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Week 3
August 11, 2000 - We found out we were pregnant! YEAH!!!
The doctors estimated that our due date would be April 21, 2001.
Week 7
September 7, 2000 - We had ultrasound #1 and found out we were having triplets! We joked around the night before about possibly having triplets.
Week 9
September 21, 2000 - We decided to switch from our regular OB/GYN to a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist (Drs. Mahone and Drake). Our first appointment with Dr. Drake was today. This exam was 3 hours long, which included a full exam, tests, a consultation, and ultrasound #2. Chris's belly is measuring like she’s at week 14 or 15.
Week 11
October 3, 2000 - Chris met with a nutritionist to help figure out how to eat the right types and quantities of food on a daily basis.
Week 12
October 13, 2000 - Chris has her first Mother’s of Supertwins meeting. The moms in the group are very nice and offered a lot of advice.
Week 13
October 16, 2000 - We had our second appt with Dr. Drake. We had ultrasound #3. The babies are about three and a half inches now and have all of their body parts. They were very active during the ultrasound. By the end of the week Chris accepts the fact that her pants really don’t fit anymore and she wears maternity pants for the first time. Yuck.
Week 16
November 9, 2000 - Chris went to her second Supertwins meeting.
Week 18
November 22, 2000 - This was the exam we had been waiting for! We had ultrasound #4, although this ultrasound was a lot more detailed than the others. They spent about a half hour on each baby and looked at every little part of their bodies. We were happy to find out that they were all very healthy and growing normally. The babies now weighed 10 and 11 ounces and were about 7 inches long. We also found out that we were going to have two girls and a boy!!! Chris has gained about 15 pounds now and is measuring like she’s at 31 weeks.
Week 20
December 6, 2000 - Had an appointment with Dr. Mahone today. Chris's weight gain is close to 20 pounds now and she is measuring at 35 weeks. They checked the baby’s heartbeats, which are at 143 and 150. Dr. Mahone said she wants to see me every week now and get ultrasounds every other week. At the end of this week we started painting the nursery. The walls will be yellow and we have a border that will match the bedding. If we get around to it we will paint the ceiling a light blue and sponge paint white clouds on it.
Week 21
December 14, 2000 - Had an appointment with Dr. Drake today. Chris is measuring at 37 1/2 weeks. They did a full ultrasound to check the babies growth. They each weigh an average of 1 lb 4 oz. They all are growing normally. Jenny, Chris's sister, came along to watch ultrasound #5.
Week 22
December 18, 2000 - We felt the first real noticeable kick, not just light flutters. Chris started working 6 hour days this week so she can come home and rest more.
December 20, 2000 - Had another Dr appointment today. Everything continues to look good. Dr. Mahone commented that most triplet mom's usually by now have had some problem or have been in the hospital. She said all signs up to this point indicate that Chris will have a long and successful pregnancy.
December 23, 2000 - Craig painted the ceiling in the nursery a sky blue color, and eventually we are going to try to paint clouds on it. We are going to paint the walls yellow on Monday. We have a border that matches our bedding. We are going with Carter's John Lennon Real Love Collection for our nursery theme.
Week 23
December 24, 2000 - Chris has to work 3 days this week, and she is working 4 hours each day. She only has 7 more days left of work.
December 25, 2000 - Craig painted the walls yellow with Chris's parents help.
December 26, 2000 - Craig painted the wrong color yellow for a second coat with Chris's parents help. Craig picked the wrong paint.
December 27, 2000 - Dr appt today, including ultrasound #6. The babies weighed: baby A 1lb7oz, baby B 1lb8oz, baby C 1lb9oz. They all continue to do well, but the doctor wants to keep an eye on baby A because she didn't seem to gain as much weight in proportion to the other babies. This may just be due to the fact that it was tough to measure baby A because baby B and baby C were smashing her. Baby A (girl) is lying along the bottom of Chris's belly, baby B (girl) is head down on the right, and baby C (boy) is head down along the left. Chris's uterus is measuring at 40 weeks, but Dr Drake said she still has room to grow.
December 28, 2000 - Chris's parents painted the right color yellow for a third coat.
