19 weeks

19 weeks and all is well!  Total weight gain: 23.5 lbs.  Oof!  Growing big babies now.

 

Here's a picture taken before last night's aqua yoga class.  I've enjoyed the class, but I think that might be my last one.  I'm just so done by the end of the day that it's hard to get out there, even for a lovely, relaxing time in the pool.  This is certainly more uncomfortable than I've been at this point of a pregnancy in the past-- but if I'm measuring at 30ish weeks, maybe that's not unreasonable or unexpected.  Size is part of it, heat is part of it, and, though I hate to admit it, age is probably part of it.  Pregnant with triplets at 35 is not the same as pregnant with one little girl at 22.  Go figure.

 

The belly is big enough at this point that it gets in the way of fun, every day tasks like: bending at the waist to pick up something on the ground (yet I keep trying), sitting down on (and getting up from) anything lower than a standard desk chair, getting through tight spaces (I am constantly underestimating my width and bumping into things).  All a small price to pay!  Bring on the belly if it means three big babies.

 

To help with the belly and at the suggestion of my midwives and others, I just order a Prenatal Cradle.  I struggled with guessing the size, but ended up with Tall/Small, which is supposed to be for 5'10" and up (I'm 5'9", but I have a long torso... I didn't want something too short) and up to 200 pounds.  I'm probably only a month (or less) from being over 200 lbs., but some of the reviews said it ran big, and I tend to carry my weight a little smaller than some people.  I don't know-- it was a crap shoot and the worst that happens is I order another one in a month.

 

 

 

Belly support won over that foot bath I posted a while back.  I still want that.  And a huge pillow.  I may be a tad needy at the moment.

 

 

 

Babies are doing well.  Little movements here and there.  Strong heartbeats when I checked on them yesterday morning.  Here's what babycenter says about them this week:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of an heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-19-weeks_1108.bc

I think the size comparisons are pretty unhelpful at this point.  Yes, they are each as heavy as a tomato.  But that's not a good visual reference at all, since they're much longer and skinnier.  Oh well.

I should mention, on a sad note, that the equivalent of today in our last pregnancy is likely when these babies' big brother passed away.  That morning, we all went to the anatomy scan and he was still alive and well.  But two weeks later, when it was confirmed his heart had stopped, he had not grown at all since that day, so we are left assuming he died soon after the ultrasound.  Just worth remembering.  You were special and you were loved, sweet baby.

As I'm typing this, Baby A (or possibly B?) is tap-tap-tapping me, as if to say "Don't worry!  I'm here! I'm fine!"  Yes, I know, baby!  All three of you are a-ok.  I still do not feel the worry that was always nagging me the last time around.  Sure, I like to check in and make sure everything's ok (and thank goodness for the Doppler), but there's an underlying trust and calm that, come October or November, we will get to meet three big, healthy babies.

Next up is appointment marathon on Wednesday, July 3.  Until then, adieu.

 

Future dentist?

Baby C-- whom I rarely feel-- went crazy today when I was at the dentist.  Maybe it was the reclined position (not one I'm usually in, even if I'm laying in bed) or maybe it was just genetics, but this kid had a big ol' party as soon as I got in the chair.  I was there for about an hour and he just kept kicking.  Funny.  No cavities, by the way. But I should floss more.  Now you know all my secrets.

Baby A and Baby B seemed to be wrestling earlier-- both active at the same time.  So I've actually felt all three today.  Always a good thing!  I really am excited that I'll just feel them more and more as time goes on.  They're already my buddies.

Doing well on eating again today.  I'm about 4 servings short on milk since we ran out this morning, but thanks to my lovely mother, I'm restocked as soon as I get home.  A week from today I get to see if all of this eating is spawning some massive growth in these babies.  Should be fun.

Appointment made

I called Dr. Dryden's office again this morning.  Her secretary is back in the office and, after taking my basic information, told me she was sorry, but Dr. Dryden was not accepting patients.  But I have a secret weapon!  I told her my doctor had spoken to her last week to get approval, and she told me she'd verify that and call me back.  And, sure enough, now it's all squared away and my first appointment is Friday, July 19! 

