Happy due date!

Happy due date, sweet babies!  I'm so glad you're here and doing well.  We can all thank Christopher for getting that show on the road.

Today you went to the doctor.  The boys are both just an ounce or two short of 8 pounds and Isabel is an ounce short of 7 pounds-- she's a dainty thing.  Doing great!  You've been home for a month now and it's obviously treating you well.  Your family adores you and you are thriving.

As for me, I'm one happy surro-mama.  Throughout this process, I've grown my own family, because I was welcomed into yours.  Next week, we'll spend our second Thanksgiving in Houston, but this time with three times the love and three times the fun.  And who could ask for more with moments like this one?

That's the first time I held all three of you on the outside, but not the last!

Thank you for trusting me to help you into the world.  I look forward to watching you grow up!

... And they all lived happily ever after.

Love,

Simi

Photo Project

The life cycle of my triplet belly:

Today, 9 days postpartum, I'm about 20-week sized.  Maybe a tad smaller?  Definitely a bunch jigglier.  :)

I never would have guessed that 32-week shot would be my last belly picture.  If goals or positive thinking or research or willpower or anything else could have controlled it, it wouldn't be and we'd still be trucking along.  But Christopher (Baby A) was apparently up on his research and knew most triplet pregnancies last 32-33 weeks.  My body was happy to oblige and didn't react at all to the magnesium sulfate.  And so we helped the statistic, delivering at 32.5 weeks, 2 days after that picture was taken at 32w1d.

It was difficult for me to leave Houston, knowing the babies were still in the hospital.  It was naive of me, but I honestly believed in our full-term goal so fully that I had never really thought about the reality of not getting "the moment."  By that, I mean the moment we, as surrogates, do this for-- the handing over of the babies, the watching parents' dreams come true.  Happy faces, no worries, babies snug in their own beds, surrounded by their families.  That's the end of the journey and we're not there yet.  For now, we're in a bit of a purgatory, while the babies grow up a bit in isolettes in the NICU.  I really would do anything to get a do-over for this last bit-- to hold them in a little longer and grow them a little stronger.  But that wasn't our story.

Don't get me wrong-- it's still a happy ending. The babies are doing well.  M and N couldn't be better friends or more grateful or more kind in keeping me updated every day.  I'm just waiting for Christopher, Isabel, and Nicholas to get home so I can go visit and hold them all and see them strong and healthy, with their family.  That's when this chapter will close for me.

No news is good news

I've had quite a few people contact me, worried because I hadn't updated the blog.  No worries!  Everyone is doing great- it's just hard to get on here in the midst of recovering.

A brief update:

Babies are doing great. They've not needed breathing support or big interventions of any kind. They're getting feeds of donor milk plus my colostrum through tubes, but will be trying bottle feeds soon. They all have strong suck reflexes- just need to see ow they do on coordinating suck/swallow/breathe.  Still breathing room air on their own without issue. Their isolettes are heated about 5 degrees Celsius over room temp to help support their body temps- but aside from that little spa-like indulgence, you wouldn't guess they were early at all.  They are super cute, regular-looking babies (not fragile looking at all).  Give them a few weeks to feed and grow and they will be home. As M keeps reminding us, they are very advanced babies. Of course.  ;)

I'm doing well.  Dr. Dryden said she made my incision small, knowing the babies would be small.  I appreciate that!  I got discharged today, which I also appreciate- I truly disliked being in the hospital, so only having to stay 2 nights was perfect.  I'm following advice of friends and not skimping on pain meds (right now, that means 2 Norco every 4 hours), taking it easy, and wearing an abdominal binder. Getting around pretty well.  I'm here in Houston until Sunday, then will go home to Austin. It will be wonderful to be with my family again. Not that the babies and company don't count as family- at this point, they absolutely do.  But Rick, Andie, Mariela, and my mom (ok, and my dogs too) are at the top of my list!  I'll be glad to get back to my normal.  My normal is pretty awesome. 

I'm trying to pump every two hours during the day and every four at night.  I have low supply issues that I can't completely address (they are physiological- I lack sufficient glandular tissue), but my supply does best if I'm pretty aggressive in the beginning. And what else do I have to do these days but sit around and bond with the breast pump?  Not getting much just yet (about 10ml/pump for the last two- an ounce is about 30ml), but I'm seeing the transition from colostrum to milk (orange to yellow and still lightening), so I imagine there will be a bump in volume soon. And every little bit helps.

I have pictures on my camera and can't get those off until I'm home, but will share them then. Just trust me that these kids are cute!

Thanks for your good wishes and support, both in the past few days and in the many months before then.  We did it!

Welcome babies!

Christopher

4:37 pm

4 lbs., .04 oz. 

APGARs 8/9

Isabel

4:39 pm

4 lbs., .09 oz. 

APGARs 8/9

Nicholas

4:41 pm

4 lbs., 1.3 oz.

APGARs 7/9

All born via c-section, since labor was progressing and baby A was still breech. All breathing room air on their own. I'm in recovery and doing just fine. :)

Update

To me, the mag sulfate doesn't seem to be working. Contractions are stronger and closer apart (about 3 minutes). Feeling a little less confident that we can put the brakes on this train. 

I wish there was just an off switch. 

Here we go

I woke up this morning at about 6 to a gush of fluid. And then some more. No question about it- my water broke. 

I walked/waddled down to M and N's room, with my soaked pants and let them know. N called Dr. Dryden, who told us to go to the hospital for assessment. I called Rick and filled him in.  Threw some things in a bag (pretty blindly- I hadn't prepared for this at all). Drank some milk. Got in the car and headed to the hospital. 

In assessment, I peed in a cup, weighed in, and changed into a hospital gown. They started monitoring all the babies (they sound great).  The nurse started my IV and fluids. She took blood and did a GBS swab. And about then, we moved down to Labor and Delivery. 

