Part 2 - Almost 20 week ultrasound

Brian loaded the pictures and video for me this morning! YAY!

The doctor's office called and wanted me to go in for another blood test to check my white blood cell count since it was so high last night. I'll be going into the lab tomorrow morning. I am feeling much better, tummy wise. Body wise, I am still SO TIRED and I've been in bed basically all day. Overall, much better though!

I woke up this morning to find an unwelcomed surprise...my first stretch marks! I knew they were coming, especially with the rate I have grown, but knowing still didn't help with that initial shock. They are SO UGLY!! I'll have to post a bare belly pic so you can see the beauty for yourself. YUCK! :) These ones have friends soon to follow so I better get used to seeing them.

OK, for the babies! Here is one baby with his hand over his face (from overhead):

And here a 3d shot of the same baby from a different angle. Amazing!!!

Here is the video of the wigglies:

Much Love,

Cindy

P.S. Congratulations to Karen who just delivered her beautiful triplets yesterday!

http://perkyovary.blogspot.com/

Almost 20 weeks - ultrasound appointment

Yesterday was quite a day. I went to bed the night before feeling just fine. However, I woke up around 5:30am violently ill. I vomited until there was nothing left to vomit. I then felt a tiny bit better and Brian rubbed my back until I went back to sleep. I stayed in bed until time to get ready for my appointment - I wasn't going to miss it. I ate a bit of food and drank some water, BUT, in about 30 minutes everything came right back up - everything, including a little blood. I couldn't even keep water down. I felt so terrible, body aching and sore. I was really concerned and glad that I already had a doctor's appointment.

So we went to Dr. DeVore's and had a good appointment. All babies are measuring well and everyone looks good. The babies have shifted just a bit with Baby A lying vertex (head down) on my right side and Baby B sitting breech (butt down) on my left side. Baby C is still laying stretched out across the top. The Dr. determined that Baby B and Baby C are both...BOYS! I just knew that Baby C (the oe lying across the top) was a boy...I just had a feeling. The Dr. could not, however, determine the sex of Baby A. The umbilical cord was laying right across the "bits", obstructing the view. So we can still go either way with that one. I was a little bummed because I just want to know! I have a feeling, though, that it is a boy. I don't know why, I just feel it. I thought it was a girl until the appointment and now I think I've changed my mind. Hopefully we'll see in another 3 weeks. At least we know the other 2 for sure! :)

Not only are the babies doing fine, but my uterus looks good and my cervix is measuring 3.4 centimeters which is good. No talk of cerclage (the stitch they put in your cervix to keep your uterus shut) yet! But back to the yucky stuff...I told the doctor about the vomiting and then called my OB's office on the way home. Of course they were closed for lunch so I went straight to bed and when the dr's office called me back a couple hours later, they told me to go immediately to labor and delivery which really surprised me. They were very concerned with the fact that I had been vomiting so much and that I couldn't even keep down water. Getting dehyrated would be really bad for the babies. Dehydration could affect the amniotic fluid and cause contractions and early labor which would have been detrimental to the babies. I was so worried about them!

So we went to the hospital and I got hooked up to a contractions monitor and a blood pressure monitor. No contractions and BP was fine. As it turns out I was VERY dehydrated. They wanted to hook me up with an IV but there was trouble getting the IV in. The first try was VERY painful since my vein would not hold up - it just collapsed and then bled like crazy. I actually had tears because it hurt so bad. It felt like the needle was in my bone or something. YUK! Second try was also unsuccessful. I guess when you are extremely dehydrated, your veins are weak and tend to collapse when you try to get a needle in them. 3rd try, in the elbow area - she didn't even try yo stick a needle in at that point because no veins were cooperating. 4th try - she moved to the other arm and eventually found a vein. Thank God! I couldn't take any more! They took some blood and got me on a drip to rehydrate me and also gave me some drug that made me woozy/sleepy but made my stomach feel better. We sat in the hospital for hours while I tried to get comfortable and just rest. I felt so miserable and poor brian was probably starving and tired, having to run to the hospital right after work. We were both exhausted. It was nice to have him there though. He was wonderful.

