will not effect whether I go home or not. I am okay with that because I think knowing the results of future FFN tests will only stress me out more (if it is positive of course). I think it will be better to try to just take it one day at a time. The other day when Craig and my Mom were here, I started singing an old song to them..."One day at a time, sweet Jesus."

One day at a time sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking from you.
Just give me the strength
To do everyday what I have to do.
Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine.
Lord help me today, show me the way
One day at a time.

Also, the other day, during one of my wheel chair trips around the hospital, we went in the gift shop just to look around. We saw some knick-knack plaques that had the first few lines of the Serenity Prayer on them. I told Craig we needed to get that and put it on my bedside table where I could read all day long. :)

The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Yesterday was a pretty quiet day, which was good for me because I just needed some time to rest. I had a sleepless night Saturday night and got up at 5 am Sunday morning. My day was about the same as most days...contractions off and on throughout the day, followed by increased contractions in the evening and a Terbutaline shot. I have to say, I am beginning to get used to getting that shot every day...or almost every day. It still makes me feel yukky, but I'm getting used to the routine. I think my doctor is about to change my Procardia dosage to twice a day though, so that may decrease the frequency of my terb shots.

Craig's parents stopped by yesterday for a quick visit. They had been out at our house helping with chores since Craig worked all weekend. They came by and we just visited some and watched the pitiful Cowboys game together. They also brought Craig his birthday present up here for him to open.



That is about all for now. I will update you soon.