Weight Check/Doctor's Visit

If you can believe it the girls are 2 weeks old on Thursday! Amazing how time flies. Okay, probably more for you than us. I've felt every long day and am still very slowly recovering. I've never had a C-section before and had no idea until now how painful they are! Not to mention all the bed rest before hand and the fact that it was a triplet pregnancy it is taking a long time to recover and that is frustrating to say the least.

As for the girls they are doing surprisingly well. Whether it's because I'm not a first time mom or because my mom is still here (thank God!) it's going smoother than I expected. Exhausted, yes but they are good girls. If I could just recover things should be perfect. Ha ha!!

We went to the doctor today a bit early for their 2 week appt. but who cares? All the girls are beyond their birth weight which is awesome.

Julianna now weighs 5.8 lbs
Rachel now weighs 4.10 lbs
Alyssa now weighs 4.15 lbs

They are growing well which is a blessing and usually eating okay. Rachel does have reflux and we have increased her Zantac dosage so Lord willing that will help. She spits up a lot and arches her back in pain when she eats. I feel so bad for her tiny body.

Julianna got some bloodwork done for her low blood count (it was low when we left the hospital last week - this is a re-check) so hopefully things will be okay there.

Personality wise - they are so different! Julianna is still so laid back. Rachel is feisty but very sweet and Alyssa is loud and loves to cuddle. This is crazy amazing but Alyssa has already rolled over. I know it doesn't even make sense or seem possible but the child did it from her back to front twice at the doctors and front to back once! I have no idea how but she is a mover and can move herself off things already. It's a bit scary.

Kaitlyn and Caleb are adjusting pretty well. Kaitlyn has been a huge help as a big sister - she fed Julianna all by herself tonight. Wow! Caleb is trying to figure out his place but being the only boy and the life of the party helps. Nothing will stop him :) Can't wait till I can play with him more.

That's it for this tired and sore body. Hopefully our next post will include pictures of the girls at home! I also hope everyone continues to check the blog for progress reports on the girls - we're very happy to have them and have them home. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support during the pregnancy and to everyone who has helped and will help since. We can use all the hands we can get and are soooo thankful for all of you!! Praise God for your generosity and kindness.

More Pictures...

I just wanted to add more pictures of the babies and friends:

Julianna, Rachel, Alyssa, 3 bundles of joy.

Three bassinets made for a crowded hospital room.

Conniijo looks happy!

Tired babies make for happy Mommy! Triplets are a LOT of work.

We called in reinforcements! Carrie is holding Rachel, Joanna is holding Julianna, and Lea is holding Alyssa. At least that's what we told them. (:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our family has much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving though after last night sleep is not one of them :) The girls were discharged from the hospital late yesterday and we brought them home. They did great in the evening but of course when we were ready to go to bed Rachel and Alyssa were not! They fussed most of the night. I am a tad worried that Rachel has reflux like her big sister and we will discuss that with the doctor tomorrow when we go in for our appt. Thankfully we do have a lot of family in town to help and they can babysit while we nap :)

That is the update - the girls really are doing great. They are eating well and love to be held. Julianna is the most laid back and rarely cries - she slept through all the chaos last night. Rachel is the most vocal thus I'm worried about the reflux - lots of spitting and screaming. Alyssa is kind of in the middle and I think she just wants attention. So far they've held true to their personalities inside of me. I always knew Rachel was the most active and Julianna the most laid back! We all think because of Alyssa's position that she'll be the most cuddly. Of course, she may also be the most girly and photogenic. She was the easiest to capture pictures of before she was born. I'm writing all this down for everyone so we can see in a year or so how true my predictions are.

As for Kaitlyn and Caleb they are both doing well. All the extra family means extra attention for them which they like and Kaitlyn has just loved holding her baby sisters. She still gets excited about it. Again, we'll see how she's doing with in a few weeks!

Can't wait for all of you to meet them but just remember if you come over you will be put to baby work! They need lots of holding and feeding and I am still very, very sore from the surgery so I'm really trying to rest. Not always going so well though.