The lab results came back and my white blood cell count was very high. The doctor said he thought I had a flu/bug type thing. Which would explaing the body aches, excruciating stomanch pain, nausea and vomiting. I was initially concerned that the iron pills were the culprit since I don't digest well after taking them, but they probably just served to exacerbate the problem rather than to cause it. My ONLY real concern was the babies and if they would be OK since I was so sick. He said they were just fine! The placenta serves as a great filter to these types of bugs and he said there was nothing to worry about - nothing reached them. At that point, as crappy as I felt, I was SO RELIEVED. I was just so worried that if I had some type of infection that the babies would suffer. I was able to go home soon after that, with some instructions to have only clear fluids until the next day. I ate some soup when I came home and then PASSED OUT! Of course I woke up around 2am STARVING and now here I am typing this! Still feeling crappy but much better.

So, although it was a tough and exhausting day, we had a good outcome with the babies being healthy and with me getting better.

I will post the pictures and the video of the ultrasound tomorrow when I get Brian to help me copy/burn them. I don't want to wake Brian up to do it now...its 2:30am, you know! :)

It includes a 3d shot of one of the babies! I cried when he took the shot! It was AMAZING!!


Thanks for all your loving e-mails and nice comments. They make all the differnce!

Cindy

18w 6d Today - yesterday's ultrasound update

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday's 18 week 5 day appointment was good. My Mom went with me and we waited FOREVER but in the end it was a quick appointment with a good outcome. We had a quick ultrasound. The pictures are not so good for 3 reasons:

1. The dr. was in a rush
2. The machine was crappy
3. The babies were wiggly!

The important thing, however, is that everyone looked ok!


Baby A

Baby B

Baby C

Currently they are in the same triangle position as before with 2 laying across the bottom , head to toe (which explains why I am so wide across the bottom!) and one laying very high across the top of them. The one on top (baby c) has the most room which explains why I can feel that one moving so well! :) And they are HUGE! Approx. 6 inches from crown to rump each - My entire belly is "baby"! I can't get any wider so OUTWARD I will grow. They will likely get too crowded to stay in their current configuration and end up shifting positions. I wonder if I'll be able to feel it?

I have gained 12 lbs since the last time they weighed me at that office which means I have gained 25 LBS so far!!! WOW! No wonder everything hurts! I wish I were allowed to do SOME strength training because I feel like I am getting weaker and its getting harder to move around. I feel like if I were stronger I would have an easier time and less pain.

My blood pressure was just perfect - 110 over 70. That was a relief since high blood pressure is a risk for women pregnant with multiples. And if you remember, I was somewhat worried a few weeks ago because of all of the swelling. It turns out that those really bad swelling days coincided with the REALLY hot (106-108 degrees) days. So as long as I manage my body temperture well and keep cool, its manageable. I just lay down or elevate my feet and it gets better. I still am a little swolen and my feet hurt every time I get out of the shower but I cool off quickly.

My OB also reigned me in a little with my activity. I am now on a bit stricter version of the of my current modified bedrest situation. I basically need to be laying down most of the day. I am still allowed to run a couple errands a day (e.g. lunch with a friend, go to the bank, etc.) and I have a daily 10 minute walk but I need to be laying down when I am not doing these things. No sweeping through the house to "pick up" or straighten things. The housework is officially OVER. Thank God my sister has committed to coming over every Wednesday for a couple of hours to help with the house or whatever I need. I am SO GRATEFUL. Currently, I can still make dinner which is good. I still like to eat my food, when I am actually up for cooking! The Dr. said the better I do now at resting, the better chances the babies have of staying in there longer and the further we can push out my REAL bedrest which will further push out my hospital bedrest. This was VERY good news! The only thing that would change this, she said, was if Dr. DeVore decides I need real bedrest sooner. Let's hope he decides I am ok for a while! Next week is my scheduled 20 week appointment with DeVore. I am really looking forward to this one.

Pregnancywise, today has been a tough day for me. I have been very emotional and overwhelmed but I expect to have days like this with all that is going on and with all the hormones working inside of me!
I got info from the car insurance company that the car is going to take a couple more weeks. grr. and then I found out today that there is some problem with my health insurance coverage and bla bla bla...I may not be covered to see Dr. DeVore next week. I was on the phone with 3 different people trying to get things squared away. I have a new provider group (Phyicians Associates) and I have been told by several people that they are impossible to deal with and they deny eveything. But, how can they deny coverace for me to see my own perinatologist??? I am paying $700 a month for insurance and I am still fighting??!!? Seriosuly people! I won't find out for sure if I can see DeVore until possibly the day of the appointment. AAAGH! Some days I feel like every little thing is making this so hard!