I'll be 22 weeks, which is when I should be scheduling another OB appointment with Dr. Uribe.  I'm still not really sure how this transitioning of care thing is going to work-- will I still see Dr. Uribe?  Or can I just see Dr. Dryden going forward?  I'd definitely like to continue seeing Dr. Haeri, until I relocate, but can I switch over the OB piece?  Questions I need to ask...  I'm thinking/hoping I can go ahead and switch at 22 weeks and this upcoming 20 week appointment can be my last with Dr. Uribe.

Soldiering on with the Brewer Diet.  It's work!  Last night, I was left having to make a huge, kind-of gross protein shake to hit all the categories-- but hey, I did it.  I think my planning is better today, so hopefully I can avoid a repeat.

And I am definitely growing.  This morning, feeling rather huge, I decided to measure my fundal height again.  I got 30 cm, up from 26-27, which would be the equivalent of three weeks of growth... since Thursday.  Holy moly.

Day 1

Happy to report that I checked off every box on my Brewer Diet checklist today. I drank half a gallon of milk. Holy cow (pun intended?).  

Also checked heartbeats again. I'm in the thick of paranoia these days- just too close to the time of the last loss. At the base of it, though, I do still really believe that everything will be fine. These babies are meant to be here. Anyway, everyone sounded good. Of course. 

Brewer Triplet Pregnancy Diet

More musing about food.  Apparently that's all I really think about.

Rather than eating whatever calories I can grab, I'd like to start following the Brewer Diet.  http://drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/id32.html  I'd looked at it before, but I wasn't at a point where I could handle  tracking food (this was when I was still queasy).  I think I can do it now.

The basics of the diet (adjusted for triplets) are: 3600 calories, 140-180 grams of protein, salt to taste, and unrestricted weight gain.  The research behind the diet supports its use "to prevent or treat various complications of pregnancy, including PIH (elevated blood pressure), edema (swelling), pre-eclampsia, eclampsia (toxemia), gestational diabetes, premature labor, anemias, abruption of the placenta, IUGR (intra-uterine growth retardation), and low birth weight (which can cause babies to be infection-prone)."  http://drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/id11.html

Here are the diet recommendations (which should eliminate the need to actually count calories/protein grams).  I added in red the corrections/additions for triplets.  They suggested either adding 4 more items in Group 1 or 2 in Group 4.  Or I guess you could get fancy and add 2 in Group 1 plus 1 in Group 4.  Living on the wild side.

You must have, every day, at least: * (plus 30 g protein and 500 calories for each additional baby)