Week 24
December 31, 2000 - This week is a major milestone. If the babies were born now, they would be viable but probably have major complications. Each week from now increases their chances of survival without complications. The next major milestone will be week 28, where they would probably be able to survive without complications.
January 4, 2001 - Chris saw Dr. Drake today. Everything is still looking very good, Chris's cervix hasn't changed. The babies heart rates were up slightly, but still normal. Dr. Drake does not feel that she needs to be on bed rest at this time. But, she did say she should cut back to 30 hours a week. So, Chris will be using her vacation and sick days to try to only work 4-5 hours a day. Chris has been well overall. She has been resting a lot in the afternoons and at night.
Week 25
January 11, 2001 - Dr. appt today including ultrasound #7. The ultrasound showed that all the babies had changed their orientation in the womb. Baby A is now vertical, head down, and behind the other two. Baby B is breach and vertical along the right side. Baby C is breach also now, and vertical along the left side. It looks like B & C are both kicking A in the head. They are all pretty active. It looks like the babies and Chris's uterus went on a growth spurt. Her uterus measures 44cm now and would be considered post-term. The baby weights are: A - 2lbs5oz, B - 1lb14oz, C - 2lbs4oz. It looks like Chris will probably only work through next week, so she can get plenty of rest at home.
Week 26
January 17, 2001 - Dr. appt today. They checked heart rates, which are still normal. They did a more precise cervix check, and it looks like it has changed slightly. It is at 3.8cm which is still very good. They said they would become concerned if it gets down to 2 cm. When they were checking the cervix, they noticed that baby C, the boy, had turned around again since last week. He is now head down. Chris had a glucose test done, this is a screening for gestational diabetes. She had to drink some high sugar content drink, and they took her blood after an hour. The test results won't be back until tomorrow. They also tested for iron in her blood.
January 18, 2001 - We received the results of the gestational diabetes test. Chris's glucose levels were elevated. She will need to go in for a Three Hour Glucose Tolerance Test next week. The test is comprised of eating carbohydrates with each meal a couple days prior to the appointment, plus fasting the night before. At the appointment she will drink more glucose and have blood drawn once an hour for 3 hours. If 2 of the 3 blood draws show high glucose levels, then this will be an indication of gestational diabetes.
January 19, 2001 - Today is Chris's last day of work before she officially begins bed rest at home.
Week 27
January 22, 2001 - We attended our 3rd session of the "Marvelous Multiples" class tonight. This is a replacement class for Lamaze for those with twins or more. Most of the stuff we have covered in the first couple nights were things that we had already read about. The class meets every Monday night for 5 nights. The second Monday night we had a tour of the birthing and delivery area. Tonight we had a tour of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). We got to talk with a couple in the NICU that just had identical twin boys on Saturday. The NICU is set up where each set of babies has their own room. It's pretty much guaranteed that the babies will spend some time in the NICU. We will be able to visit them at any time day or night, and spend as much time as we want with them.
January 24, 2001 - Chris spent her entire morning at the hospital taking her 3 hour glucose tolerance test. We got the results of the tests at our afternoon Dr. appointment. The first 2 draws were normal and the 3rd draw was 149 and the normal is 145. Dr. Mahone said that this was so close that it wasn't anything to worry about. So, Chris will not have to go on any special diets and is not considered to have gestational diabetes.
We had ultrasound # 8 today. Everything continues to look great with the kids and her cervix. The cervix is a little shorter now, but it still is at a good length and is closed. The babies' weights are: A - 2lbs9oz, B - 2lbs4oz, C - 2lbs12oz. Dr. Mahone is happy with their weight gain and the fact they are all close in weight. We also had a Biophysical Profile test today. This is where they score each baby on 5 factors, with a possible score of 0-2 for each factor. They did not have the Fetal Reactivity factored in, because with triplets it would be next to impossible to get 3 heart monitors going at the same time. Baby A scored an 8, Baby B scored an 8, and Baby C scored a 6. They weren't able to capture the breathing patterns for baby C because they don't have to breath now and only have breathing patterns about once an hour. They weren't concerned about the score for baby C since all the babies growths have been pretty close, and baby C is the biggest. He was also very active during the ultrasound.
