27 Weeks 3 Days - December 28, 2011

9:00 am: Two more doctor's appointments today - first seeing the regular OB, then heading to CDH. Hoping & praying for good news! I'll keep you posted...


9:00 pm: I'm happy to report that I didn't need to be admitted to the hospital and the doctors sent me home. However, the MFM appointment didn't go quite as well as I had hoped. My cervix is still closed but does continues to shorten. It's down to around 2.5 cm but there's still some room to go. Some of the moms from the triplet message boards I've been reading have gone 4+ extra weeks with a cervix as short as 0.5 cm, so it's really just a waiting game. The doctor's felt okay sending me home as long as I continued to stay on bed rest.

The doctors were also still concerned about Baby B - at this point it's not a "problem" but just a "concern". They observed again that Baby B has a decreased blood flow through his umbilical cord. Since the boys are fraternal, they each have their own placenta, so only B is affected. Basically, he is still getting nutrients and blood through his cord, but at a reduced rate. They decided to do a Biophysical Profile (BPP) which is basically a non-stress test where they measure the baby's heart rate, movement, muscle tone, amniotic fluid, and breathing. The baby is given a ranking of 0-2 in each category for a maximum possible score of 8/8.

After they looked at Baby B, we were all pleased to see that he scored a perfect 8! Since he appears to be doing well, there's nothing more to do at this time. They'll continue to monitor him and the other two once a week. Should his status change and he is suddenly under a lot of stress or the cord flow reverses, they will go ahead and deliver, but for now we're still aiming for 32 weeks.

My next appointment will be on Thursday, Jan. 5 and I'm guessing that it may conclude with a long hospital stay, but we'll wait and see. We're comforted by the fact that this is all out of our control and there's really nothing we can do except trust in God's plan. Psalm 139:13-16 reminds us...

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Merry Christmas Eve

There's no doubt that I've got the round belly that shakes when I laugh like a bowl full of jelly.  Santa's got nothin' on me!

Merry Christmas Eve to all of you - I hope this post finds you doing well and enjoying the company of loved ones.  It has definitely been a unique Christmas season this year, and will be the last "quiet" Christmas we may ever have!  I can't believe that next year at this time the house will be filled with little ones.

While this week started out pretty quiet, unfortunately, it didn't stay that way.  On Thursday (26 week 4 days), I went back in to CDH for a check up with Maternal Fetal Medicine.  We were originally scheduled for a quick cervical length check, but ended up being due for a full growth scan on the babies which was nice since our last one was done around Thanksgiving. 

The babies all continue to grow and are looking healthy, but the doctors were a bit concerned about Baby B.  At Thanksgiving, the boys were all ahead of schedule and in the 70th percentile based on weight which was amazing.  At this appointment, A & C are still in the 70th but B had dropped into the 50th.  While 50th percentile is still very good (especially for triplets), they were a bit worried that he may not be getting as many nutrients through the placenta.  He is definitely an active little boy, and both the doctor and sonographer had a hard time taking some measurements because he was moving so much.  They said the movement was definitely a good sign, and that it appeared as if he was going just fine.  We'll just continue to watch him more closely, but for now he looks okay.

Baby A - 2 lbs 6 oz; measuring 28 weeks 2 days
Baby B - 2 lbs 3 oz; measuring 27 weeks 3 days
Baby C - 2 lbs 6 oz; measuring 27 weeks 3 days

Well if you do the addition, I've got 6 lbs 15 oz of baby plus whole lot of fluid in my belly, so it's no surprise that my uterus thinks it's farther along than I actually am.  After the babies growth scan, they did check the length of my cervix.  It's still closed and was measuring 3.2 cm which is still very good.  However, in the middle of the exam I had another contraction and we all watched as that 3.2 shrunk down to just 1.0 cm.  Talk about scary!  At that point, the MFM doctors didn't feel comfortable sending me home, so back to the hospital I went.