1. Milk and milk products--8 choices [+4] 1 cup milk: whole, skim,1%, buttermilk 1/2 cup canned evaporated milk: whole or skim 1/3 cup powdered milk:whole or skim 1 cup yogurt 1 cup sour cream 1/4 cup cottage cheese: creamed, uncreamed, pot style 1 large slice cheese (1 1/4 oz): cheddar, Swiss, other hard cheese 1 cup ice milk 1 1/2 cup soy milk 1 piece tofu, 3"x3"x 1/2" (4 oz) 2. Calcium replacements--as needed (2 per soy exchange from group 1) 36 almonds 1/3 cup bok choy, cooked 12 Brazil nuts 1 cup broccoli, cooked 1/3 cup collard greens 1/2 cup kale 2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses 4 oz black olives 1 oz sardines 3. Eggs--2 any style 4. Protein Combinations--12 choices** [+2] 1 oz lean beef, lamb, pork, liver, or kidney 1 oz chicken or turkey 1 oz fish or shell fish*** 1/4 cup canned salmon or tuna 3 sardines 3 1/2 oz tofu 1/4 cup peanuts or peanut butter**** 1/8 cup beans + 1/4 cup rice or wheat (measured before cooking) beans: soy beans, peas, black beans, kidney beans, garbanzos rice: preferably brown wheat: preferably bulgar 1/8 cup brewer's yeast + 1/4 cup rice 1/8 cup sesame or sunflower seeds + 1/2 cup cup rice 1/4 cup rice + 1/3 cup milk 1/2 oz cheese + 2 slices whole wheat bread or 1/3 cup macaroni (dry) or noodles or 1/8 cup beans 1/8 cup beans + 1/2 cup cornmeal 1/8 cup beans + 1/6 cup seeds (sesame, sunflower) 1/2 large potato + 1/4 cups milk or 1/4 oz cheese 1 oz cheese: cheddar, Swiss, other hard cheese 1/4 cup cottage cheese: creamed, uncreamed, pot style 5. Fresh, dark green vegetables--2 choices 1 cup broccoli 1 cup brussels sprouts 2/3 cup spinach 2/3 cup greens collard, turnip, beet, mustard, dandelion, kale 1/2 cup lettuce (preferable romaine) 1/2 cup endive 1/2 cup asparagus 1/2 cup sprouts: bean, alfalfa Adapted from Eating for Two, by Gail Brewer and Isaac Cronin, from Right from the Start, by Gail Brewer and Janice Presser Greene, from The Pregnancy After 30 Workbook, edited by Gail Brewer, and from The Brewer Medical Diet for Normal and High-Risk Pregnancy, by Gail Brewer and Tom Brewer, MD. * Each food you eat may be counted for one group only (in other words, count 1/4 cup cottage cheese as either 1 milk choice or 1 protein combination choice, not both). ***Due to mercury content, do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish --You may eat up to 12 oz a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury: shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, catfish --Albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna, so you may eat up to 6 oz of albacore tuna per week. ****Some sources suggest that one possible source of peanut allergies in children may be an excess consumption of peanuts by their mothers during their pregnancy. If you know of any documentation about this, please let me know. Here's one source of peanut allergy information Here's another source for info about peanuts and soft cheeses See Q&A section here for info on why not to use protein drinks See here for information on the hazards of herbal diuretics in pregnancy 6. Whole grains--5 choices 1 waffle or pancake made from whole grain 1 slice bread whole wheat, rye, bran, other whole grain 1/2 roll, muffin, or bagel made from whole grain 1 corn tortilla 1/2 cup oatmeal or Wheatena 1/2 cup brown rice or bulgar wheat 1 shredded wheat biscuit 1/2 cup bran flakes or granola 1/4 cup wheat germ 7. Potato--1 choice Whole potato, any style, but preferably baked or boiled with skin. 8. Vitamin C foods--3 choices 1/2 grapefruit 2/3 cup grapefruit juice 1 orange 1/2 cup orange juice 1 large tomato 1 cup tomato juice 1/2 cantaloupe 1 lemon or lime 1/2 cup papaya 1/2 cup strawberries 1 large green pepper 1 large potato, any style 9. Fats and oils--5 choices 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 1 tablespoon mayonaise 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/4 avocado 1 tablespoon peanut butter++ 10. Vitamin A foods--1 choice 3 apricots 1/2 cantaloupe 1/2 cup carrots (1 large) 1/2 cup pumpkin 1/2 cup winter squash 1 sweet potato 11. Liver--at least once a week (optional) 4 oz liver beef, calf, chicken, pork, turkey, liverwurst 12. Salt and other sodium sources--unlimited table salt, iodized--to taste sea salt--to taste kelp powder--to taste soy sauce--to taste 13. Water--unlimited Drink to quench thirst, but do not force fluids Real juice or milk might make better use of limited stomach space. See more info about water here Avoid pregnancy teas and juices which include nettle, dandelion, alfalfa, bilberry, or celery (they have diuretic properties). 14. Snacks and additional menu choices--4 or more Dried Fruits: Raisins, apples (1/2 cup) Dates, prunes (5) Figs, pear halves (3) Apricot halves (12) Pure Juices (100% with no sweeteners): Apple, grapefruit (1 cup) Apricot, orange, peach, pear (1/4 c.) Grape, cranberry (2/3 cup) Nuts/Seeds: Pistachio nuts (35) Peanuts (20) Peanut butter (1 Tbsp) Almonds (18) Pecans (12) Cashews, walnut halves (10) Macadamia, chestnuts (6) Brazil (4) Pumpkin, seseme, or sunflower seeds (2 Tbsp) Soy nuts (1/2 cup) Other: Black olives (14) Avocado (1/3) Malted milk powder (1 Tbsp) Brewer's yeast (4 Tbsp) can be added to granola, muffins, or bread dough Cheese Carrot Sticks Fruit More foods from groups 1-11 15. Optional supplements--as needed Vitamin pills, powders, herbs, yeast, oils, molasses, wheat germ, etc. "Note: Vitamin supplements are in routine use in prenatal care; they do not take the place of a sound, balanced diet of nutritious foods." (The Pregnancy After 30 Workbook, ed. Gail Brewer, 1978) (Floradix is the best iron supplement I know of, as needed) For more information about Floradix see here Avoid supplements which contain nettle, dandelion, alfalfa, bilberry, or celery (they have diuretic properties). ++See peanut caution in previous column