Dr. Dryden met us down here. The babies went back on the monitors. They started mag sulfate in my IV, which slows down labor and can make you feel awful (but that should have been immediate, and I feel fine). She checked them out on ultrasound, and unfortunately, A is still breech, so we likely have a c-section in our future. She checked my cervix and I am 3 cm dilated, 70% effaced. I also got my first dose of steroids, an intramuscular injection in my left glute. 

The plan is to get both doses of steroids in at a minimum (they are 24 hours apart), which means hopefully nothing before 8:30 tomorrow morning. But the real plan is to wait as long as possible. As long as I'm not in active labor and don't have an infection, they won't deliver me. So, on the short side of things, I could deliver tomorrow. If we're super lucky, it could be 2+ weeks. Dr. Dryden says her crystal ball is broken, but most likely, we are looking at a few days as the best case scenario. Today I'm 32w3d. 

Oh, and it's definitely Baby A's sac that ruptured. That boy is trouble. 

So that's the current state of affairs. This is what we get for being cocky and thinking we would get to 37 weeks!  Thankful we've gotten this far. Hopefully, we have three big babies who just need a few weeks in the NICU. 

I'll leave you with a hospital bed self portrait. 

Tour and appointment

Busy afternoon yesterday.

 

We started off with Jan Ivey (social worker) at TCH giving us a tour of the hospital.  We started on the 9th floor, which is labor and delivery.  M and N said the labor and delivery rooms were scary-- I think the OR is scary!  Well, actually, I'm still a little uncomfortable with the hospital at all, even though I full understand it's where we need to be.  It's just all very unfamiliar, compared to the simplicity of a home or birth center birth. Throughout the tour, I was surprised how many people (just about everyone) asked if we were having a vaginal delivery or a c-section-- I would have thought there would be an assumption that it would be a section.  Interesting.  Who knows what will happen for us, but I do like that they are welcoming of non-surgical delivery.  If that doesn't benefit me, it will benefit someone else down the road.

 

Then we headed to the 8th floor to tour the NICU.  At TCH, instead of a bay of NICU beds, they have each family in their own room.  So most rooms are designed to have one warmer or isolette at a time, but there are rooms big enough to take three.  Great setup.  Hope we never have to go there.

 

From there, we headed up to the 12th and 14th floors, which are mother/baby recovery and where I will go after I deliver (hopefully where the babies go too).  When it comes time to deliver, we will try to request a suite.  The suites have an additional entry room, which I think will be best for our rather large party of spectators.  Those floors also each have a newborn nursery.  I'm hoping we don't even send the babies to the nursery.  Slumber party for all in my room!

 

Last stop was down on the 3rd floor to pre-register.  I had wondered when that would happen (again, with my unfamiliarity with hospitals), so I was glad to get us done.  They have our court order on file, which should make everything go smoothly in terms of filling out birth registry paperwork.  All we need to do now is show up and produce babies.  Easy peasy.

 

Belly pic to break up the post (my equivalent of a commercial break):

 

 

Should have been a photo project pic today, but those are on my camera and I can't get them off until I go home.  So this is just filler for now. 

 

Ok, back to yesterday.

 

After the tour, we went next door to Dr. Carpenter.  Babies are all still in the same presentation.  (Boo.)  I asked whether he had any secret strategies to turn A and he said no, but that there's still plenty of room for him to turn, so that's good at least.  I honestly think our best strategy now is just positive thinking.

 

The primary purpose of the appointment was to check A's growth.  The good news is, it was right on track for the growth curve he put himself onto last time.  He's grown about 13 ounces in two weeks and is holding steady in the 47th growth percentile.  We don't know why he jumped down from where he'd always been in the past (65%+). It could be a difference between the two offices or maybe he just slowed down.  But as long as he continues to grow steadily (and he did), Dr. Carpenter is not worried.  I'm not worried either.

 

He did not measure B and C-- just checked heartrates, movement, and breathing, which all looked good.  But assuming everybody grew about the same amount, they should all average out to about 4 pounds each (A a little less, B a little more, C in the middle).  12 pounds of baby hanging out in my belly.  Good times.

 

Two other updates: my belly button has completely flattened out and I've developed a bunch more stretch marks.  This is what 12 lbs. of baby earns you.  Glamorous!

 

 

 

 

32 weeks

Yahoo!  Ok, that's false enthusiasm.  At one point, 32 weeks sounded like a major goal, but quite frankly, now that we're here and everything is still blessedly uneventful, it's just another day.  That's a good thing, right?  That's not to lose sight of the fact that it really is amazing that 32 weeks into a triplet pregnancy, everything is still routine and boring.  We are lucky for sure.

Giving myself a generous .8 lb. round up, I've now gained 60 lbs.  Check it out:

Ten pounds away from doubling what I gained in each of my three singleton pregnancies, and at this rate, there's a good chance I'll hit that number before I deliver (I almost typed "before I graduate" there-- I suppose it's a graduation of sorts).  I am not a super overachiever in the weight gain department, but I'm definitely in range.

In related news, I measure my fundal height at 47 cm, which would translate to being 47 weeks pregnant, and my "waist" at 47.5".  So I'm basically 4 feet around.  Attractive!

Even though I'm not feeling the babycenter updates anymore, here's this week's, just for giggles:

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3 3/4 pounds (about the size of a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-32-weeks_1121.bc

And the reason I actually went over there was to grab their picture of twins at 32 weeks:

Just throw in another baby on top and that's what I'm looking like from the inside out.  Look at those beautiful head-down babies.  Let me repeat that for Baby A's benefit, since he may have been distracted: LOOK AT THOSE BEAUTIFUL HEAD-DOWN BABIES. 