As soon as we can find the camera in all of our mess we'll post more pictres.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Mommy's Home!

Finally after almost 7 weeks in the hospital (47 days to be exact) I am now home from the hospital. Praise God! It was a very long haul. Physically I am still very sore and recovery has certainly been hard but I am glad to be out of the hospital and certainly my family is glad to be back to "normal".

As for the girls they are still in the hospital but may get to come home tomorrow. We will keep everyone posted. They are doing excellent but just not eating as much at a feeding as the pediatrician wanted plus they were all a little jaundice. So, they were under the lights for that and had tubes for feeding though they were mostly taking their feedings by bottle. The tubes are just for whatever formula they didn't finish in about 15 minutes. They were transferred to the NICU yesterday for the first time but again they shouldn't be there long. Please pray that they come home soon although I'm enjoying the day to get back into the groove here with my other kids as well as the extra chance to rest :)

The Girls meet Big Brother and Big Sister

Yesterday, Kaitlyn and Caleb came in to meet the girls. They had their "Sister of Triplets" and "Brother of Triplets" shirts. Grandma got to hold all three of them, doesn't she look proud?

Health wise, the girls are still holding on just above the borderline to keep them out of the NICU. This morning Julianna had to go under a special light treatment for jaundice, Alyssa isn't eating as well as the other two, and Rachel still won't nurse but will take a bottle. Dorinda is slowly recovering, lots of pain and moving slowly. Hopefully everybody will be well enough to come home on Monday.

Delivery Account

Hello! I am still alive though a lot sore and a bit groggy but the girls are doing great. They are still in the regular nursery though if anyone has trouble with their temperature or feeding they will be moved to the NICU. Alyssa seems to be having the hardest time with keeping her body temp regulated but she's been doing really well today. Yea! Praise God!

As for the delivery it went pretty smoothly even though our time kept getting pushed back due to emergency C-sections - those pesky people coming into the hospital in labor :) Funny thing though I got put on a contraction monitor every morning that I've been in the hospital and have hardly had any contractions but yesterday I got on and was contracting regularly. In fact, I continued to have contractions every 5 minutes until after the C-section! It seems that yesterday would've been the day no matter what. I was in labor and the girls were ready to come. I'm very thankful for the reassurance because the doctor came in Wednesday and asked how I felt about waiting another week! Since 37 weeks is not preemie he was thinking I could hold out a week more. He said it was up to me and obviously I opted to keep my date for yesterday. This pregnancy has been long enough - my hospital stay was forever (or so it seemed though I get comments often about how just being in here 6 weeks wasn't bad).

I've never had a C-section before so that was all new to me but it was easy for the most part. No pain and the pushing around just felt like the babies did when they were moving in me so that didn't bother me either. The only side effect I seem to have is itching which I'm told should go away soon.

We will post more pictures later - Kaitlyn, Caleb and grandma will be meeting the babies in a few hours so we will certainly have photo ops then!

Thanks again to all for your prayers and support during this pregnancy. We couldn't have done it without you!

And then there were three...

Hey folks, Kirk here with all the stats and pics from the delivery today. Dorinda will post later with her account of the delivery. But right now let us proudly introduce:

Julianna Mabel was born at 2:12 pm. She's 5lbs, 2 oz and 18 3/4 inches long.



Rachel Gabrielle was born at 2:13 pm. She's 4lbs, 6 oz and 17 inches long.




Alyssa Elaine was born at 2:16 pm. She's 4lbs, 12 oz and 18 inches long.



Everybody is doing well, none of the girls are in the NICU which is an answer to prayer. More pictures below:

Last Pre-Babies Post

I have made it through the weekend and feel like I will make it to the big day on Thursday. My C-section was scheduled for 10:30 on Thursday but has been moved to noon. Not a big deal except for the not eating before surgery part!! I'm going to starve!! If something happens to change and the girls come early then we will let everyone know but otherwise please expect news on Thursday. We appreciate all your prayers in this matter and the days ahead. Our family is nervous and excited - we don't really know what to expect. Please pray that the surgery goes well and that all the girls are born healthy and strong. We have no idea if they will be in the NICU after they are born or not.