 From http://drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/id9.html

The website also gives a printable checklist, but I think I'll go ahead and make my own, so I can easily use it without having to do the add-something-here for triplets bit.  (This is my Type A personality coming out again.)  I'm going to add 2 proteins rather than 4 milks.  8 servings of dairy is already a lot.  I'm also taking off water, salt, and supplements, because I don't feel like I need checkboxes for those.

Ok, here are my printable PDF files, on the off chance some future triplet mama is looking for such a thing:

Checklist

Categories

18 weeks

HALFWAY TO 36!  Woohoo!

Weight: 177.3.  Ha!  Overshot the weight goal, so perhaps I don't have to be quite so miserable around food after all.  The good news about gaining so much this week is it takes the pressure down for the remaining weeks to 24-- I can aim for 2.8 lbs./week instead of 3.7 and still hit 36 lbs.  That's good.  2.8 seems almost reasonable.

I checked the babies' heartbeats this morning even though I saw them all yesterday (twice), since I'm still in paranoia stage.  All present and accounted for.  Their positions have shifted slightly, so I have a harder time finding them immediately-- I need to learn the new spots.  A has moved slightly to the right.  B is holding steady on the mid left.  C is still at the top and maybe a little to the left, but the top is moving up, so when I start looking at my belly button, that's too low. 

I called Dr. Dryden's office this morning, but her secretary is out, so I couldn't schedule the appointment.  They took my information and she will call me back.

Went to aqua yoga again last night, in a bikini no less.  The bathing suit I wore the week before didn't feel secure enough on top, so the bikini worked better.  I am not a bikini-in-public person-- I've always been way too self conscious.  But I figure 8 women in a yoga class are not a judgmental audience, and nobody's going to be too critical of a big ol' belly anyway.  It was a good class.  I've paid for one more already, so I'll at least go one more week-- hate to guess how I'll feel after that, so I take it a week at a time.

Baby A is moving right now.  I still feel B and C less frequently, though B is the one that gives me a good solid kick every now and then that I think I can feel on the outside.  It's still very infrequent and not at all predictable, so I can't share it with anyone else just yet.  C's claim to fame is that if I feel around on my belly, I can usually tell where he is (because there's a lump).  So they each make their presence known in their own way.

Here's what babycenter says this week:

How your baby's growing:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long, and he weighs almost 7 ounces (about the size of a bell pepper). He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

That's it for now.   18 weeks and all is well!

My love continues...

Dr. Haeri wins the day, again.  He called Dr. Dryden and I am IN.  Yay!  He said she's happy to see me, he's already sent over my records, and now I just need to call tomorrow to set up an introductory appointment in the next few weeks.  When I meet her in person, we can make a plan for the rest of the pregnancy.  Super excited.  Hooray!

Appointment update

 

Just two pics today-- not sure why Baby C got left out of the mix, but he did.  That's B facing to the left on top and A facing right on bottom.

 

Both appointments went well.  At Dr. Haeri's office, the sonographer did a quick scan of each baby and then measured my cervix.  Dr. Haeri said he (the sonographer) was not generous with the measurement, but it was still over 4 cm, so things are looking good.  All activity stays the same.

 

The next appointment (July 3 at 1:30) will be another full growth scan, plus an echocardiogram of at least one of the babies-- maybe two.  All three will get echos eventually, but it takes so long that they don't want to stack them all together-- for both my and the sonographer's sakes.  The reason for the echocardiogram is that multiples have a higher risk of heart defects.  So the echo should identify whether there's anything to worry about (it doesn't look like there is).

 

Then I went upstairs to Dr. Uribe.  Not much going on up there-- peed in a cup, weighed in, and he did another ultrasound, just to get heart rates (151, 151, and 157-- they were all a little higher downstairs).  Oh-- blood pressure too, which was 112/74 or something like that.  He measured my fundal height and it's right where I had measured myself-- about 26 weeks.  My next appointment with him is also July 3, at 11:30.  He doesn't usually do Wednesday appointments, because that's when he schedules surgeries, but he was nice enough to override the black-out on the schedule, so I didn't have to make two trips.