On that front, I have been doing everything I can think of to convince A to flip for me.  I'm spending a minimum of 30 minutes per day, split into 2-3 sessions, laying on the decline bench I bought last weekend.  Any other time, I try to be very conscious of my posture, and I spend a lot of time on my hands and knees.  I've talked to the baby, I've visualized him being head-down.  I'm continuing to go to the amazing Dr. Long (chiropractor) once a week and she is doing everything she can.  This week, I tried Pulsatilla (a homeopathic remedy), using the instructions on the spinningbabies website.  I'll swim again this weekend.  I think the only standard advice not yet in my arsenal is moxibustion and acupuncture, and it's a little early for either of those.  We are throwing the book at this.  This week in a multiples group on facebook, several people shared their stories of Baby A turning as late as 36 weeks.  So that is encouraging.

We will get to check in today and see where the happy crew is currently making themselves comfortable.  Appointment with Dr. Carpenter at 4:00.  Main purpose of this appointment is to check on Baby A's growth and make sure the readings last time were a fluke (I feel sure they were).  Before that, we have a tour of the Women's Pavillion at Texas Children's Hospital, which is where they will be born.  Also touring the NICU, though it is still absolutely my goal and intention to never have these three darken those doors.  Fat, healthy 5 pound babies.  That's what we're going for.

Aside from our loss last fall, I've never had a baby in the hospital, so this is all new territory for me.  I've been to two hospital births (one vaginal, one ultimately a c-section), so I know what it looks like from a not-in-the-spotlight perspective.  I do believe all the raves about TCH and think there couldn't be a better option for us, so that's good.

I'll update on the appointment probably tomorrow and post a belly pic then too.  Until then, just gestatin'.

Meditate on this

I've posted that picture before (24 week triplets), but now let's all meditate on that presenting baby's position, ok?  Baby A, this goes out to you.  Look how cool it is to be head down.  Flip, kiddo!

Sundays stink

Saying goodbye to my family does not get easier. Bleh. It's so nice to have them here, and I feel a little wimpy being sad when I'll see them again in a week, but there it is. What can I say?  They're good people. There's a reason I choose to be around them so much. :)

I tried to take a "big" belly pic for M, who claims my pictures aren't big enough. Not sure this does it, but it's the best I could pull off. 

31 weeks

Quick update, since I'm on my phone and hate typing on it. And there's not much to say (in a good way!).

I had an appointment with Dr. Carpenter today. All three babies look good. He checked breathing and movement on each. Baby C was most cooperative and showed his stuff immediately. A and B both needed some encouragement to keep breathing- they were breathing intermittently, but he had to jiggle them to have them keep it up and move more. Give 'em a couple more weeks and they'll have it down, no problem. 

Oh- and positions were all still the same. A breech. B cephalic. C breech/transverse across the top. 

Rick and the girls are on their way down for a visit right now. Two nights- yay!  Unfortunately, M, N, and A are out of town for a medical appointment, so they won't be here. That just means I get my family all to myself. :)

Forgot to weigh in this morning, so that exciting update will have to wait until tomorrow. [Saturday update: 215, which is 56 total.]

That's it for now!

Hump day bump day

Today's belly:

And this past weekend, used as a movie-watching pillow:

Check out the bonus kid there- Andie's piano lesson was canceled, so I got the whole Denson clan. And I get them all again this weekend. Hooray, hooray!

30 week growth scan

The growth scan with Dr. Carpenter went well.  Turns out M, N, and A were all able to go, so we had quite the crowd in that little room.  Blood pressure was good (112/68, I think), fundal height was 42.5 cm, urine dip was clean, weight was fine.

The measurements on the babies are a little confusing to me-- in part just because everything is just slightly different than what Dr. Haeri's office did.

Here's the information I have printed out:

Fetus 1, Lowest Male, "AA"
Age based on measurements: 29.8 weeks
Presentation: breech; L.S.T.
No abnormalities
Heartrate 167 bpm
Amniotic fluid pocket 31 mm
Anterior Placenta

Fetus 2, Upper Left Female, "BB"
Age based on measurements: 30.9 weeks
Presentation: cephalic, L.O.T.
No abnormalities
Amniotic fluid pocket 38 mm
Posterior Placenta

Fetus 3, Upper Right Male, "CC"
Age based on measurements: 30.6 weeks
Presentation: breech; R.S.T.
No abnormalities
Heartrate 147 bpm
Amniotic fluid pocket 78 mm
Posterior Placenta

And what I remember Dr. Carpenter telling us was that A was 3 lbs., B was 3 lbs. 8 oz., and C was 3 lbs. 4 oz.

So what's strange about that is that A has *always* been our biggest baby.  Our 67%er.  And B has always been the smallest-- our <40%er.  So how have they suddenly switched sizes?  That seems off to me.  Dr. C said he saw testicles on Baby A (but no penis, due to position), so I have no real reason to think they've switched positions, but gosh, it's still hard not to think that.

In any case, because A's abdominal circumference fell off his normal growth curve, Dr. C will scan him again in two weeks to see what's going on.  Intuitively, I think it's nothing.  A discrepancy due to the "art" in scanning.  But it's good to have another look (and I'll be there anyway!).

So the other thing that makes this all confusing is the second page of printed results, that gives graphs of projected sizes.  For each baby, it lists a projected 38-week birth weight (not that we'd get that far):

Fetus 1: 6 lbs., 9 oz.
Fetus 2: 6 lbs., 1 oz.
Fetus 3: 6 lbs., 2 oz.

So it's strange to me that A is still projected to be the largest baby, when according to this week's scan, he's the smallest.  I guess it's based on the overall growth curve, rather than one week's measurement.  I just really think that measurement was off.

M asked Dr. Carpenter when he thought the babies would be 5 lbs.  Dr. Carpenter said he'd never really thought about it that way, but when he looked at the growth curves, he thought at about 33 weeks.  That seems early to me.  If they have 3 lbs. to gain in 8 weeks, that's .375 lbs./week on a straight line curve-- which would make them 5 pounds at about 34-35 weeks.  That feels more reasonable to me.  But hey, if they want to be monster babies at 33 weeks, that's OK by me.