They admitted me again to the hospital, just two rooms down from my previous home-away-from-home.  They wanted to monitor my current dose of Nifedipine for a while and then possibly increase the frequency from every 6 hours to every 4.  At one point, the contractions were coming every 8 or 9 minutes,  but eventually they quieted without an increase in medication.  By the time Friday morning arrived, they had almost completely stopped.  After meeting with MFM and my OB, they decided I was okay to return home.  The worst parts of the short hospital stay was that it took three tries to get the IV in and I forgot my leopard slippers under the bed.  Which reminds me that I need to call them...

So for now, I am back home but am trying to be even more cautious about movement than the doctor's have ordered.  I'm still allowed to do the stairs once or twice a day, but am really trying to avoid being on my feet.  The nurses advised me that even sitting up can put almost as much pressure on my cervix as standing, so it really will be just the recliner and my bed for the next 5-6 weeks.  The doctors would still like to see me get to 32 weeks which is the end of January/early Feb. 

At this point, the days have actually gone very quickly.  It helps that I don't usually get out of bed until 10 or 11:00.  I appreciate the offer for visitors, but at this point it's probably best that I just rest and take it easy.  I definitely want to pass the 28 week mark, so this next week is critical.  We've had several people ask what you can do to help...and so far the toughest part has been meal times - so if you enjoy cooking or want to get rid of your Christmas leftovers, just send them our way!  Other than that, we're hanging in there.  We realize we have so much to be thankful for, and knew all along that carrying three babies at once wouldn't be easy.  This year, we're just hoping that Santa brings us six more weeks of bed rest...now go enjoy your Christmas!

“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2:16-20

Home Sweet Home - 26 Weeks - Dec. 18, 2011

I'm happy to report that this post comes to you from the comfort of my recliner!  The Christmas tree is lit, there's football on tv, and Chief is laying at my feet, so things are much more enjoyable.  I was surprised and relieved to hear on Saturday morning that the doctors were thinking about letting me go home.  The contractions had slowed to 1-3 per hour or less, so the big question was whether my cervix had continued to shorten.  After a quick exam with Maternal Fetal Medicine, they found that the opposite was true.  My cervix had closed back up and was measuring almost a full 4 cm which was up from the 2.5cm on Monday.  It turns out that the contractions had caused most of the shortening, so between the bed rest and medication, things were looking very positive.  The contractions will most likely continue from now until delivery, but since I had already received the steroid shots for the boys, MFM and my doctor felt confident that as long as I continued to rest at home, there was no reason to keep me at the hospital. 

I've received so much support and encouragement from all of you over the last week - thank you so much for that!  I owe so much to Ryan who has been my personal nurse, slave, and cheerleader for the past week - he's probably just as thankful as I am to be home and sleeping in our own bed without constant interruptions from nurses or the sound of monitors and machines all night.  Also thank you to my parents, Ry' parents, Bethany, Erica, Jessica, and Jason for your visits - they definitely made the time go more quickly and kept me in good spirits.  A text from one of you brought me to these verses in 2 Corinthians, which I've also found to be so applicable...

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."  2 Corinthians 12:9-10.  My hospital stay has reminded me once again how insufficient I am.  It seems like any time I become too "confident" in my own abilities, God graciously humbles me and reminds me that I can do nothing without Him.  Jesus wants us to turn to Him, depend on Him, and rely on Him, and it's situations like these that give me that much needed wake-up call.  How often do we try to control situations or handle things "our way" instead of giving Christ the credit for the amazing things He does in our lives?  Only by acknowledging my weaknesses and inabilities can I give Christ the credit.  With Christmas only a week away, I hope that many of you will reflect on and appreciate the miracle of Jesus - fully God while also fully man -  who came to earth as a tiny baby boy, who would then die a death on the cross that He didn't deserve, and be raised again so that you and I would be made clean and sinless in God's eyes.  Talk about an incredible gift - that, my friends, is grace!

Before the Christmas holiday, I'll head back to the hospital for hopefully just one more check-up.  It sounds like these boys should get the chance to keep growing for a few more weeks, but of course I'll keep you all posted.  Our goal is still to make it to 32 weeks, but we will continue to take it day-by-day. I hope all of you friends, whether near or far, will have a great week and a wonderful Christmas with your family and loved ones!