 

One other thing from Dr. Haeri-- he said he was going to call Dr. Dryden in Houston before our next appointment and figure out what she was comfortable with, in terms of my transferring care down there (hopefully she's comfortable with it at all!).  He said he thinks realistically, I need to be in Houston at about 28 weeks, which is (a) earlier than I had expected and (b) pretty much right at September 1.  It will take some work to get my mind around missing (if all goes well) a full two months of the beginning of the kids' school year, but I know it'll work out and be fine.  Hope M, N, and A are ready for a long-term houseguest!

Belly

I'm off work today- some random holiday. Greta has found good use for the bump.

Food diary

Imagine finishing Thanksgiving dinner, feeling uncomfortably full, and then starting over from the beginning.  That's my life and why food is not my friend at the moment.  To give you an idea of why, here's the menu today:

Breakfast [already eaten]:
3 protein pancakes (made this weekend-- egg whites, cottage cheese + oats), maple syrup, whipped cream (also made this weekend)
protein shake (half a banana, 1 T cocoa powder, 3 T peanut butter, 2 scoops protein powder [48 g protein], about 8+ ounces whole milk, ice)

Mid-morning snack [already eaten]:
banana
egg, cheese, soy chorizo, pico breakfast taco that Rick brought me (thanks and yuck)

Lunch [coming soon]:
baked ziti (Rick made this weekend-- heavy on lean ground beef, provolone, and sour cream)
2 pieces garlic bread
avocado

Afternoon:
strawberry greek yogurt or chocolate pudding or cottage cheese and pineapple or some combination of the three (will play it by ear)

Dinner:
TBD.  Whatever Rick makes me eat.  Will include vegetables, since I'm light on those so far today.

Evening Snack:
Probably cereal and whole milk.  Maybe strawberry/rhubarb and ice cream if that sounds better.

That is a TON of food. 

On the plus side, I was up not-quite 2 lbs. from Friday when I sneaked a weight check this morning.  So I may hit the 4 pounds this week, which would make up for the (slight) shortfall last week.  Or I won't, but I'll be over 3, which I'm considering the minimum goal.

Today I added conditional formatting to my excel spreadsheet, so the cells turn yellow when I gain 3+ pounds in a week and green when I hit the 36 lb. goal.  Because I'm a nerd and I'll take motivation where I can get it.

Unrelated-- this morning, I had my hand on the top of my uterus and I think I felt Baby C kick, from the outside.  It's a little hard to tell for sure, since I feel it on the inside too, but maybe?  Mariela patiently tried to feel for about 10 minutes, but he didn't want to perform any more.  They've all been less active this morning.  Probably crowded out from all the food.

Belated Father's Day

I got a text from M on Saturday, from somewhere very far away that I'd like to be right now.  Good to hear from him and know that everyone's having fun on their trip.  It may be a while before they venture out on another 3-week family adventure.  Ha!

The babies and I had a good, busy weekend.  We went to Mariela's dance show on Friday night and it was incredible, as always.  I checked heartbeats when I got home and found all three immediately.  Very convenient that they've chosen distinct real estate.

Right now, Baby A is moving like crazy, as he has been much of the weekend.  Hello, little man!  On Saturday, I had some iced tea (the rare appearance of caffeine in my diet) and he was moving SO much it made me laugh.  Definitely stepped up the activity level.

I still don't feel much of the other two, but I know it's a matter of positioning.  Just now I pushed on the left side of my uterus and I can feel something going on in there when I do that-- as I recall, Baby B's placenta is anterior (up front), which masks a lot of her movement.  And, so he wouldn't feel left out, I mashed down on the top of my uterus to say hello to Baby C and he kicked me too ("Lay off, woman!").  I don't remember where his placenta is for sure, but I think it's right at the top, so again, between the baby and the outside world.  I guess it's pretty likely that I'll always feel A the most.

Nobody else can feel them yet-- I think we're a month or so off from that.  The girls are really looking forward to it.

I'm starting to get a few "when are you due?" questions, and let me just say that November sounds really, really far away.  We haven't even officially started summer yet, and we have to get through the whole season before we're even close.  September 22, the first day of fall, will be just two days after I hit 31 weeks.  These babies know better than to show up during a Texas summer.