Anyway, I will be back in this week for a quick checkup, and then again the week after for the scan of Baby A.  Until then, I'll just be hanging out with these 10-pounds-ish of baby.  Eep!

30 weeks

 

30 weeks!  This was a big milestone week for us, though now that it's here, it feels kind-of uneventful.  But hey-- here we are!  In the decade of delivery.

 

This was me on Wednesday:

 

 

So still not hugely huge.  I mean, I'm big for sure and I'm acquiring the stretch marks to vouch for that, but I am thankful I am tall and broad and have room for this litter of babies.

 

Per the not-so-accurate bathroom scale, I was only up .8 lbs. from last week.  I think that was probably an inflation of last week's weight more than anything, but in any case, 53-ish pounds gained at 30 weeks.  That may not be a gold medal performance on weight gain, but by golly, I do eat everything I'm supposed to at least in terms of protein/calcium/green veggies, so I think these babies are doing fine.  We should find out in about an hour, when we have the growth scan with Dr. Carpenter.

 

Just had another adjustment with Dr. Long.  I was more "off" this time (which I could feel too), but she says that, generally speaking, I'm one of the healthiest and most well-adjusted pregnant patients she has.  And you know how I love superlatives.

 

When I left the appointment, I got weaseled into a ten minute conversation by some woman that was passing by and then had a million questions about triplets and surrogacy and genetics and how the world works.  She was just completely overwhelmed and kept saying "I just have one more question-- is that ok?"  40 questions later, I got into my car.  Ha!  But I'm happy to spread positive surrogacy stories when I have an interested audience.  Why not?

 

My guess is that the babies are in the same positions, despite my best flipping efforts.  A breech, B cephalic, C transverse.  I think they have flipped, but flipped back.  At least they still have room.  I'm being patient.  Kind-of.

 

I went on a date by myself last night to see "Book of Mormon," which was great (of course).  I felt conspicuously single until I realized that, technically, I was my own party of four.  I can never be lonely!

 

Rick and Mariela will visit this weekend.  Looking forward to seeing them!

 

That's all for now.  I'll update again after my appointment.  Hoping to see some 3 lb.-ish babies in there.

TMJ

I mentioned TMJ in my huge catch-up post on Saturday morning. By that night, it had gotten truly unbearable. If I dared chew on the right side at all, I got blinding, burning, shooting pain at the jaw joint, and then with all the one-sided chewing and general misalignment, my teeth began to ache.  It was horrible.  So in an act of desperation, I googled pregnancy TMJ pain and one of the top hits was a YouTube video. I followed along with the video using just my fingers (he uses tools). Then I went to bed.

Next day- no pain. Not at breakfast or lunch, but both of those meals were relatively soft and not chewy. But dinner was leftovers from the night before (when I'd been suffering), and I still had no problems at all.  And no problems today either. Thank you, YouTube chiropractor!  I can't link the video from my iPad, but it's Dr. Phillip Yoo and the video is called Jaw Cure (TMJ) for Jaw Pain in Pregnant Woman.

Today, I had an appointment with Dr. Long. She confirmed that my right jaw joint is a little tight and pulling my jaw in that direction, but since I wasn't having any pain, she didn't adjust it. She did show me how to address it myself if it starts again, which was very similar to the video, plus an additional stretch from inside the mouth, back by the molars. 

So, for now at least, TMJ is off my radar. I really think that's the worst pregnancy side effect I've ever had, so I'm not sad to see it go.

My cold is also in its end stages- a few symptoms linger, but nothing is making me feel run down.

And otherwise, my adjustment with Dr. Long went well.  We both suspect A and B may have switched positions. I'm feeling more kicks in the middle on my right side, but still feeling kicks down low.  She thought she felt a head up high on the left. However, we both agree that it's all just a guess and we really have no clue. It's just impossible to guess position when there are so many babies in there!  I have another adjustment on Friday at 12:30 and then an appointment with Dr. Carpenter at 4:00, so we will know then.

After my appointment, I took myself to lunch at Whole Foods. Not really the same as our home flagship store, but still yummy. Grilled chicken, kale salad, and a twice-baked sweet potato.  And I bought myself a piece of cake, because... cake. 

29 weeks

AKA: The Long Overdue Update

Ack.  So much to cover.  It's a little intimidating.  I'll try to go chronologically.

1.  Last Friday, at 28 weeks, I had my last appointment with Dr. Haeri.  Same old, same old-- everything looked good.  All of the babies were breech, though, with their heads all together (which is the picture I posted last week).  Stinkers.  I was not pleased with them.  My cervix was slightly shorter-- just under 4 as I recall.  He said that's still better than many of the singletons he sees at 28 weeks, so yay me.  When I told him I'd be sad to leave him, he said "We'll be sad to lose you!  We love you!  We love your cervix!  I wish we could hold on to you until 40 weeks and write a paper about you."  Ha!  Of course that was hyperbole, but I still love it.

2.  Also on Friday, I got a sore throat, which was to blossom into a nasty head cold that refuses to let go.  Harumph.  That's my best excuse for not blogging this week.  Not being able to breathe takes a lot out of me.  Unfortunately, I've since passed it to Rick, Andie, and my mom.  I do feel better, just not 100%.

3.  But that didn't stop me from packing up everything and moving to Houston on Sunday!  I did no pre-packing at all, since I was feeling so puny.  So Sunday morning, I got up, tried on a bunch of clothes (trying to figure out what still fit) and eventually got the girls and myself into the car.  Teared up a little driving away from the house, knowing it would be two months before I came home again, but the drive wasn't bad and we got to Houston at about 1:00.  Rick had come straight from work and beat us here by a little bit.  So we hung out Sunday and Monday and then they left to go home.  Not going to lie-- watching them drive away was really hard and I had a big, ugly cry on N's shoulder when they were gone.  But that was the "pulling off the bandaid" part-- it's been easier since then.  And thanks to the wonders of FaceTime, I've seen them most days.  Andie and Rick will be back today to visit.