Week 25 - December 15, 2011

Well I was hoping that my hospital stay was nearing an end, but it's difficult to tell at this point.  I'm still having around 3 contractions an hour, which could be considered "normal" with triplets, but still isn't ideal.  I just finished my last dose of the contraction-stopping drug, Indomethacin, and will start on a new drug, Nifedipine, tonight.  It's primarily used to treat high-blood pressure, but also helps reduce contractions, so they'll monitor my blood pressure closely to make sure it doesn't drop.  The boys' heartbeats all continue to look good and I imagine the docs will check cervical length in the next few days to see if it has shortened at all.  They keep reassuring me that my body is just doing what it's meant to do and that I shouldn't beat myself up over it.  There's nothing I could have done to prevent the contractions, and even full bed rest wouldn't necessarily stop them.  The contractions may continue from here on out, but our main concern should really be the cervical length.  As long as that's good, these boys should have plenty of more time to grow.  I guess we just wait and see, it's hard to imagine this for another 6 weeks, but that's my hope.  For now, I'll just rest, drink lots of water, and listen to the experts!

Hospital Test Drive

Quick 30 second update:
I was admitted to CDH on Monday due to moderate/severe contractions that I wasn't even feeling, they've given me medication to stop/slow the contractions, steroid shots to help develop the boys' lungs in case of a very early delivery, and progesterone hormones to strengthen my cervix and prevent any additional shortening.  So far, everything is working as it should but we're still not totally in the clear.  The doctors are amazing and I'm in the best place I can be right now.  The boys are all doing well, and we know God's got things under control.  Keep reading for the full story, but for now, that's all the big stuff!

Longer update - hopefully not TMI:
So Monday, 12/12/11, I was scheduled for a routine appointment at CDH with Maternal Fetal Medicine to check cervical length.  These appointments typically only last 15-20 mins. so I was planning to just go there by myself since Ryan had a meeting at work.  Thankfully, a close friend, Jess, had taken the day off work and had no plans, so we decided she'd come with and we'd make a lunch date out of it.  We stopped quickly at one store, had a great lunch at Houlihan's, and then headed to the appointment.  Funnily enough, I was telling her over lunch that even though things were going smoothly, at this point in the pregnancy you never know if you may end up having the babies that day.

Anyway, at the appointment Dr. Steinberg didn't like seeing that my cervix had decreased from 3.6cm two weeks ago to 2.5cm on Monday.  I told him I hadn't felt any contractions or pain...but then again, I wasn't really sure what I was looking for.  He had me hooked up to a contraction monitor for approx. a half hour, and it showed that I was definitely contracting.  I was expecting to feel some cramping or pain, but instead it was just a firm spot on my belly which I kept interpreting as one of the babies shifting positions.  Guess not!  I had one nurse that finally explained it to me in a way that made sense...the uterus contracts and tightens which makes it feel harder so if it's a mild contraction, your belly should feel as soft as the tip of your nose.  If it's a moderate contraction, it will feel like your chin, and if it's severe it will be as firm as your forehead.  I definitely had times when my belly felt like my forehead, so it's such a relief that I now know what to look for.

On Monday, I was 25 weeks and 1 day, so the boys should each be over 2 lbs.  With approx. 6.5 lbs of baby this is all very "normal" and it's pretty common with triplet pregnancies for the uterus to begin contracting at this point.  While the babies are past the first big viability milestone, their lungs are still very far from being fully developed and if they had been born today, they would be looking at a stay in the NICU of several months.  Other triplet moms that I've heard from had similar experiences and then were able to return home and keep the babies cooking for several more weeks, so we're very optimistic.  They immediately admitted me to the Labor & Delivery unit and started medication shortly after.  A HUGE thank you to Jess for going with me, keeping me calm, and staying with me until Ry could make it to the hospital.  Without her, I can imagine how panicked I might have felt. Looks like God knew exactly what I would need that day!