17 weeks

Ok, I'll admit it.  17 feels a little anti-climactic to me.  "You're halfway there!" people are insisting.  Nope, I'm not.  Next week I'll give it to you.  I have week-18 envy, I guess.

Weight this morning: 172.5, a gain of 3.4, which is just a hair off my 3.7 lb./week goal (which will get me both to the 36 lbs. at 24 weeks mark as well as the 54 pounds at 28 weeks goal-- oof).  Considering I just committed to that goal on Monday (thus losing a weekend of crazy eating), I think I did pretty well.  Yay me!  I never want to eat again, but... oh well.  There's an avocado sitting right in front of my keyboard, waiting for me to finish this post and eat it.  Can't wait.  Ok, not really.  It really isn't pleasant eating just for the sake of maximizing calories.

Here's what babycenter says about week 17:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-17-weeks_1106.bc

See?  Even babycenter is unimpressed this week-- that's about the shortest update ever.  And a turnip, really?  Boo.

Gosh, I sound grumpy and I'm really not.  I went to an aqua yoga class last night, taught by my friend Karen in her lovely, warm, saltwater pool.  That felt nice.  I don't really have any physical limitations at the moment, and I'm grateful for that.  I'm not going to go out and run a marathon, but at least I can walk to the parking garage!

Belly continues to grow like crazy.  I'm still only feeling movement here and there.  I can't remember if I mentioned it here, but I listened to the babies' heartbeats (all 3) on Tuesday and I'll probably listen again tonight.  That breaks my self-imposed only once a week rule, but I'll admit these are more worrisome weeks to me, since we lost the trio's brother at week 19.  So a couple of check-ins is worth the peace of mind.

I guess that's it.  Tonight we have Mariela's big dance performance and I'm looking forward to that.  Pretty busy weekend.  And then on Thursday, I have appointments with both Dr. Uribe (OB) and Dr. Haeri (MFM).  I guess then I'll find out if we keep on scheduling the appointments so I see both every two weeks, or if Dr. Uribe wants to change it up at all.

Facelift

I changed up the blog a little today, including renaming it.  Don't want anyone to get confused.

For your patience during our renovation, a belly pic (16w5d):

Rick and the girls claim I'm getting noticeably bigger by the day.  Glancing back at old belly pics from my pregnancy with Leo, I think I'm pretty close to the same size that I was at 24 weeks. 

 

Aside from the angle/pose/lighting, it's a little different because I weighed about 10 pounds more in this pic-- but I still think the belly is a similar size.  Maybe a smidgen bigger in the 24 week pic. 

Lovenox update

Today, someone asked about Lovenox in the Texas Surrogacy Facebook group.  I thought I'd take the  chance to give an update on my experience with it, since I think the last time I really talked about it was the first shot, back on March 16. Now, nearly 3 months in and approaching the 100-shot mark, I have some perspective.

First of all, I still think that YouTube video saying it is the worst thing ever is vastly overstating it. I have no special method for injecting. Usually I poke around a couple times, because I've learned some areas of skin are much more sensitive than others. When I find a good, numb-ish spot, I inject. Still don't love the whole spring-loaded retraction, but it's just annoying, not painful.  

About 25% of the time, it's a little uncomfortable when the medicine goes in. A bit of burning. I might take a sharp breath. Of those times, maybe another 25% (so we're down to 6% overall), the burning/discomfort lasts for a minute or three. But even on the worst days, that's it. 

And sometimes there's bruising. I haven't figured out the magic formula to avoid the bruises- I even asked the doctors and they said it is just blind luck, since there's no way to avoid capillaries.  It bruises maybe half the time?  Maybe slightly more. This is the current state of the belly:

There are about five areas of bruising there, out of maybe 9 or 10 days worth of shots. Some of the bruises have little knots under them too (a coworker was feeling my belly through my shirt and thought one of the knots was a foot!  Not yet!).  The knots go away as the bruise heals, unlike those horrible PIO knots that can last for weeks.  The little red dots you see are from some of my trial pokes when I was scouting for painless injection sites- sometimes the teeny pokes react like that. 