4.  Tuesday morning, we had the first appointment with Dr. Carpenter.  M went with me.  The exam room was teeny tiny, and we had the two of us, Dr. C's nurse, Dr. C, a nursing student, and a med student in there.  Cozy.  Poor M was sitting right up against me and trying to divert his eyes as I was instructed to pull my skirt and underwear down to mid-thigh for the ultrasound.  Eek!  It was a very quick peek at the babies-- basically just checking position.  Baby B had moved to cephalic (head-down) presentation, but A was still breech and C was transverse, as tends to be his preference.  It was good to meet Dr. Carpenter in person.  He was saying that, left alone, 15% or so of triplets would make it to term (37 weeks), but people don't leave them alone.  He will, though, so long as everything is going well.  So that's good.  We're on the same page.  37 weeks, here we come.

5.  Wednesday began my chiropractor saga.  I wanted to start seeing a chiropractor, in hopes that it would convince the babies (or Baby A, really) to turn.  I belong to a Houston Pregnancy and Birth group on facebook and they recommended two different chiropractors-- Dr. Chung and Dr. Long.  Dr. Long is closer, so I called her office at West U Wellness first.  The first appointment I could get was 9/24, when I would be nearly 32 weeks pregnant.  Eek!  So I took that appointment, but called Dr. Chung.  He had an opening at 4:00, so I ended up going over there that afternoon.  As it turns out, it was for nothing.  It's about a 30 minute drive away.  I got there, filled out the mountain of paperwork, and then he told me that because his techniques induced labor, he couldn't treat me (it was too soon).  He could see me three weeks prior to my due date.  Well, though I certainly don't want to induce labor, that timing isn't going to work for me.  These babies need to turn while there's still room!  Bleh.  On the way home, I called West U Wellness again and asked to be put on the cancellation list.  It was all very discouraging.

6.  Thursday morning, M worked his magic and got me an appointment with Dr. Long on Friday at 3.  Frustrations relieved!

7.  Friday morning, I had an appointment with Dr. Dryden.  Babies were still in the same positions they were in on Tuesday, but everything looked good.  Dr. Dryden will be out of the country for the last two weeks of September, so I won't have another appointment with her until October 4, at 33 weeks.  I feel pretty confident we're not going to have September babies, so that should be fine. 

8.  Friday afternoon, I had the appointment with Dr. Long.  She really is fabulous-- I see why she gets all the rave reviews.  Young, bright, personable.  She found several issues to address and took care of those.  We scheduled two more appointments for next week, in an attempt to get some movement before my appointment with Dr. Carpenter on Friday (which will be a full growth scan).  She also did some adjustments to help with drainage in my head because of this rotten cold.  When I got home, I spent some time inverted on an inclined ironing board (much to M's amusement).  Flip, babies!

So that's the speedy update of a million and one happenings since I last wrote.  I'm sure I left some stuff out, but c'est la vie.

At 29 weeks, I've gained about 52 pounds.  I now have some carpal tunnel pain in my fingers-- I'd always thought that was just a wrist pain thing, but no.  Apparently, the extra fluid/blood in my body puts pressure on the wrist joints and that affects how my fingers feel.  They feel swollen, but they're not.  It's worst first thing in the morning, but it's nothing I can't deal with.

My other new ache and pain is much more uncomfortable.  Just in the past week or few days, when I chew on the right side, I'll occasionally get terrible, sharp pain in my jaw joint, up by my ear.  It hurts quite a bit-- almost feels like burning.  I asked N about it this morning to confirm my guess that it was TMJ, and she said it could be caused by the extra fluid generally, or specifically by all the goop in my head from this darned cold.  I have no love for this virus.  Go away.

Other than that, I'm feeling fine and getting around just fine.  Last time I measured, I was 45" around.  Headed rapidly for three feet.  A yard.  8 weeks or less to go. 

28 week photos

Looking a little rougher than usual this morning-- this cold is not being nice to me.  But without further ado:

Don't have to squint to see the growth this time.  I can't believe how tiny my 10 week shots look to me now-- and I was "showing" then.  I guess 49 pounds skews your perspective a little.

I'll even give you this bonus scary front shot, complete with Lovenox bruising and new stretch marks (which I can't see in person, but the camera doesn't lie).  Craziness.

28 weeks

Just a placeholder for now!  I'll come back and write an entry soon.

Pancakes

Brewer Diet Protein Pancakes

2 eggs

3/4 c cottage cheese (I use low fat)

3/4 c old fashioned oats

2 T ground flaxseed

1/2 c milk (I use skim)

1/4 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1/2 t vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Cook on griddle. Makes 8-9 4-5" pancakes. 

Oat/cottage cheese pancakes are my family's preferred kind under any circumstance, but these are super great for Brewer Diet. Check out how many boxes these pancakes cover: .5 milk, 3 protein, 2 eggs, 2 whole grains.  And actually, I ate them with sliced fresh strawberries, which gave me a Vitamin C serving, and a cup and a half of milk, which gave me a total of 2 milks. Could have added butter or whipped cream to get some fat. Yes, it's an enormous portion, but you can spread across two sittings if you prefer. I ate it all as a late breakfast. 

This recipe is so forgiving. I only measured ingredients this time for the sake of knowing how many boxes I could check off and to record it.  We usually make a huge batch in the food processor, using a full quart carton of egg whites, a whole (large) tub of cottage cheese, and about 3 cups of oats (adjusting as needed to get the right consistency), then we keep some in the fridge or freezer as an easy protein-rich breakfast. Like any pancakes, you can throw a ripe banana into the mix before blending or add fruit or chocolate chips when you cook them.

