April 24
Baby profiles.
Baby A - 23w3d
Baby B - 23w3d
Baby C - 23w3d
The squigglies above each baby are their umbilical cords.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Working on the House
So I'm way behind on the blog. But I've been saving pics and information. I'll try to catch up in the next few posts. I've been trying to get our little house ready for three babies and any helpers. That has involved finishing the babies' room, reorganizing just about everything, and moving things around so the house is more user friendly and safe for babies. There's still much to do but the big pieces are in place and there's a semblance of functional.
Insulated.
Added a subfloor and insulated it.
Finished the color.
We started with this. (A single car garage.)
Cleaned it up to this.
Insulated.
Added a subfloor and insulated it.
Added walls.
Drywall.
Painted with primer.
Painted with color primer.
Finished the color.
In the end we have three distinct spaces.
Babies' room.
Pantry.
Garden shed.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The big 21 week anomaly ultrasound
April 10
For two hours we sat, watching babies moving on the screen. It takes much longer to get all the necessary measurements to assess three babies than for a singleton. The time flew by. Typically when we go for an ultrasound our sonographer zooms in on each baby, checks his or her heart-rate and then moves back to the first baby to measure, look at, and catalogue the appropriate prescribed data for that day. From time to time she will switch between babies if one isn't in the correct position to get the needed measurement. She's usually only collecting about six measurements or specifics per baby and we can generally tell which baby is on the screen. Not because we can already recognize who's who but because our sonographer is very methodical, good at what she does and describes things along the way. Today began the usual way but today she was collecting 20 or more measurements/specs per baby. Before too long, it was a flurry of baby body parts and we were asking, "Which baby is that?" But what an incredible journey of body parts!
"There's Baby A's upper lip," I heard our sonographer say. Upper lip? I watched in awe. That's our baby's upper lip. We saw all the parts of each of our babies, as much as can be seen at 21 weeks, arms, legs, torsos, upper lips, kidneys, bladders, stomachs, fingers, hands open and closed, feet, vertebrae and spines, brains, individual sections of their brains, the chambers of their hearts, the corneas on their eyes. Our doctor said, 70% of all anomalies can be detected during this scan.
"...normal. ...normal. ...normal."
He ticked through each baby and each item on the checklist. Pausing just after stating the item. Whether his pause was practised for effect or a mere bi-product of his speaking while looking at the data I don't know.
"Baby A, vertebrae fused, spine (pause) normal.
Baby B, vertebrae fused, spine (pause) normal.
Baby C, vertebrae fused, spine (pause) normal.
Baby A, right foot, (pause) ...normal.
Baby B, right foot, (pause) ...normal.
Baby C, right foot, (pause) ...normal.
Baby A, left foot, (pause) ...normal.
Baby B, left foot, (pause) ...normal.
Baby C, left foot, (pause) ...normal."
This went on for what seemed like 20 minutes, in reality it may have been five. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for that word, "normal." All babies normal in all categories, except the isolated echogenic cardiac focus in Baby C's heart which as the doctor said we "already knew about." The word normal, bland everday word, rarely noticed, has notched itself a place on my list of special words. I will not ever hear it the same way as before.
They are looking more and more like this during the ultrasounds, parts of babies. They have grown to a size it's hard to see each whole baby anymore.
J started feeling the babies move on a regular basis this week. We are very grateful to have made it this far and feel blessed that J is still mobile and the pregnancy has had no complications so far. Thanks to everyone praying for us and keeping us in your thoughts.
For two hours we sat, watching babies moving on the screen. It takes much longer to get all the necessary measurements to assess three babies than for a singleton. The time flew by. Typically when we go for an ultrasound our sonographer zooms in on each baby, checks his or her heart-rate and then moves back to the first baby to measure, look at, and catalogue the appropriate prescribed data for that day. From time to time she will switch between babies if one isn't in the correct position to get the needed measurement. She's usually only collecting about six measurements or specifics per baby and we can generally tell which baby is on the screen. Not because we can already recognize who's who but because our sonographer is very methodical, good at what she does and describes things along the way. Today began the usual way but today she was collecting 20 or more measurements/specs per baby. Before too long, it was a flurry of baby body parts and we were asking, "Which baby is that?" But what an incredible journey of body parts!