Chris was also told she needs to take Iron supplements. We are actively looking for a pediatrician. We have a couple interviews set up in the next couple weeks.
Week 28
February 1, 2001 - Chris had a Dr. appt today. They did another Biophysical Profile. They used the ultrasound for some of the tests, but they did not do any measurements today. All the babies scored the full 8 points for the profile. During the tests baby C, the boy, kept kicking the girls. He was being very active today. The babies are still in the same positions as last week, with baby A being head down and B & C breech. Dr. Drake said it looked like Chris's face is starting to fill out, however, we haven't noticed any change. Chris's uteris is measuring 45.5 cm.
We attended a Breast Feeding class tonight. Yes, it is possible to breast feed triplets. It's going to be a lot of work but Chris is going to try. The scary part is that during the first 3-4 weeks, you are feeding a single baby every 2-3 hours for about 20-30 minutes. So, Chris is going to have to try to feed 2 at the same time, with some breast milk in a bottle for the 3rd one. Otherwise, she will be feeding non-stop for 24 hours a day. One bonus, that they explained in class, is that a breastfed baby's stool won't gag you like a formula fed baby.
February 2, 2001 - I came home early today because I'm coming down with something. I discovered that Chris has a Bob Barker problem. She's a big The Price is Right fan! She attributes this to her mom watching this as she grew up. I think she's really happy that after 20 some years, she can finally watch Bob everyday. She does keep busy otherwise, with reading, drinking water, going to the bathroom (constantly), and napping. She has now made it through 2 weeks at home. She has said it's going pretty well and it seems to go by fast.
Week 29
February 5, 2001 - We had our last Mothers of Multiples class tonight. We watched a video on ceasarian sections. Even though it's not as much work as a normal delivery, it still looks pretty intense.
February 7, 2001 - Chris had a Dr. appt today. Craig couldn't make it to this one as he had an all day meeting. They did another Biophysical Profile. They are going to be doing this test each week. All the babies scored the full 8 points. Baby C, the boy, was again very active. He was kicking his sisters in the head. I have a feeling he's going to pay for that later in life. During the measurements of the babies the ultrasound technician asked how tall Craig is, because one of the measurements they take is of the babies thigh bones, and she was commenting on how long they are all measuring. The babies are all doing great and have gained a lot of weight. The babies' weights are: A - 3lb3oz, B - 3lb4oz, C - 3lb9oz. That adds up to about 10 pounds of babies plus 2 extra placentas. Chris's cervix is slowing shrinking and is at 2.9cm, but it is still closed and looking good. Her uteris is measuring 47 cm. For those keeping track, this was ultrasound # 9.
Week 30
February 13, 2001 - We interviewed Dr. Catherine Truesdale as a possible pediatrician. She seems like a very nice doctor, who originally started out as a pediatric nurse. She seemed very supportive of trying to nurse triplets. She is in an office of 2 doctors, and part of a larger Pediatrics group that has about 12 doctors. They all participate in an after hours / weekend clinic for emergency visits. Her answers to our questions were exactly what we were looking for so we decided to go with her as the kids' pediatrician.
February 14, 2001 - Chris had a Dr. appt today. Craig couldn't make it to this appointment because of work. They only did the Biophysical Profile today. All the babies scored their points, except for baby A who only scored 6 points. They weren't able to track her breathing patterns for 30 seconds straight. She was breathing, but just not for a full 30 seconds at a time. This is not something the doctors are concerned with. Dr. Mahone said that Chris has defied all odds by making it this long with no complications. The national average for triplet births is about 32-33 weeks. We have 35 weeks as our goal. Chris's uterus measured 47.5cm and her cervix measured 3.2cm. The cervix is elastic, and can change from day to day.
Week 31
February 19, 2001 - Chris woke up this morning with some back pains that weren't like what she normally experiences. Typically, she gets back pains if she was standing for too long, and they go away when she lies down. These didn't, and they were in a different spot and intensity. Chris measured about 4 contractions in about 45 minutes. There were no other symptoms of preterm labor like a change in discharge or spotting. She called the doctors and they had her come into the office at 10am. They checked her cervix and felt a lot of pressure, but it was still soft and flexible. The did a quick ultrasound to check the length of the cervix, which was down to 2.4cm and was starting to funnel. This was caused by having baby A's head pressing against the cervix and with the contractions pushing on the baby. Her uterus measured 48.5cm, and I don't know how there could be anymore room in there.