They are slightly more dense and moist than standard pancakes, but like I said, we love them. And they pack a huge nutritional punch.  High protein, good source of whole grains, low fat. Try 'em. 

27 weeks

27 weeks = Third trimester!  Go us!

That's the best I could do for a self portrait.  My arms aren't long enough.

Weight gain: 47.5 lbs.
Stretch mark count: I think I can feel one.
Belly button status: Half in/half out. Weird.

Babycenter update, for what it's worth:

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (about the size of a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-27-weeks_1116.bc

I'm looking forward to the Houston move for the simple reason of not having to get dressed for work everyday.  One day this week, I had four wardrobe changes, just to find something that fit correctly-- first option was too tight, second was too hot, third was too short, fourth didn't really match, but, eh, it covered all of the important bits and didn't have long sleeves.

I do have a lot to do between now and then, just to get the girls settled into school.  They start on Monday and I disappear the next Sunday, so that's a lot of transition in just a little time.  We can do it, though.  Rick and my mom are both awesome, plus we have several good friends offering help along the way.  Go Team Denson!

Speaking of, I'm off to Meet the Teacher for Mariela, so I think that's it for the update this time.  Shortest version: more of the same.  Babies and I are still doing great and in this for the long haul.

Pics

I didn't have the ultrasound pics with me yesterday, but you weren't missing much. From our not-so-hot sonographer:

Hmm. Anyway. 

I took this in the bathroom at Costco this morning. I just got this XL maternity shirt yesterday (most of my tops are mediums), expecting it to last to the end of the pregnancy. Maybe not. 

Those shorts went into the not-anymore pile as soon as I got home. I'm rapidly losing wardrobe options.  Babies have been super active this morning. Maybe they're planning on adding on an addition or something. They're definitely claiming their space!

26 weeks

I almost typed "28 weeks"-- I guess I'm trying to fast-forward.  No reason to, though.  All is well and just about the same as it's always been.  That's a good thing!

I had an appointment with Dr. Haeri this morning.  Unfortunately, the sonographer this time was not the best.  She was new to the office and just thoroughly confused by the triplets.  She had B labeled as A and A labeled as C, even with me (nicely!) correcting her.  After she had done all of the measurements on "A" (B), she decided to go "check with a colleague" to be sure the labeling was right.  And it was wrong. Oof.  Dr. Haeri came in and stood over her for a while (and he and I had a nice chat while he was in there), but the whole thing was kind-of a mess.  After she was done, Dr. Haeri ended up re-measuring some things that were clearly off.  Just a long and somewhat frustrating experience.

But all's well that ends well.  Since Dr. Haeri did the scan at the end of the appointment, I got to see some things I'd never seen before, like specific structures in the brain that he pointed out.  And the neatest thing was when he put the ultrasound thing very low on my pelvis, where Baby A's head is, Baby A was staring right at us and Dr. Haeri pointed out his tongue moving.  It was so cool!  Then he moved so we got a profile image so I could watch Baby A swallow-- I saw his whole jaw move and then his tongue.  Really the coolest thing.

Anyway, the babies all look good.  A is HEAD DOWN (atta boy!) and B and C are both breech.  Well, actually C was transverse (laying across the top) when we started, but then moved to breech.  That one is always moving on those scans!  I don't usually feel him all that much, except when we go see musicals (saw one this past Saturday)-- then he goes crazy and moves all around.  He likes musicals, because he has good taste.  Like me.

Size-wise, here's what we're looking at:
Baby A - 67th percent - 967 grams - 2 lbs. 2 oz.
Baby B - 31st - 853 grams - 1 lb. 14 oz.
Baby C - 50th - 914 grams - 2 lbs.

Worth mentioning: Baby A was totally crowding out Baby B-- he had her smushed up against the left side of my uterus and his abdomen was pressing on hers so much that there was some guesswork in getting the actual measurements.  But assuming these are dead-on accurate, the sizes are great-- B is 88% of A's size, which is about how she tracked last time.  they're all 2 pounds +/- 2 ounces.  Six pounds of baby in there!

Side note: back off a little, A.  B needs some room to grow.  Her competitive storage container would like to see her at 50%+ like her brothers.

My cervix is still "padlocked" and measuring over 4 cm.  No funneling.  No dilation.  Based on it's stubbornness (in a good way!), Dr. Haeri said he thought I had 3-4 weeks to go at a minimum, so he was completely confident our move to Houston in 2 weeks would allow plenty of time.  That's a good thing.

He said if the babies were born right now, it would need to be a C-section because of their size.  But if they continue to grow as they are now, by 30 weeks, he thought I'd be an ideal candidate for vaginal delivery.  He said there are still lots of factors to consider and Bob (Dr. Carpenter) will know exactly what to look for, but so far, so good.  So that's good news too!  See?  Frustrating appointment to start with, by Dr. Haeri makes it all better. 

Weight gain as of today: 45.7 lbs.  Aaaoooooga!  And people have crossed the line from "interested" to "concerned."  When we went to that show on Saturday, some guy tried to make me take his seat (I was standing) in the hall/waiting area, and then two separate women asked me during intermission if I was ok and if I was going to make it through the show.  Doing fine, people!  2.5 months to go!  Don't try to slow me down now!

I'm also getting all kinds of questions about when I'm going to go on bed rest.  Um, hopefully never?  I mean obviously I will if it's needed, but unless there's a medical indication for it (like preterm labor), there's no reason to think I'll have bed rest. 

I was talking to M today about how I still get nervous before appointments, because I know this is still a high-risk pregnancy.  But we both agree that it's amazing how smoothly it's gone.  So far (knock on wood), we've dodged every bullet.  Just your average singleton pregnancy, in triplicate.  And I've said it before, but I am so, so grateful for every day that keeps going like this.  Don't ever think I take it for granted, because I fully appreciate the blessing we've been given.

