Monthly Archives: December 2013

Baby Update #13 – 30w1d

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30w1d today and everything still looks great! All three babies have good fluid and there are no noticeable changes from last week. My doctors are optimistic that I’ll make it to my scheduled c-section at 25w2d (2/5/14). I’m a bit more cautious and still just taking it day by day but I’m encouraged.

Mentally, I’ve shifted from “please grow to a viable gestational age” to “wouldn’t it be great if I can make it to 35 weeks” and I’m thinking more and more about my delivery. I suppose that’s what happens when you know you don’t have any more than 5 weeks go to!

Physically, it’s getting more difficult and I suspect that difficulty will increase through the rest of my pregnancy. I’m still having very regular braxton hicks contractions (every 6- 12 minutes), breathing is more difficult and heartburn wakes me up at night. All par for the course but definitely not fun. I’m convinced that sleeping challenges during pregnancy is just prep work for nighttime baby feedings.

I’m testing my blood sugar 4x/day and my numbers are great so that’s a relief. My blood pressure is also remaining steady and low. Another good sign for how long I can carry the babies.

And I’ve now gained 60lbs. I’m very proud of myself, and suspect I’ll gain at least another 10lbs if I make it to 35 weeks, but also starting to think about what this will mean for me postpartum. I’m just going to have to try to be patient with myself. I didn’t gain this weight overnight so I need to remember I won’t lose it overnight.

Our nursery decor is complete thanks to Fathead. It’s perfect and I love it. We’re taking photos for fathead.com on Thursday and I’ll be sure to share photos.

Here’s a picture of me from this morning. Lots and lots of belly! And I really need a haircut. 🙂

photo (22)

Baby Update #12 – 29wks

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With weekly appointments, my growth measurements were moved from every 4 weeks to every 3 weeks so I’m sending an update this week.

Jason and I have growing babies!

Triplet A: 2lb 11oz (39th percentile; up from 1lb 12oz at 26wks)
Triplet B: 3lbs (49th percentile; up from 2lbs at 26wks)
Triplet C: 2lbs 15oz (47th percentile, up from 2lbs at 26 weeks)
All great weights and, for me, more than 8 1/2 lbs of baby to carry around. Hooray babies!
Sadly, for me, I’m either developing or have gestational diabetes.
[Insert mini-medical lesson: the placenta counteracts the effects of insulin. With three placentas the impact is 3x a singleton pregnancy so GD is not at all uncommon in multiple pregnancies – especially higher order multiples.]
Booooooo. 🙁  Jason and I are meeting with a dietitian on Monday and, as soon as we can pick up the blood testing doohickey, I’ll start checking my blood sugar 4x/day. The upside, at least, is that GD isn’t something that usually requires early deliver (like preeclampsia can). It just has to be managed.
Good bye Bolthouse Farms High Protein Shakes! My body loves your 32g of protein but not so much the 54g of sugar!
I’m just keeping my eye on the prize. I’m only 3 weeks away from my 32 week milestone. Every day is a bonus and the babies are doing great!
Love you all,
Joanna
[Note 12/25/13: This update originally sent via email.]

Baby Update #11 – 28wks

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A silver star for me!! I’m 28 weeks today which is a huge milestone. While we want these babies to keep growing, they’re at a point now where long term effects of premature birth start to decline dramatically and the general prognosis for babies born after 28 weeks is fantastic. 20 weeks ago, at my first appointment, reaching this stage seemed like a dream and I’m so grateful to be here. (Though it won’t compare to how I feel when/if I make it to 32 weeks. Or 35!)

The babies all look great. They’re moving around more than ever and our doctor is thrilled with the overall progress of my pregnancy.

I’m officially up 50lbs from my first appointment at 8 weeks. That’s a big deal (in many ways, haha.). My doctor confirmed that the key to the babies’ health is the weight I gained in this first part of the pregnancy so, while my appetite will keep me gaining, I’m really proud of what I accomplished. It’s not easy to hear that you should gain at least 50lbs when you’ve been the same size your entire adult life and, if anything, this reassures me that I’ll always be willing to do whatever I need to for the well being of my kids.
For those who don’t know, I’m officially working from home full time now. It’s just too difficult to be up and about for more than a few minutes at a time. I’m very lucky that Fathead is so flexible with my work arrangements and that I’m able to get everything done from the comfort of my bed.
Baby pictures at this stage are difficult to come by. They’re all packed in there! But I did attach a photo that shows my progression from 15 weeks to today at 28 weeks. I remember thinking I had a big bump back at 15 weeks. How naive was I? 🙂
In a nutshell, all I need is for these babies to keep growing and my body to keep doing what it’s doing so they can.
Love you all!
Belly_WeeksCollage
[Note 12/25/13: This update was originally sent via email.]

Baby Update #10 – 26wk1d

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Hello! Another 2 weeks have passed and the babies are growing. (And, holy cow, so am I!)

Starting last week I have an ultrasound appointment every week for quick check in to make sure the babies are progressing and labor is NOT. In the alternate weeks I either have a growth scan or a doctor’s appointment. This week was a growth scan.
Baby A: 1lb 12oz (38th percentile)
Baby B: 2llbs (47th percentile)
Baby C: 2lbs (50th percentile)
All great and solid gains from the last measurements.
Here’s some more info on what these weights do/don’t mean:
* The margin of error for the weights is +/- 4oz.
* Differences in weights are just fine as long as it’s not more than 20%.
* Two babies can be 2lbs but different percentiles because the percentiles are based on a more granular gram calculation.
* Take this for what it’s worth but another triplet mom who’s also 26 weeks met with her doctor after her growth scan and was told that this is the time in the pregnancy when we can typically expect to see triplets slow down in growth vs. singleton babies. There’s just less room for them to get big quickly.
I’m doing okay. I’m working from home tues/thurs and now I’m leaving the office at 2pm on Mon/Wed/Fri. Honestly, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to go into the office at all. Walking is getting difficult and driving is less and less comfortable (as is sitting in a chair which makes meetings in conf. rooms a challenge.)
I’m also having a lot braxton hicks contractions. My doctor says it’s nothing to worry about and to be expected with a triplet pregnancy. It’s disconcerting but I’m almost getting to the point where I believe my doctor. 🙂 Fortunately, they don’t hurt. It’s more and issue of freaking me out – oh! And there’s another one right now! The good news is that, with weekly ultrasounds, we really can feel confident that everything is fine and the contractions are nothing more than a nuisance.
The most content member of our household is Sally (the cat). She’s over the moon at all of these days home in bed with me. What a shock it will be when there are three babies in the house disturbing her quiet routine!
At this stage the babies are less cooperative with photos but we did get one where you can see the top/side/back of all of their heads in one image. I also included a photo of me from yesterday at exactly 26 weeks.
Love you all!
Triplets_26w1d Belly_26wks
[Note 12/25/13: This update was originally sent via email.]