Caleb had a nice birthday here - as nice as a birthday in a hospital can be. Kirk brought in a few gifts and we watched a movie together as a family. No, Caleb doesn't sit still too well but he enjoyed it anyway :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Caleb!

Well, I have made it to the dreaded day without event. Caleb is 3 years old today and although the girls have made a really good effort they have not made an appearance as of yet. Yesterday Baby C (Rachel) was quite uncooperative in the sonogram and did not breathe or move in the time allotted her. She had a good heartbeat and a repeat sonogram shows everything to be fine. The doctors are not concerned. She was trying to get out and bug her brother :)

Today, they drew blood for my preclampsia and had me wait on breakfast just in case things didn't look good but so far everything is fine and there will be no surgery today. At least the doctors are aware of Caleb's birthday and are not choosing to take the girls today unless I go into labor which I have no plans on doing!

So, the good news is that Caleb will not have to shrae a birthday with his sisters which is wonderful and that his birthday will actually be before theirs which should be nice for him as well. It is also Kirk's grandmother's birthday so he's really already sharing :)

Today is 35 weeks! Amazing that we have come this far. I will post some pictures of my birthday boy later.

Goodbye to my Grandma

I know I posted yesterday but this morning at 4:30 AM my grandmother passed away. She was my father's mother and my last living grandparent. While we were not extremely close, I do love her and will miss her. Thankfully I have been able to talk to her while she was in the hospital and we were able to spend time with her in June when we were in Florida which was a wonderful visit. She will be greatly missed and I pray that she is in heaven with the Lord!!

As for me, it turns out that I do have a mild form of preclampsia. It doesn't change much except that if I do go into labor they won't try to stop it and they will watch me very closely over the next few days - if there's a sign that anything gets worse they will take the girls right away. We'll see what happens.

No News

I know everyone is waiting to hear a big announcement that I have gone into labor and the girls have been born - believe me, no one wants to have that announcement more than me!! But here I still sit. Nothing is happening unless you consider being woken up at 6:45 in the morning by a med student who didn't knock and felt the need to turn on the light exciting!! Yes, that was annoying. And then he's followed by an OB who I don't know asking the same stupid questions, followed by the "real" doctor. And then I find out that if I start having contractions they will try to get them to stop with drugs but if that doesn't work then they will take the babies. Isn't the idea at this point to go into labor??!! I'm really getting frustrated. I have contractions all the time but they just don't progress or go anywhere.

I know it's only 9 more days but sitting here just waiting for something maybe to happen is the worst feeling in the world. Please, please pray for patience for me and even the chance to actually go into labor on my own some time after Friday. Also pray for trust in the Lord and His timing. Right now I'm having a very hard time with all of it!! Thanks!

34 Weeks

Today is 34 weeks which is a HUGE milestone. Most triplet pregnancies do not go this far so it's pretty amazing that I'm still pregnant and that I'm not on any medication to keep contractions from coming. I'm still having a few contractions but still nothing regular enough to be called labor. This weekend is a full moon. Hmm... We will see.

As for going home, the doctors have said no. :( Not surprising but I was told it was the office policy to keep triplets here till the end. Figures. So another 13 days with babies followed by 4 days after babies unless I actually manage to go into labor on my own sooner. I can hope - except NOT November 10th - I hope all of you out there are praying for that!!

I did have another sonogram yesterday - no weights and measures - but the babies are still looking good. Baby A is very, very low - if her head was down she'd probably fall out :) Maybe that's a sign that they'll be out soon. Yea, I can hear you - you're all saying of course it is, in 13 more days!!