I just have to hold on. I KNOW that God has a plan for us and that we will be fine no matter what. There is a reason he has entrusted us with these 3 babies. I just have to do my best and keep a good attitude so I don't lose my mind!!! I want to get so ticked off and have a really bad attitude sometimes- and I DO have those moments, trust me - but it is such a slippery slope. I can't afford to go there. I can't let myself get that stressed. I have to stay happy and calm for these babies! I have faith that everything will work and I need to stay focuesd on the blessings and the gift that all of this is. This chaos is an important time that will help strengthen us for tougher times that may come ahead. I KNOW worrying is useless and that worrying about insurance and money and the car and...everything - it will do nothing but stress me out. I KNOW this like I know my own name but sometimes its just so hard. Of course, as I was reading one of my daily scriptures today, I read the following:

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?.... Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?"

Matthew 6:25-27

Just perfect. Like it was handed to me. I know that I don't know the outcome of many situations in my life but I do know that I will have the strength to handle whatever comes along. I just have to remember sometimes. :)

Oh, I can't end this LONG POST on a "worrying" rant! Let's move to gratitude.

I am so grateful for the wonderful things that are happeining right now. We have been blessed with supportive and generous family and friends - so blessed. So many people, all across the country, are looking out for us and praying for us and our babies. Everything that is important to me - my family, healthy babies, my loving husband...I have everything I need. I am thankful.

Thanks for reading - love to all!

Cindy

16.5 week Ultrasound

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday was a long day for me as I had to go to 3 different doctors offices! And then I went to Babies R US - Thank God they have LOTS of places to sit with ottomans so I was able to elevate my feet! Babies R Us is the absolute best place for a pregnant woman (besides home) because of all the really comfy places to rest. :)

In the morning, we had our 16.5 weeks genetic ultrasound appointment with Dr. Devore. I get SO nervous before appointments with him! Thankfully, everything looked fine! Unfortunately, he was not able to see for sure the sexes of the babies. I was so bummed! We were REALLY hoping to find out yesterday. The Doctor did have a guess, just like last time. But when I asked how confident he felt about the guess and whether I can feel comfortable about just going with it he said "NO - just wait". Bummer! So we go back to see him in 3 weeks and HOPEFULLY we can see by then! Until then, should I share what his guess was or keep you waiting for another 3 weeks? Hmmmm...

Anyway, here are the babies:

Baby A - facing forward

Baby B - profile

Baby C - from behind

They are about 5 inches long (crown to rump) now!

As far as the pregnancy experience is going for me - the swelling in the feet/lower legs things is really painful. Last time they checked, my blood pressure was just fine but if this swelling continues to get much worse, I think I will call the doctors office. My next appointment is in 2 weeks.

Otherwise things are just fine and I am trying to enjoy each day. I can't wait until I can feel them move! I am really looking forward to that!!!

And how sweet is my hubby with his baby Elway jersey? He's too cute! And he's so excited about these babies! We are just so grateful and can't wait to finally see their faces and hold them. :)

Much Love to all!

Cindy

12.5w pre-update

Actually, it it was 12.5 weeks when I had the ultrasound and today I hit 13 weeks! Second trimester, here we are!!! I was really hoping to wake up feeling energetic and with no traces of nausea. NO SUCH LUCK! However, I am feeling better than I did a couple of weeks ago so I PRAY it keeps improving. I am feeling lots of relief since we've passed a real mark. First trimester down. 2 to go!
Now, for the real reason you came here...
I was actually waiting to update because Brian is still working on getting the DVD we got from the fetal diagnostic specialist converted to something I can post. Unfortunately, I have no photographs but we have a live recording of the ultrasound! So hang tight and I'll give you all the details very soon.
Most importantly, everything seems ok so far. Stay tuned and I'll give the complete update ASAP!

11.5w Update

Baby A - not as hyper, still the largest

Baby B - kept moving!

Baby C - as before, the most active!

Hi everyone!

Sorry it took so long to do an update. We were having computer problems and were unable to scan the ultrasound pics.