The doctors sent her up to the Baby Center to be monitored and to be given tocolytic (preterm labor drug) to supress the contractions. They first started and IV of fluid to see if that would help stop the contractions. They have Chris hooked up to a fetal monitor to record her contractions. They are going to start with a shot of Terbutaline, then another one 20 minutes later. She will then take the Terbutaline orally every 4 hours. The doctors think they will be able to get the contractions stopped and eventually be able to send Chris home. If this does not work, they will try Magnesium sulfate, which Chris would rather not have because of the side effects. There are discussions on the Triplet Connection about tocolytics, and they all look very promising, where a lot of women were able to go several additional weeks. However, each person is different.
They also gave Chris Betamethazone, which is a steriod to help the babies' lungs to develop. She will need to be given another shot in 24 hours. This is a precautionary measure in case the contractions cannot stop and she were to deliver within the next week. The Trebutaline is giving Chris the shakes because of the side effect of elevating her heart rate. Later tonight, this seemed to subside and she felt a lot better. The also started giving her Clindamycin, which is an antibiotic, through her IV. This is also a precautionary measure because early on in the pregnancy Chris was diagnosed with Group B Strep.
As of the afternoon, it looks like the contractions have been brought under control, maybe only 1 or 2 an hour. They had taken a urine sample after the first bag of fluid was given to Chris. Dr. Drake stopped by around 9pm and told us that there was an indication of a bladder infection. This is appearantly normal for pregnant moms to get bladder infections. They are going to give her more antibiotics to combat the infection. Dr. Drake said that since the bladder sits on top of the uterus, this may have aggravated the uterine walls and caused it to start contracting. So, hopefully, if they can cure the infection, and stop the contractions, Chris can go home and go another 4 more weeks.
February 20, 2001 - Chris got to come home today! The contractions were supressed enough by the Terbutaline that she was able to come home today around 3pm. She got her 2nd shot of steroids at 11:30am. She was also given 2 more doses of antibiotics last night. She wasn't able to sleep very well last night. Partly due to the Terbutaline. The doctors have put her on strict bed rest, so other than getting up to go to the bathroom, she has to remain in bed. I put a TV, with the satelite hooked up to it, in the bedroom along with all her "supplies," like magazines, books, diary, water, etc. She goes for her normal doctor visit on Thursday and will be going to the doctors twice a week from now on.
February 22, 2001 - Chris had her regular Dr appt today. They said her urine culture came back negative, so she did not have a bladder infection. The did do another urine test today and found a slight elevation of protein. They are going to have her do a 24 hour urine collection. They will test this for protein levels and if it is high, this could be a symptom of Preeclampsia (Toxemia). However, there are other symptoms such as high blood pressure, which hers has been normal each time they've taken it. It is usually around 148/76. Another symptom is swelling or retaining water. Chris is starting to retain some water, but nothing that wouldn't occur from a normal pregnancy.
Chris is scheduled to visit the doctors office twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. They will be doing a biophysical profile each Thursday. Dr. Drake advised us to keep a packed bag in the back of the car because you never know if Chris will have to stay. The doctors are confident that Chris can make it for as long as she wants to. We have set a goal of 35 weeks. Chris has been very strong and will need to keep positive and strong in order to make it.
Chris had ultrasound #10 today. They had a tougher time measuring the babies, so a couple of the babies' weights are suspect. They are all right around 4lbs, and are all within 18 percentage points from each other. They like to have them all be within 25% of each other. Each baby got the full 8 points for their Biophysical profile. They were able to observe them breathing as they were taking measurements. Chris will continue to take Terbutaline orally.
February 24, 2001 - Chris had to take her urine collection to the outpatient services of the hospital. They drew some blood for a baselining. She should get the results at her doctor visit on Monday.