Anyway, all in all: no big deal.  I do dread doing them at night, but only because it's a chore and I'm tired of it. The only legitimate complaint is the bruising, and that's basically just cosmetic. If someone someday reads this before starting Lovenox, be confident that it the potential benefits far outweigh any related hassle.  Don't stress out about it.

Weight obsessing

So I've had this goal number of 36 lbs. by 24 weeks floating in my head, but I couldn't remember where it came from.  When I googled, Dr. Barbara Luke's book When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads came up.  On one hand, that book is something of a bible for multiple pregnancy.  Lots of good information.  On the other, Dr. Haeri told me not to read it, because it would drive me crazy.  Too late, because I read it three years ago.  But I haven't picked it up since.

Anyway, here's the section that mentions the 36 by 24 stat, which is apparently from a study, judging by the indication of a footnote (but I am lazy and not looking it up):

Ok, I'm convinced.  And I think if I eat like a crazy woman between now and then, I might make it.  I do need to amp it up, though-- I'm more on track to get to 30 lbs. by 24 weeks right now.

But then I read on.  The study talked about 36 lbs. by 24 weeks, but that's not Dr. Luke's suggestion.  Oh no, that would be too easy!  Here's her optimal weight chart:

Yeah, 35. lbs by 20 weeks isn't happening.  I love the trio, I love their family, I will do everything I can to grow them big and strong, but the likelihood of me gaining 24 pounds in the next three and a half weeks is approximately zero.

A little later in the book, she also says the 24 week goal for triplets is 45 pounds.  That seems more attainable than the 20-week goal, but still a huge stretch!

All the interest in weight gain came from my numbers-obsessed project of making an excel spreadsheet and scatter line graph of my gains so far.  Still a long way to go...

Movement

This morning, I thought about posting that I'm pretty sure I've now felt babies A and B, but not C.  I figured that C is the smallest and in the most awkward position for ultrasound, so maybe he'd take a while for me to feel.  But just now, I got a whole string of little flutters from the tip-top of my uterus, right where C hangs out.  So I think I've now officially felt all three.  Woohoo!

The movements are still not consistent at all, and I have to be still to notice, but I do love having little check-ins from my womb-mates.  I really can't imagine what it will be like when they're all kicking and rolling. 

Otherwise, all is well.  I feel like I've graduated from "is she pregnant?" to "she's pregnant!"  In other words: I'm big!  Way bigger than I've ever been at this stage of the game.

Visited the Capitol nurse this morning to double check my blood pressure.  When they checked it on Friday it was something like 122/76, which is normal, but high for me.  Just felt inaccurate.  And sure enough, when Tim checked today, it was 98/60.  I am a low blood pressure kind of gal.

16 weeks

So I already posted a spoiler, I suppose, by putting up all the ultrasound pictures.  The appointment went really well.  Yes, it really does take forever to measure every imaginable body part on three babies (about an hour and a half, I think).  Phew!  But at least I sat up and stretched between each one. 

They are all perfect and beautiful, per Dr. Haeri.  No concerns at all.  And they are definitely boy-girl-boy (A-B-C).

 

Baby A is breech at the moment.  He is in the 62nd growth percentile.

 

Baby B is cephalic (head down).  She is in the 55th percentile, I think?  Mid fifties for sure.

 

Baby C is cephalic.  He is in the 48th growth percentile.  He was the most active of the three-- it was hard to get the measurements on his extremities, because he was punching and kicking so much!

 

Dr. Haeri says that every time I come in, the two primary things they'll be looking for (now that we know everybody is completely formed correctly-- so all they need to do is grow) are (1) whether the babies' growth is concordant-- in other words, whether they're sharing resources nicely and all growing at the same rate and (2) what my cervical length is and if there have been any changes.

 

So this time, on point 1, they're looking super.  All in the same size range, all playing nicely.  He says this bodes well for the future, because usually when there is a major size discordance down the road, you can look back at the early ultrasounds and see that there were issues from the beginning.

 

On point 2, everything is also looking super.  My cervix was 4.57 cm (he wanted it over 2.5 cm), which he said meant it has a padlock on it.  Nothin's getting out of there.  He said that meant I should not cut my activity at all-- keep up full, normal activity.

 

He told me I should start taking 1500 mg in extra calcium, which is to counteract the negative effects on my bone density from being on Lovenox.  He recommends getting that by eating three Tums per day.  Tums kind-of freak me out (they look so chalky), but I will give it a college try, just for Dr. Haeri.  I'm already taking a calcium supplement and I eat a huge amount of dairy, so I think my bones are going to be super strong.