November

Today makes it official that we will have 4 kids all born in the same month. Poor Caleb! Today is also 4 weeks since I was first checked into the hospital and I would say that I wouldn't recommend it. In fact, I have asked the doctors today if I can go home on Friday. I have had a few contractions but nothing regular in weeks and weeks so I don't see the point of staying here if they're not going to stop my labor anyway. Plus, there's the fact that I don't believe I'm going to go into labor so I might as well get my final week pregnant to spend at home with my family and be home with Caleb on his 3rd birthday. Please be in prayer about the last 15 days of this pregnancy - you can of course pray that it ends sooner than that!

Also, we wanted to share that my parents have come up to visit! My mom is here to stay (till Christmas) which is going to be a HUGE help - allowing Kirk to go to work at a normal time rather than having to take Kaitlyn to school something he hasn't been able to do for 2 months. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped with Caleb over the past 2 months - we couldn't have done it without you!! I hope that my mom being here will give everyone a break and that you'll be ready to jump in and hold a baby when the girls come home probably later this month (provided they do ever come out!!).

Not What I Wanted to Hear

Well, it looks like my C-section will be scheduled for November 16th - another 17 days away. Nov. 17th is my 36th week but I requested a day early so that I could leave the hospital the Monday before Thanksgiving and be able to spend the entire week with my family (Kaitlyn has no school that week).

Of course, the doctor says I could give birth at any time but I'm finding that harder and harder to believe. In fact, I logged on to the Triplet Connection and asked if there was anyone who had not been on any anti-contraction medication if they had ever gone into labor. I got 5 responses and all of them made it till well past 35 weeks and some even past 36 weeks - none of them went into labor and all made it to their scheduled C-section. That to me was certainly disappointing. I had hoped to give birth in October but I had certainly hoped to give birth and be home by Caleb's birthday!

Please pray for patience for myself and our entire family - this has been a much longer and much harder process here at the end then we would have expected.

1st Day of "Gravy"

Today is 33 weeks and 1 day. According to the doctors anything past 33 weeks is gravy for the babies. We have reached that point and still I sit here. I am thankful for the girl's sake that they are having as much time to grow before birth as possible. I'm not sure if I can physically make it another 20 days but that is what I'm going to count down to. Anything before that will be physically helpful for me :)

Today is my mom's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! - and I was hoping to give her 3 new grandaughters on her birthday but that hasn't happened - sorry Mom. Maybe it will be sometime soon though. Next Friday the girls would fall right in between their grandma and their big brother. Serves them right - they can't have all the attention :)

What I've Missed Since I've Been In Here For 3 Weeks

Just wanted to share a few pictures of the things I've missed since I've been in here. We had planned Caleb's party a month before his birthday in the hopes that I would be home to be there but I landed here so I have missed that :(

Caleb doesn't look too much worse for wear :) He does say he misses his mommy but I'm sure he won't remember our time apart in the future. Kaitlyn is doing great and having fun at school and still doing really well there.

Kirk brought the kids in for a visit last night and I was able to get wheelchair privileges which meant they were allowed to push me around the halls and I was able to go downstairs to the lobby for about an hour - it was a big deal! The kids get cooped up in this small room so it was good for them as well.

As for the babies - they are doing very well. I had another sonogram this morning to make sure they were moving, practicing breathing and that their amniotic fluid was not too low and everything looks good. I have a few contractions here and there but nothing regular. The doctors really, really want me to go to 36 weeks which is 3 weeks from tomorrow. I'm sure that would be the most ideal for the babies but it sounds horrible to me. Every day gets harder and I just can't imagine being here and letting them grow for that much longer!

So, they will probably schedule my C-section at some point but it won't be till somewhere around Nov. 17th. I hope I don't make that!!

Pictures from the Inside :)

Well, I think I'm getting bigger. We all know the girls are :) That's the good news. The bad news is that I'm really tired of being here. I miss my home and my family and I can't believe I've been here for almost 3 weeks!