Babycenter says:

How your baby's growing:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about 1 2/3 pounds and measures 14 inches (about the size of a scallion) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-26-weeks_1115.bc

But our babies are rockin' this prenatal stage more than the generic babycenter baby.  They're probably in there doing calculus and discussing strategies for world peace.

I think that's it for now ("that's it"-- as if I haven't written a short novel here).  Last appointment with Dr. Haeri is in 2 weeks.  He said it would just be a quick cervical check and peek at the babies.  And then that weekend, I'll be off to my new (temporary) home in Houston.  Until then, I'll just be hanging out, trying to stay cool in this fantastic 106 degree Texas summer.  Good times!

Parlor trick

What I see when I look down:

 

 

What the world sees:

 

That's Mariela's new hiding spot.  I literally cannot see her if she sits at my feet. 

Don't know why she looks so grumpy in this pic-- she wants to do a retake later on, so I may switch out the pictures.  :)

25 weeks

25 weeks and truckin' along.  Still walking a mile most mornings to get Mariela to camp.  Still crashing most afternoons by 3 or 4, but getting a second wind a little later on.  Babies are moving a bunch.  They had a couple of slower days, but today, they're all keyed up and bouncing around.  The movements are more central and high, so maybe Mr. A has decided to flip head-down?  That would be lovely.

I see these weekly surveys on other journals, which I'm not keen to do, but I will mention that my belly button is still an innie and I don't seem to have gained any new stretch marks, though in time, I suspect both of those things may change.  Instead of stretch marks, I sport bruises from my lovely Lovenox injections.  Oh well-- those will go away.

I have now gained 41.8 pounds, putting me just over the big 2-0-0 mark (200.8).  I am officially putting aside Dr. Luke's 54-pounds-by-28-weeks goal, because I feel confident that (a) I'm eating well and (b) I'm eating all I can, so (c) que sera, sera.  The amount I'm gaining is the right amount to gain, whatever that is.  Look at me, bring all Zen.  Plus, I don't think we're going to be delivering close to 28 weeks (no guarantees, I realize), so I'm thinking we have some extra time to grow.

Don't think that means I'm retiring my weight gain spreadsheet.  No sir!  That goes with me to the bitter end.  I may be Zen, but I'm Zen with statistics! 

Here's what babycenter says about 25 weeks:

How your baby's growing

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — 1 1/2 pounds — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-25-weeks_1114.bc

Dude, babycenter, get with the times.  These babies were a pound and a half last week.  Looks like I can't refer to the ruler at my desk for their lengths anymore.  Kids grow so fast.  I'm sure they all have hair already, though it's still so hard to imagine three little bodies, three little (hairy) heads, 30 fingers, 30 toes.  Will that ever seem real?  Maybe when they're born?

All in all, not a very exciting week (though I am still very happy about the passed GTT-- 98!).  Next Friday, I have an appointment with Dr. Haeri, and then I'll have another probably two weeks after that.  Three weeks and a couple of days from now, I'll be in Houston.  Starting to count down...

Dream

 

First, news updates:

 

1.  I got a message this morning with my GTT results: 98!!!!  That deserves 4 exclamation points, because it seriously doesn't get any better than that.  They want under 140 and I gave them about a perfect 100 (two points lower probably because we were about 4 minutes late doing the draw).  Yes!  No gestational diabetes for this girl.

 

2.  I got to X out the "liver" box on my Brewer Diet checklist last night.  Ate some Chicken Liver Mousse at a neighborhood restaurant.  The diet says liver is once a week, and optional (because of the yuck factor).  I may just have it once in this entire pregnancy, but goshdarnit, I did get it once.  I have some leftovers in my fridge, but I may give it to my mother, who actually likes liver.  It wasn't bad, just not necessarily something I'd seek out.

 

Now my second crazy delivery dream of this pregnancy (brought on by liver?):

 

I don't remember all of the details, but labor went very quickly and painlessly at M and N's house and the babies were delivered in their basement (which doesn't exist, by the way).  The babies were big and healthy.  It was right after 28 weeks, so I had just moved down there.  One of my immediate concerns was my yet-unused Book of Mormon ticket, so I decided I would stick around for 2 weeks and nurse the babies, then leave after I got to see the show.  Priorities.

 

The family swept the babies away upstairs and I stayed in the basement to recover.  The next day, when I finally went back upstairs, one of the babies had been taken on a walk, but one boy and the girl were still at the house.  The were big-- like 3-month-olds-- and had full trunk control, a full set of teeth (baby teeth this time-- not big flashy teeth like my last dream), and they could TALK.  These were some advanced babies!  They told me their names were Aidan Patrick and Erika (specifically with a "K").  I said "so it must be Christopher that's on the walk?" and they confirmed that it was-- and when I looked outside, I could see him chatting up his grandparents.

 

I tried to feed them and Erika politely told me they weren't really into that.  They were both very articulate and I was really awed by how incredibly advanced they were.  And then I woke up.

 

So, since the last dream, the babies got much larger (last time they were guinea-pig-sized), but their teeth got much smaller.  At least the delivery was easy both times!

 

 

News

1)  I went and took my glucose tolerance test this morning.  This time around (my 5th one ever), I got clear lemon-line glucose drink instead of the usual orange variety.  Spicing things up!  I started feeling pretty crumby about 10 minutes before the blood draw, but that's not so bad.  When the tech took me back, she started to have me sit in a regular chair (with an L-shaped arm rest) and then decided I wouldn't fit in that chair and she didn't want to smoosh me, so she brought me to a room with a cot instead.  LOL!  That was a first for me.  Results in a few days, I guess.  I don't really know if Dr. Haeri's office will call or if I have to wait until next week.