The doctors have me on indomethacin to stop the contractions, so I take that by pill every 6 hours.  They only administer this drug for 24-72 hours, but they want to keep me on it for the full 72 before switching me to something different.  I'm no longer on an IV, but I've got a contraction monitor strapped to my belly and those funny leg wraps that contract & expand to help with circulation.  My ankles look the best they have in weeks, so they do actually work!  They did give me two shots of steroids which will help the lung development of the boys.  There's no need for additional shots at this point, but it could be repeated in a few weeks or as close to delivery as possible.  All three heartbeats look great, and they'll do another full exam before I go home which looks like it won't be until this Friday.  At least this means almost a full extra week of growth for the boys.  The nurses reminded me that every 1 day they stay in my belly, it will take 3 days off the NICU - so by the time I go home, that's 15 fewer days for them!

I've been catching up on some movies, have a stack of books waiting for me, and so far have not minded having to lay in bed all day.  It helps that it looks gloomy and rainy outside though too...there's not much else you want to be doing on a day like this.  Another highlight - I got to shower today, so I'm feeling human again finally.  In many ways, I'm thankful that I got do a "test drive" here at the hospital which will probably make the delivery process a little less stressful.  I now know what sort of things I should pack for my hospital bag, how to order room service, what an IV feels like, etc.  Plus, I'm incredibly thankful they discovered the contractions at my appointment versus being home and not realizing there was an issue.

Another cool thing happened on Monday - Ryan was in the cafeteria and ran into a couple from our "Managing Multiples" class that we took in November.  Turns out they had their twin boys two weeks ago and are staying here at the hospital while their boys are in the NICU.  I think they guys were born at 31 weeks, and they are doing really well.

Once I'm home, I'll be on "moderate" bed rest which will allow me to get up to use the bathroom, eat, and use the stairs once a day.  Other than that, it's off my feet!  That will probably ruin most of our holiday plans, but the health of these babies is worth it!  I'm guessing I'll get lots of snuggle time with Chief, which he'll enjoy before dropping to #4 on my snuggle list :) 

For now, I think that's all the news I have.  Thanks to all of you for your prayers and words of encouragement.  These boys are going to have some amazing friends and family to meet once they arrive...which hopefully won't be until January.  We've trusted God throughout this entire pregancy, so no reason to stop now.  While things can get scary, we know it's all part of His bigger plan!

Week 24 - December 3, 2011

Wow, it's really December already?!?  It seems so hard to believe - time has been flying by lately.  This last week has had several milestones and important days.  For starters, I had my last day of work at the DCCF on the 30th, so I'll be resting from now until the babies arrive.  My office held a holiday open house that afternoon so it was a nice ending to the year.  Fortunately I managed to leave with just watery eyes and not a full-blown sob-fest.

I've also hit that critical week 24 milestone.  Hooray!! At this point, the babies are considered "viable" and would have a 50% chance of survival if they were born today.  So far, there are no signs that they should be arriving this early, but it's still a little scary to think there's always that chance.  Our next goal is to make it to the 28 week mark where their viability jumps to 90%.  My next appointment will be on Friday, so I'm just taking things one day at a time.  I think the reality is starting to sink in for me that we're really going to have three babies sometime soon.  I have no idea what our lives will look like...which is both terrifying and extremely exciting.  I am constantly reaffirmed that God's got it all covered and worrying about things won't do any good.  I'm trusting that He'll not only "get us through" this, but that it will be one of the best and most memorable times of our lives.

To help prepare for these little guys, my sister-in-law threw me a baby shower on Saturday.  It was absolutely amazing and I felt really loved by all of the Harris family and friends that came out to support us.  It was great to catch up with the people that we didn't get to see at Thanksgiving as well as chat with old friends.  These boys are going to be so loved and spoiled, I can see it already.  A huge thank you to Bethany, my mother-in-law, Harris cousins, Alicia, Lauren, and all others who helped out for such a great day!