Week 32
February 25, 2001 - With a big help from Craig's sister Sherry, Craig and her finished setting up the 3 cribs. We would also like to thank Chris's friend Jennifer and Sherry for painting the clouds on the ceiling. Craig would have done a wonderful job, but he was waiting for the right inspiration. You don't want to rush an artist. While we are thanking people, we would like to thank Chris's sister Jenny for helping out and running errands to pick up additional baby items. We would also like to thank all those that have helped us in one way or another and for those that have lent us baby items from cribs to car seats to clothes. It is much appreciated!
February 26, 2001 - Chris had her Dr appt today. They didn't do much but checked the babies's heart rates and checked Chris's blood pressure. Chris has still been feeling good and doesn't feel like she is having additional contractions like before.
The big discussion today was Chris's 24 hour urine test. The doctor was impressed with how much urine she collected. A full 3 liters in 24 hours! She said her kidneys were working fine. The tests did come back with an indication of a mild case of Preeclampsia. The cutoff level is about 300 mg/24 hours, Chris's was 660. For severe cases of Preeclampsia, the count is about 5000. Even though Chris's diastolic blood pressure isn't high, they are considering it high for her. She has been measuring about 60-70, and today she measured about 80. It was decided that Chris would continue to rest at home, and that a nurse would stop out tomorrow to take her blood pressure. Chris also has to do another 24 hour urine test, and bring this in on Wednesday at her next doctors appointment. Dr. Mahone said that Chris will need to have 3 doctor visits a week. The best thing that can be done to manage the Preeclampsia is for strict bed rest, which Chris has been doing. We'll see how her next urine test comes out on Wednesday. Now, we have to make sure we have a bag packed.
February 27, 2001 - Chris had to go back into the hospital for observation today. For now, it's just a 24 hour observation, but since she will have the results of her urine test, plus her doctors appt with the babies biophysical profile, I assume that the doctors will decide if she should stay or Chris may decide that she should stay.
A nurse stopped by our house this morning to take Chris's blood pressure. She took it 4 times, from both arms and with Chris lying down and sitting up. He blood pressure was elevated, the readings were: 138/84, 150/90, 144/94, 142/92. Normally her pressure is about 110/60 and yesterday at the doctors office it was 130/80. So based upon this, Dr. Mahone wanted her to check in by 4pm for observation. We got there around 4pm and the first diastolic reading was in the 70's and an hour later it was in the 60's. The nurses will be taking Chris's blood pressure every 4 hours.
Dr. Mahone stopped by tonight around 10pm to check in on Chris. She said everything looks good, from her blood pressure to her swelling, which has gone down from before. Dr. Mahone recommended that Chris get a shot of steriods, so she will be doing that tonight, and the second shot 24 hours later. After tomorrows appointment and test results are back, they are going to come up with a game plan for the rest of the pregnancy. We are planning on Chris staying in the hospital until delivery. I'm sure the doctors would recommend that, but since it's ultimately up to Chris, she said that she probably would stay. Chris is doing great and continues to stay in in good spirits. If anyone would like to reach her in the hospital, just email or call me and I will let you know her phone number.
February 28, 2001 - Chris is doing great today. They did a Biophysical Profile today. All the babies scored their points, even though it took a long time to observe the girls' breathing patterns. The urine test came back a little better at 527gm, but this still means she has preeclampsia. The blood that they draw for the baselining came back with a low blood platelet count of 116,000. Most people are at 150,000+ and the cutoff for being too low is 100,000. They are going to be watching this also. Platelets are what help the blood to clot.
Dr. Mahone talked with Chris about staying in the hospital for the duration. It was decided that it would be best for her to stay. We are both on board with that decision. Chris will be doing the 24 hour urine collection once a week. She will have a doctors appointment twice a week, with a biophysical profile once a week. They will be taking the babies' measurements next Thursday. By the normal growth charts the babies should be well over 4 lbs each, possibly even 5 lbs.
Now the countdown begins, and we are praying for as long a stay as possible. A few weeks ago we asked the doctors how long they would let Chris go if everything kept proceeding normally, and they mentioned that 36 weeks would be about the longest. By then, there won't be any room left! We are just setting weekly goals.