Not much has been going on - I had a few contractions this morning but they stopped them. Mentally I know it's good for the girls but other than that I'm ready to have them out and get out of here! Lord willing just another week or so. So, everyone can pray that I have the strength to go a few more days both physically and emotionally, that the girls come out soon and healthy and that they don't come out on Caleb's 3rd birthday which is November 10th!!!

I also wanted to include a picture of my 2 cuties visiting me here. Aren't they sweet? They sure do love to come and jump on my bed and I love to get their hugs and kisses. Can't wait to be home with them!

32 Weeks

I am now 32 weeks. This is a huge milestone for a triplet pregnancy. From here on out I could give birth at any time. The doctors would still like me to go to 36 weeks but according to the doctor anything beyond 33 weeks is gravy. I guess I can hold out another week :)

Not much has gone on this week. No contractions or pregnancy issues. Just me sitting here, waiting. But I've had a lot of visits so that has made it nice.

This morning was a big morning - I finally had a sonogram to check the weights of the babies - yea!

Baby A (Julianna): 4 pounds 2 ounces
Baby B (Alyssa): 4 pounds 6 ounces
Baby C (Rachel): 3 pounds 9 ounces

They have grown quite a bit from last time which is great. I did see the doctor today and she didn't mention any problem with the weight differential between Baby C and the other girls so hopefully that is the case.

All the girls are quite active but even though Baby C is the smallest she is also the most active. She is constantly pushing her sisters out of the way!

If you're curious how they're lying inside there - Baby A is lying breech across the bottom and she's facing down (I think she's trying to ignore her sisters who are head butting her). Baby B is on my right side with her head down. I can feel her feet kicking me all the way at the top of my uterus. Baby C is straight down the middle - her head is also down. Baby B and Baby C's heads are right next to each other essentially pushing on Baby A's back.

At each sonogram they are checking the babies' movement, how much fluid they have, and their "breathing". The sonographer was waiting for Baby C to show some extra breahing motions and Baby B was kneeing her in the abdomen. It's funny how they interact :)

The good news is that they all seem to be doing very well and should be great when they're born. Looking forward to that day!

7 Months

Today is exactly 2 months from my due date. I'm 7 months pregnant. Woo hoo! At this point I guess I can just be thankful that I don't have 2 more months to go but when the doctor stopped by this morning he said he wants me to go another 4 to 5 weeks. Is he nuts? I asked him if he was trying to kill me, he said "no, just trying to give you beautiful, healthy babies." I know, I know but doesn't he know how miserable another 4 or 5 weeks would be?

Otherwise, today is the same as any other. Sitting in this room, waiting. Although when I'm hoping for just another week or two and the doctor wants 4 or 5 - it makes it feel that much more excrutiating!

At least statistically, only about 20% of triplets actually carry as far along as 35 or 36 weeks. Hopefully that's good news for me :)

31 Weeks

I have made it another week. Praise God! It's been a long week to say the least but I'm glad that the babies are still in me - most of the time :)

I got a chance to meet with a neonatologist today which is was informative. At this point a babies chance of survival (between weeks 30 and 36) is 90%. That's really good for the babies for sure! We also discussed the babies going home and it seems that no matter when they are born they will be in the hospital/NICU until 36 or 37 weeks gestation which is just about Thanksgiving. It's exciting to know that the babies will be home for the holidays.

Whenever I do deliver there will be a team of doctors to care for each baby. I can't imagine how many people will be in the delivery room! At least 5 or 6 people for each baby plus the doctors for me. It will be crowded.

Essentially if the babies are born now they should do very well but if we can go another week or two they will have a much better time suckling which would make it easier to feed them obviously. They will probably not be kept together in the NICU so they don't get anyone mixed up and we would be able to hold them when we go to see them. All good things.

I was talking to one of the nurses last night and she said that the average delivery of triplets here in the hospital is about 34 weeks give or take a few days. That would be 11/3 for me. Sounds a bit close except that by that time I will have been in the hospital for a full month and that thought scares me to death!! So, pray they come a bit earlier than that :)