Thursday's ultrasound was OK. I was unable to get in with the new OB in time so I had to see the old doctor one more time since she wanted to make sure I was scanned one more time before hitting the 12 week mark.

The appointment was not as reassuring as we were hoping for but everything that was measurable looked fine. All 3 measured the right sizes (each about the size of a lime) and there were 3 heartbeats. However, the doctor focused a long time on one of the babies and was a bit concerned since she could not clearly see or measure the shape of the head or brain. There was nothing in the way or anything but she said it might just be her machine. Now that they are bigger (they have doubled in weight in one week!) there are so many more intricate details and her ultrasound machine is just not as advanced as other machines. We are hoping that it was just her machine. We were able to see everything clearly with the other 2 babies.

I am seeing the high-risk doctor next week and he's got super advanced machines so hopefully we'll be able to see everything clearly enough to be definitively sure of what's going on with each of them. How nerve racking this process can be!

So I have 2 appointments next week:

-One with our new Obstetrician, Dr. Lantry - Just a first meeting with her and an ultrasound scan.

-And one with the High Risk Maternal/Fetal specialist, Dr. Devore, for 1st trimester screening. This one is basically an hour-long ultrasound exam and is very in-depth. This is the appoinment at which they will be able to determine for sure that everyone is OK and that there are no defects or chromosomal abnormalities. Your prayers are definitely appreciated!!

Pregnancy-wise, I am still really tired but I am doing fine. The morning sickness and headaches have not yet disappeared but I am managing. The hot flashes are still in full force! And this pain in my pelvis is really something. Those 3 are really making room in there! I am looking forward to feeling better and having more energy very soon so I can get back to seeing my friends! I rarely leave the house or have people over. Its too exhausting! If you haven't seen me in a long time, thanks for your patience...i'm almost through this patch!

Brian is doing a good job taking care of things. I know that my not being allowed to work is best for me and the babies, but I just feel so bad for Brian since he's got to support us all and carry us on his "shoulders". What a good husband. As some of you already know, he lost his job on a Monday and we found out we're having triplets and that I am not allowed to work on a Tuesday - THE VERY NEXT DAY! Life is crazy! We keep hoping and praying for the best. While he's still job hunting, he has a part time job which willl definitely help. We're taking everything one day at a time.

I will be doing further updates here and NOT sending out mass e-mails. So be sure to bookmark the link and check back for updates!

Leave a comment to let me know you stopped by! :)

9.5 weeks Ultrasound Update

Hi Everyone! We had our 2nd ultrasound yesterday and everyone looks great! I couldn't believe how active they were - it was amazing! Everyone is measuring right on track (9 1/2 weeks), all 3 heartbeats still very strong and all looked very healthy. My doctor is graduating me to the OB sooner than expected since things look so great. This was very good news!

Attached are pictures of each baby (click on picture for larger image):


Baby A is shown upside down but facing forward.

Baby B is shown facing straight forward (the most compliant one!)

Baby C (showing its profile) was the most active, bouncing and waving its arms around like crazy, obviously taking after me (ha ha). I wish I had video to show you! The doctor and I were laughing so hard. The little one wouldn't stay still enough to get a good shot.

I am still extremely tired and very nauseous but I am doing well and very hopeful, taking everything one day at a time. The doctor gave me a prescription for nausea (WOO HOO!!!) so hopefully that will go away! It will be much easier to get the extra calories I am supposed to eat (900 more a day!) once I am not sick anymore. Thank God for Brian. He is being so wonderful and helpful - he is SO HAPPY!

The next appointment is in about another 2 weeks so another update will follow. Thanks for all of your love and prayers and positive words. Keep the prayers coming!

7w1d

To update all of you that have been following thus far, today's ultrasound was wonderful! There are 3 babies! Everything is in place (3 sacs, 3 strong heartbeats, all measuring at 7 weeks 1 day). The doctor was very pleased, saying that everything is in great shape so far. It was INCREDIBLE to see each heartbeat. My heart melted. We both were shocked! :) Attached is a picture of today's ultrasound - you can't see all 3 babies in the picture (just the one in the middle), but you can see all 3 sacs. I wish we had a better picture to share but I'm sure it will be much better next time! More to come - next ultrasound is in 2 weeks! Stay tuned and PLEASE keep the prayers going. Thanks to all of you for your constant prayers and support! :)