Week 33
March 05, 2001 - Another weekly milestone! Chris and the babies continue to do well. Chris's blood pressure is staying low. She finished a 24 hour urine collection this morning and the results came back with her protein levels at 534. Still mild preeclampsia, but without any other symptoms this is a good sign. Chris had a dr appt today. She is now at about 38 lbs of weight gain. Her high was 43 lbs. It seems to be all babies. They did a biophysical profile today, babies B & C scored 8, and baby A (a girl) only scored 6. They couldn't get her to breath for 30 seconds straight. She would breath for 20-25 seconds at a time, but her brother, baby C kept kicking her and we think it was throwing off her concentration. I don't know where he's getting it from, because I NEVER picked on my sisters.:) The doctors aren't worried about her only getting 6 points. Chris's belly is measuring 50cm. They will take measurements of the babies at Thursday's appointment.
For those curious why we report how long her belly is measuring, it is called the fundal height and is used as a measure of what the gestational age of the baby should be. This is typically only accurate for a singelton pregnancy. But it is at least interesting for triplets. In simple terms, after 20 weeks, her fundal height is close to being equivalent to the number of weeks of gestation. So, today, she would be equivalent to someone 50 weeks pregnant. A little impossible, but you get the idea. If you look back at week 23, she was measuring 40cm. This would have been the equivalent of a normal full term singleton. If anything, it gives you an idea of how much bigger she is than a normal pregnancy.
March 08, 2001 - Chris had a Dr appt today. They did ultrasound #11 just down the hall from Chris's suite. She did not have to go down to the Dr's office. They also did a biophysical profile today and all the babies scored 8 points. Baby A's head is pushed way down against the cervix. They still have a little room left but not much. According to the measurements, the babies' weights are estimated at: baby A - 4lbs6ozs, baby B - 4lbs8ozs, and baby C - 4lbs15ozs. Chris's cervix measured about 2cm and was still closed. It is though much softer than before.
Chris was hooked up to a monitor for awhile today, and she was instructed to press a button to indicate on the monitor tape when she felt a contraction. The monitor indicated she had 4 contractions in an hour, and she indicated that she felt the last 3.
After discussions with both Drs Mahone and Drake, we are looking at scheduling the C-Section for Friday, March 16th or Monday, March19th. We are going to try to schedule it for Friday, March 16th. Everyone is very confident that Chris can make it for one more week and the babies are at a good age and weight. By then Chris will have completed a full 35 weeks of pregnancy (according to Menstrual Age). We will keep the site posted when we official schedule the C-Section.
Week 34
March 11, 2001 - The final weekly milestone! It looks like we will make the goals that we have set for ourselves. We really think that the bedrest, drinking plenty of water, and eating right were instrumental in making it this long. It was also very helpful to read the book, When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: A Complete Resource, by Barbara Luke, Tamara Eberlein. And we have had wonderful care from Drs. Mahone and Drake.
We are officially scheduled for the cesarian section on Friday, March 16th. We don't have a time yet, they will determine that on Thursday. Chris will still be having two biophysical profiles this week.
Chris's mom, Mary, has been here for a week, and Chris's dad, Steve, will be flying in on Wednesday night.
March 12, 2001 - Chris had a biophysical profile done today. All the babies scored all their points. The boy was almost breathing the whole time. Both girls had the hiccups. Chris had a pelvic exam today also, and the Dr said that her cervix was still closed.
It looks like the C-Section is scheduled for 8:30am on Friday, unless an emergency C-Section comes up.
March 15, 2001 -Well, this is the last pregnancy update, the next one will be on how the delivery went. Chris had her last biophysical profile today. Baby A & C scored their 8 points, and baby B only scored 6. It was because she didn't breath for 30 seconds straight. But she did breath off and on, so it's nothing to worry about. Chris talked with Dr Drake some more about tomorrow and what is going to happen. She said they finalized the time and we are scheduled for 7:30am. Chris is going to get up early so she can shower and get ready. She wants to look pretty for the pictures. They are going to come around 6am to prep her, and then wheel her down to the special C-Section room around 7am. It shouldn't take too long, the longest part will be the anesthesia.
Well, I gotta run and get some sleep, this could be my last chance at sleep for a long time! We are both very excited to see our babies in person. I will try to get an update on the website and a picture or two sometime Friday. Maybe when mom and the babies are resting. We've heard from a lot of family and friends and appreciate the thoughts and prayers. God bless you all.
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