"There's Baby A's upper lip," I heard our sonographer say. Upper lip? I watched in awe. That's our baby's upper lip. We saw all the parts of each of our babies, as much as can be seen at 21 weeks, arms, legs, torsos, upper lips, kidneys, bladders, stomachs, fingers, hands open and closed, feet, vertebrae and spines, brains, individual sections of their brains, the chambers of their hearts, the corneas on their eyes. Our doctor said, 70% of all anomalies can be detected during this scan.
"...normal. ...normal. ...normal."
He ticked through each baby and each item on the checklist. Pausing just after stating the item. Whether his pause was practised for effect or a mere bi-product of his speaking while looking at the data I don't know.
"Baby A, vertebrae fused, spine (pause) normal.
Baby B, vertebrae fused, spine (pause) normal.
Baby C, vertebrae fused, spine (pause) normal.
Baby A, right foot, (pause) ...normal.
Baby B, right foot, (pause) ...normal.
Baby C, right foot, (pause) ...normal.
Baby A, left foot, (pause) ...normal.
Baby B, left foot, (pause) ...normal.
Baby C, left foot, (pause) ...normal."
This went on for what seemed like 20 minutes, in reality it may have been five. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for that word, "normal." All babies normal in all categories, except the isolated echogenic cardiac focus in Baby C's heart which as the doctor said we "already knew about." The word normal, bland everday word, rarely noticed, has notched itself a place on my list of special words. I will not ever hear it the same way as before.
Estimates on babies' weights:
Baby A - 1 lb 0 oz
Baby B - 15 oz
Baby C - 15 oz
21 weeks 3 days
They are looking more and more like this during the ultrasounds, parts of babies. They have grown to a size it's hard to see each whole baby anymore.
21 weeks 3 days Baby C foot
21 weeks 3 days Baby B Right Hand
This was the last ultrasound pic taken during the anomaly scan. Baby B was the only one who showed his whole hand so clearly, five fingers and thumb. We saw all the other hands opening and closing as the sonographer captured the shots.
Can you fit 3 car seats across in a Toyota Yaris? - Part 2
We checked with our local fire department about the car seats and their tight fit. Apparently in our city you can no longer stop by any fire station and ask them to check your car seat installation. However, they do have a car seat checker. She works at the fire department administrative offices and part of her job duties is to ensure safe car seat installation for those who stop by and request it. She checked out our car seats and said they like to see at least one to two inches of space between the top of the car seat and the back of the front driver seat or passenger seat when the car seats are rear-facing. The reason for this is because, in the event of an accident, it is better to have some room for all the seats to move a little bit front-to-back to help absorb the impact. This means the car seats move a little up and down not side-to-side. There should not be any movement or as little as possible of the car seat moving from side-to-side. If there is movement side-to-side or ample movement up and down, this can pose a danger to the baby and you should definitely have someone doublecheck your installation. As a result of our visit we are comfortable that we can still use our Yaris with the car seats but only one of us should drive the car when the babies are riding along. Me. Since J is 5'8" the driver seat pushes up against the car seats when she drives. With me, at 5'2" there is the one to two inches of space. So, until it's time to turn the car seats front-facing, in about two years, or until we get a bigger car, I will be the designated family driver. J doesn't really like my driving. She says I drive too slow and cautious. If she thinks I drive too slow and cautious now, I wonder what she's going to think once our three babies are on board.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
A few words on carrying triplets
Ok, so we are at 21 weeks and every one is doing very well. You-know-who has been working furiously on the room. I think its going very well, too. Although for me 'well' is relative. Two flights of stairs ok, three flights and I am winded. It makes me feel really....lazy, fat, and out of shape. But I am apparently a stellar incubator, thus far anyway. Yesterday we learned that the fundus of my uterus is about 2 inches under my ribs and sternum. Minimal room for the diaphragm to breathe. Oh, that explains it... I have also lost my lap, well most of it anyway. My cat now prefers you-know-who's lap, sigh. I have been feeling the babies moving this past week. Particularly in the top and center of my abdomen. That must be baby C. People say it feels like a flutter or gas bubble. I recently had a mild, non-painful muscle spasm/twitch in my leg and it is exactly what the babies feel like at this time. You know, the kind of spasm you feel but can barely see, that's what it feels like. Last week I had a day where my feet got twice as thick as normal. I think it was due to sitting and studying all day. The chair I was sitting in barely cuts into the back of my thighs. So you-know-who brought home a foot wedge and an over the bed table like they have in the hospitals, without prompting, on her lunch break. Major brownie points were had. After a few hours the feet went back to normal. They were not physically uncomfortable but visually very disturbing. I am kind of vain about my feet. I have returned to afternoon nappiness. Needing a few winks anywhere between noon and 4 pm. My doctor said he thought that was related to the amount of carbohydrates in the diet. But after a diet review said that there weren't any red flags that he could see and my urinalysis was negative for glucose. My incessant hunger and need to eat has finally curbed somewhat. I can at least go hungry for a half an hour before I become a raving lunatic. But I have developed evening heartburn. Strikes between 3 and 5 pm. I don't feel it when I am napping. It is clock-work like I had with the evening morning sickness. Just taking a few calcium chews for that. Seems to be fine, although the doctor did say he could give me proton pump inhibitors. But who wants to take more pills when minty calcium chew tablets do just fine?