 

And that's about it from the appointment.  All good news.  That's how we like 'em.

 

So, as a general 16-week update...

 

I weighed 169.1 lbs. this morning.  I need to just decide where I'm measuring the weight gain from (starting weight 162ish, lowest weight 158ish), so I'm going to go for easy math and say 160.  I know I've probably debated this before in here, but this is my final answer.  So, 9.1 lbs. up at 16 weeks. 

 

I'm feeling good in general, though the summer heat is rough.  By the time I get home at night, I feel just... heavy.  Kind-of rundown, but not really sleepy.  It's better if I manage not to get too hot, but, well... that's getting more difficult, since it's June in Texas!  But really, overall, no complaints.  I feel like I'm doing pretty well at this point.

 

Here's what babycenter says about 16 weekers: 

How your baby's growing:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

And here's what they say twins would look like at this stage (just picture an extra head-down baby in the middle there):

I guess that's it.  Fun day today-- glad the trio is looking so good.  Keep growing, guys (and girl)!  From here on out, I'll be getting cervical checks with Dr. Haeri every 2 weeks, and growth scans every 4, in addition to the who-knows-how-often OB appointments.  Nobody will accuse us of having not thoroughly monitored this pregnancy!

 

Oh, and someone on facebook posted a picture of their kid with her feet in one of these:

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Foot-Baths-heated-foot-bath/dp/B000CMDS32/ref=pd_sbs_hg_7

 

That's pretty much a pregnancy essential, right?  For the swollen, tired feet?  Think I can convince Rick?  I think the triplets need one.

 

16 week ultrasound pics

Just a whole bunch of pics without any text.  I think they're all labeled, so hopefully pretty self-explanatory.  I'll come back and update in a bit-- short version: everything looks great!

And yeah, I was going to go edit out my full name and birthdate, but quite honestly, that information is a google search away anyway.  Have fun stalking me.  It's just too easy to upload all of these straight from the CD to worry about identity theft.

Hello!

Baby A just tapped me twice.  And wiggled a bit after that.  First movement I've felt!

B and C should follow soon-- I think A was bound to be first, because my waistband puts a little pressure on him, so it's easier to decipher what's going on.

Oh, I love this part.  Yay!

Delivery dream

I think it was Saturday night that I had a dream about delivering the babies.  Here it is:

I was already in the hospital, checked in for some kind of monitoring or something.  Two nurses came into the room.  One was still being trained and they asked me if it was ok for her to check me-- and of course, I was fine with that.  It was an internal exam, checking for dilation or something, and when she got started, her eyes opened really wide and she made some kind of surprised face.  The other nurse said something like "You've never felt triplets before, have you?"

So then I got distracted for a minute, figuring they were busy measuring or whatever, but next thing I know, Novice Nurse is handing babies over to the other nurse.  Just like that!  No labor, no pushing, they were just waiting there, ready to be handed out.  They were fully dressed (at birth) and about the size of guinea pigs.

I said something like "But I'm not even 30 weeks!"  The babies were completely fine and healthy, nobody seemed worried at all.  They handed me all three of them and left the room.

I thought I should call M and N, so I was trying to wrangle all three babies and somehow make the call at the same time.  Might have been possible, except the babies were super-squirmy and rolling all over the place-- I could hardly keep them in my arms.  Then I realized I didn't even know who was who.  I had two in my left arm and one in the right, and I looked to the right and said "you must be the girl" and she smiled at me with a full set of big, white, adult teeth.  And then the boys smiled at me too, also with big ol' teeth.  I thought they were all very cute.

And then I woke up.  Why are dreams so weird??

In any case, looking forward to Friday.  Rick got stuck on jury duty this week, so I don't know that he'll have the chance to come to the appointment after all-- bummer.  But I think the girls are coming with me in any case, so I'll have company for the loooooong ultrasound.  Eager to see the trio up close and personal. 

Belly progression

10 vs. 15 weeks

You can click on the picture to see it bigger.

So yeah-- thicker.  There's about 6-7 lbs. difference between these two pics and it's all in that mid area.  Organs squished upward, babies pushed outward.  Still lots of room to grow!