12 more days???

we had our appointment today and the babies are doing great. my blood pressure was high and i am still dropping protein but not high enough to deliver the babies yet or cause serious concern. but, we have been officially scheduled for a c-section ~ july 10 at 3:30pm. there is a chance we could deliver early; but if not, that's the date! it is exciting to think we may only be 12 days away from meeting the babies. i wonder if Baby B will be 6 pounds by then?

the babies weigh in

Baby A: 3 lbs. 13 oz.

Baby B: 5 lbs. 8 oz.

Baby C: 3 lbs. 13 oz.

the girls are doing great! i am struggling with pain and a serious lack of sleep but we are praising the Lord for another good report of our three precious girls!!!

another hospital visit

friday morning around 4am i began having contractions again. they ended around 6am after i drank a lot of water and tried what the doctors recommended. friday afternoon the contractions were back so i called the doctor's office and they sent me into the hospital around 3pm. i got another iv of fluids and they decided to keep me overnight just to monitor things. i had a ton of tests done while i was there and they all came back normal ~ praise the Lord! we were afraid that my time at home may be over and the time of hospitalization was upon us. however, they let me come home!!!

i had a terrible night friday unable to sleep and in a lot of pain from contractions and back pain. the doctor gave me 2 ambien, which did nothing (usually 1/2 an ambien knocks me out completely). after not sleeping all night and feeling terrible, the doctors offered morphine for the pain and said it would help me sleep so i took it. big mistake. it made me sick and then i was vomiting and still exhausted and still in pain. what finally helped was the anti-nausea medication they gave me around 9am. i was finally able to relax, get comfortable and sleep for awhile. thad was able to sleep some during the night on friday but not much. then on saturday he worked hard to keep the room quiet so i could sleep. i kept setting off this alarm on my iv pump because i would get it tangled up and he would have to work it free and shut the alarm off. he's such a good husband!

the high risk doctor sat down with me and thad on saturday afternoon to lay out the plan. he said that the contractions are from having three babies and not because i am in labor. i am still only dialated to 1cm, which i have been at for two weeks now meaning i am not really progressing in terms of needing to deliver yet. so, it would be better to hold off delivery as long as possible and encouraged me to put up with the pain and discomfort because it was better for the babies to be in as long as possible. he gave us the option of staying at the hospital through the weekend to continue the monitoring and being discharged on monday if that would provide more comfort or reassurance. but he felt fine with discharging us saturday night. we just needed to wait for one of the tests to be completed because it was a 24 hour test that began at 7pm friday night. we chose the saturday night discharge option and got home around 8pm last night.

we both slept much better last night and are thankful to be home. we see our doctor tomorrow and get to find out the weights!

keep on keeping on

the doctor said we are doing well and to keep on plugging along. my protein level was a little less today and my blood pressure about the same. she said there is nothing immediate that has to happen ~ she will continue to watch me closely. i am so thankful to be returning home today and not looking at hospitalization. i plan to sleep the rest of the day away in my comfy bed because i did not sleep much last night.

next week we see the doctor on monday and have a growth ultrasound done on the babies. i am so excited to find out what they weigh. then we head back to the office on thursday for another appointment and a non stress test. praise the Lord that everything is going well!

so far so good

the test results came back normal. we see the doctor tomorrow to learn more about what (if anything) is next.

31 weeks

the appointment today went well. however, i continue to drop protein in my urine and have a slightly higher blood pressure than normal, so they did another blood test for preeclampsia. we should find out the results tomorrow. sounds like i may be getting these blood tests done pretty regularly because based on the symptoms i am having, i am most likely developing an early form of preeclampsia. she said the next step would be to put me in the hospital and then deliver our little treasures! the doctor said she of course cannot predict anything but believes that we will not go longer than 34 weeks!!! she said we should be seeing our babies sometime in the next 3 weeks. the ultrasound went great ~ the babies looked wonderful. the fluids looked great and umbilical blood flow is right were it should be. she bumped our appointment up this week so she can see us again on Thursday rather than Friday! we will keep you all posted. please continue to keep us in your prayers!!!

friday's appointment

our appointment on friday went well. i had a non stress test done and the babies did great! we had a little scare in that my blood pressure was a little high and i tested positive for protein in my urine, which caused alarm that i might have preeclampsia. if so, that would mean the babies would be delivered because of the harm it could cause to me. however, they took some bloodwork and the tests came back normal. for a couple hours there, we thought we would be seeing the babies this weekend ~ we are happy they are staying in longer but would have loved to see them. a nurse told me that each day they stay inside, it takes 2 days off the time they would have to spend in the neonatal unit. so we keep plugging away and are thankful for the time they have to grow before the births. it is such a comfort being monitored so closely by the doctors. next week we see the doctors on tuesday and friday. tuesday we will have an ultrasound to measure fluids again and then friday will be another non stress test.

oh, the insomnia

i miss a good night's sleep. i am so tired but my body is protesting sleep; i cannot get or stay comfortable. since i am up, i thought i would update the blog on the doctor appointment yesterday. it went well and was informative. i failed 2 of the 4 glucose tests from the test last week, but the doctor does not want me to change anything like diet or take insulin or anything. she said it is likely just having a great deal of babies and placentas. she will watch the sugar level in my urine at each appointment. the appointments have now increased to TWICE a week. she said to consider the doctor's appointments my outings for the week . i go back on friday for another appointment and a non stress test.