2) I noticed yesterday that I can't see my feet when I'm going down stairs.  It's surprisingly unsettling-- I didn't realize that I watched my feet, but I guess I do!  So now I'm sure to have a hold on the handrail.  I don't need to be tumbling down the stairs.

3) Just before I started typing this, there was a large, hard baby part jutting out right above my belly button.  I have no idea what it was-- it was about half the size of my fist.  I felt around trying to decipher what it could be (butt? head? shoulder?), but got nowhere and then it disappeared.  Don't mind me.  Just sprouting random appendages here.

4) I managed to buy the very last single seat to Book of Mormon, thanks to a good friend with a swanky AmEx card (it was a restricted seat).  So I have a date with myself (+3, I suppose) on 9/12.  See?  Booking up my Houston social calendar already. 

24 week photos

24 weeks:

Comparison:

Belly circumference today is 44"!  Biggest I've ever been.

24 weeks

Let's say that again: 24 weeks, babies!  Woohoo!

Since I already gave the baby update yesterday, here's the weight update.  +39 lbs.  Observe:

Ok, truthfully, I weighed myself 5 or 6 times this morning and the scale was totally inconsistent, so I took the highest number.  That may be cheating a little, but I'm ok with it.

The other thing I did this week but failed to report on was pose for maternity photos.  My friend Marco Hanson was looking to build up his maternity portfolio and happened to know a willing model.  So he came over on Wednesday night.  Here's what he's put up on facebook:

So that was fun.  :)  And nice documentation of what will surely be the only time I'm ever pregnant with triplets.  Thanks, Marco!

I've felt better since my complaining early in the week.  Still getting tired pretty easily, but I think Dr. Haeri's comments gave me some renewed energy.  Easiest triplets ever, right here.  Oh yeah.

I finally called this morning and made my appointment with Dr. Carpenter.  His assistant remembered me from the April phone consult, which is pretty amazing.  Our first appointment is September 3 at 10:00 am.  Starting my time in Houston off with a bang!

Real quick (Rick is about to pick me up for a company picnic), here's the babycenter update:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at about 1 1/3 pounds. Since he's almost a foot long (about the size of an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

 http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-24-weeks_1113.bc

And what they say fraternal twins look like right now:

+ 1 and all in the wrong positions, but it gives you an idea.

Ooo, and even better-- a medical illustration of 24-week triplets, albeit a little small:

Ok, gotta run!  24 weeks and all is well!

Speaking in superlatives

So beyond pretty pictures, here's how my appointment went.

 

The sonographer was terrific.  I wish I could remember her name, but for whatever reason, I drop the poor sonographers' names as soon as they same them-- inconvenient mental block.  But it was her birthday and she did great.  Immediately labeled the babies and kept track of who was who, got great views on everyone.

 

Baby A is breech, as he has been pretty much the entire time.  He and I are going to have to talk about that, because I need him to be head down.  You hear that, Mr. Man?  It's time to stop sitting on my cervix and get your head down there.  But he is still a big boy.  He weighs 1 lb., 8 ounces and is in the 64th percentile as compared to singletons (where 50% is average).

 

 

Miss Baby B changed position a bit during the ultrasound, but she was cephalic (head-down) for the most part.  She also enjoyed kicking Baby A in the head (she's trying to tell you to do what you're supposed to, A!  Listen to your sister!).  She is now the most petite of the trio, weighing in at 1 lb. 5 ounces.  That puts her in the 25th percentile for singletons, but the more important measure is that she is 87% of her biggest brother's size, which is still comfortably in our hoped-for range of everybody being within 20% of each other.

 

 

Baby C is all over the place.  Breech, then transverse, then head-down.  He's a free spirit, or maybe just a camera hound, since he ended up positioning himself quite nicely for his 3D face pics.  He's probably stayed the most consistent in growth percentiles, but that's now earned him a #2 spot in terms of absolute size.  He is 1 lb., 6 ounces-- 37th percent in the growth percentiles and 92% of big brother A's weight. 

My cervix is completely unchanged-- long and closed, mucous plug intact, no sign of any kind of change whatsoever.  Dr. Haeri said "Bob [Carpenter] is going to love this cervix!"  My personal highlight of the appointment, though, was when he said:

"These are the easiest triplets I've had in at least four years."

YES!  I mean, I'm not competitive or anything (ha), but I do love me a superlative.  Not easy-- EASIEST.  Good job, babies!  Good job, me!

So assuming all stays the same, I'll have two more appointments with Dr. Haeri before I pack my bags and head to Houston.  Completely happy staying on the "easiest" train, so I'll just claim my seat and stay here.  He gave me a lab slip for my glucose tolerance test/gestational diabetes screen, so I'll go in to the lab sometime in the next week to do that.  Not thinking it's going to be a problem, especially since my fasting sugar tested so low recently.

I will say that I'm inspired to stick to the danged Brewer diet.  I realize that Babies B and C are completely respectable sizes and, considering the margin of error, could even be as big as Big Bubba A.  BUT, even though I'm not competitive, at all, I would sure like them to jump up in the percentiles.  What do you say, babies?  Can we compromise on 51%?  Just a little above average?  Because I know you are above average babies.

If I'm this bad with pressuring babies in utero, don't you feel bad for my kids?  "An A, Andie, really?  Couldn't you try a little harder and get the A+?"  I'll pretend I haven't actually had that conversation.  Eek.

Ultrasound pics

Yesterday was my growth scan with Dr. Haeri.  I'll do a second post with a full update in a minute-- first, here are the pics I got (on a CD, so better quality than the prints).  C was the star of the show this week and poor Miss B got left out.  But pretty neat to see some of the 3D images now!

 

 

Baby A:

His hands were in front of his face, which obscures the 3D: 

Baby B:

Baby C:

Smiling:

How incredible is this??