i asked her to lay out the next 4 weeks for me and she said it is really just about watching me and the babies. if i developed blood pressure concerns or had contractions that were not controllable, they would talk about delivering the babies. otherwise, they are going to watch me for the next 4 weeks. i asked if all was well over the next 4 weeks if they would have me go longer and she said it is possible but that they would not go longer than 36 weeks. she seemed kind of skeptical that would happen. i have been so uncomfortable the past couple of days and i have a feeling my body is seriously going to object to another 6 weeks of this ~ but it is in God's hands. the latest discomfort is breathing. i can barely catch my breath. i am talking less and less because it takes so much out of me and i end up coughing. the doctor said once the babies deliver i will feel the pressure immediately resolved and will enjoy taking nice long deep breaths (she is the mom of twins and she said it was wonderful after her delivery)!

praise the Lord the babies are doing well. they looked great on the ultrasound and all the fluid levels are right where they should be. i just have to keep telling myself that i can do this ~ God will give me the strength to continue a few more weeks.

contractions have begun

i was having a really hard time falling asleep last night because i was feeling really achy. then around 1:30am, the aches became more pronounced pain so i called the on-call doctor. she recommended that i watch the pain for the next hour and call back if they continue. well, they continued so around 4am we headed off to the hospital. they put me on an iv drop to try to stop the contractions, which helped.

it was really interesting to me because the lower stomach pain i have been feeling was also registering on the contraction monitor, which they called "uterus irritation." one of the residents asked me if i wanted morphine so i could sleep through them. we declined thinking it was a bit extreme considering that that is the pain i have been living with the past 2-3 weeks.

the nurses were surprised that i had made it to 30 weeks with this being my first trip to the hospital. the on-call doctor recommended that i get another dose of steroid shots because of the contractions and being so close to a safe time for delivery. so another shot and then one tomorrow morning. then they will monitor the babies and my contractions again to see if there are any changes.

we are both pretty tired today and trying to catch up on sleep. please pray that this week goes well for the family. the funeral for Thad's grandpa is Tues at 2pm. i won't be able to go because of the doctor's appointment at 3:30pm, which i am having a hard time with. i wish i could go to support Thad and celebrate Grandpa's life with the family but the funeral is in Sparta and i know it would be too much.

on a lighter note, lynnette threw me a shower on Saturday morning. it was so special! i really appreciated seeing some friends that i have not seen for awhile and feel every one's support. my mom read some verses about raising children in the Lord and my sister had one of the coolest games i have never heard of before. she had an envelope and birthday card for the girls for each birthday from 1 - 18 years old. each person got a year to write a note to the girls wishing them a happy birthday. my year was their 13th birthday, which was so fun to think about ~ the year they become teenagers!!! i got a little choked up too thinking about them at that age and hoping that they are becoming women who love the Lord and want to serve Him. it was such a special present to receive and we look forward to reading the cards with the girls in the years to come!

~here are some pictures from the brunch~

29 Weeks Update

We had the appointment today and the babies are HUGE!!! The "twins", Babies A & C, both weigh 2 pounds 13 ounces and Baby B weighs an amazing 4 pounds!!! It is incredible ~ over 9 pounds of baby at this point. The babies look good and we are getting more and more excited about their arrival in approximately 4 weeks! Next week's appointment is Tuesday at 3:30pm.

Grandpa Ken

thad's mom called tonight to tell us that Grandpa Ken went home to be with his Heavenly Father. Grandpa had knee replacement surgery this past wednesday. he was supposed to have both knees done but the surgery had to be cut short because his blood pressure rose too high. it seems as if his heart was unable to take the surgery and then he was unable to recover.

i have been having a difficult time sleeping since hearing the news. i feel so sad for Grandma; he was her best friend. i am thankful i was able to see them a couple weeks ago. thad was up at the hospital last night and this afternoon and he said that it was good to be able to rub his hand and say goodbye. we would certainly appreciate your prayers for the family and friends as we all deal with his passing.

glucose tolerance testing

the doctor's office called today and said that the 1 hour glucose tolerance test that i took last week tested high and that they want me to take the 3 hour test. so tomorrow morning at 8:30am i will be taking a 3 hour test at the doctor's office. i am not really sure what they will do if i test high during this one. i guess it means i have gestational diabetes ~ but i am not sure what that will mean in terms of diet changes, etc. at first the doctors were saying it would not be a concern because of having triplets and not having to worry about having too large of babies. but now it sounds like they are concerned that if i am "spilling sugar" in my urine (that's what they called it) that the babies might be born with low sugar and have the potential to have breathing problems. so anyway, that is the latest. it will probably take a couple days to get the results back on the testing. we will keep you all posted. as always, we appreciate your prayers!

amanda & tim's wedding

yesterday was amanda and tim's wedding. thad and i went to the ceremony, which was beautiful! it was a blessing to be feeling up to going to the wedding. we did not make it to the reception but it was great being able to be at the ceremony. amanda looked so beautiful and we are so happy for them!