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
It's a ...
(warning: explicit photos)
The results are in...
Baby A - girl
Baby B - boy
Baby C - girl
It's two girls and a boy! Two daughters and a son.
All babies are doing well. At 19 weeks and 3 days when we went to the doctor the babies measured:
Baby A - 19w3d
Baby B - 19w2d
Baby B - 19w2d
Baby C - 19w0d
All are still growing at about the same rate and are appropriate sizes. Each is about 6 inches, crown to rump measurement or about 10 inches, head to toe. Not yet a pound, they each weigh around 10 ozs. So far everyone appears healthy.
J is doing great though her belly is beginning to be an obstacle. She can't put her feet up to help keep swelling down and do schoolwork on the computer at the same time anymore. The laptop, to accommodate her belly, sits too far away for her arms to be comfortable typing, at the table or on her lap. We rented a hospital style table yesterday, the kind that adjusts up and down. Hopefully it will help. Only six more weeks of this semester left and then working on the computer will become optional.
If you don't want to see explicit baby genitalia on ultrasound don't look at the first three pictures below. Girls are indicated by three little lines and boys, they're a bit more obvious. Both girls were moving around and it took until the very end of the ultrasound for them to move into positions so we could tell if they were girls or boys.
19 weeks 3 days
Baby A, we saw three lines during the ultrasound but she was a little wiggly and only two of them were captured in the pic.
19 weeks 3 days
Pretty obvious Baby B is a boy.
19 weeks 3 days
Baby C, her three lines showed up better on camera.
19 weeks 3 days
Baby A looking straight at the camera and waving. She's still looking a little alien but you can see how her skull is developing. It's getting a little crowded in there and the ultrasound looks more like a jumble of moving parts now than individual babies. It is still very exciting to see each one of them moving around and get to hear each of their heartbeats.
19 weeks 3 days
Baby B, has his chin to his chest in this pic.
19 weeks 3 days
Baby C, she was moving all over. This is a great pic showing her rib cage development. Her profile is a double because she was moving.
Our next doctor visit will be the big 20 week scan (though ours will be at 21 weeks) where they will look very closely at how all the babies are developing. They will look at heart, kidneys, brain, spine, etc. Here's a link to a list of what they look for in an anomaly scan or as our perinatologist called it, the modalities scan.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Baby Gear for Triplets - Our List
Our house is small, about 1,100 sq feet. So we have given much thought to what items and what number of items might be best for our space-saver needs. Here's our list, some of the brands we have chosen, and some of the whys. There's so much out there to choose from. Our list is divided into Essentials, Non-Essentials and Luxuries. Really in terms of stuff, all one "needs" for a baby is food, clothing and a place to sleep. But since we're having three at one time we've included some recommended timesavers. So "Essentials" on our list are the things we've decided are essential for us to survive three babies at one time and be able to have a functional household. I started with everything I could think of and then started pairing down. Quantities are a guestimate based on everything I've read so far. I'll let you know after babies arrive how we did with numbers and items.
Before I get to the list, a word or two about obtaining all these items.
Garage sales are awesome places to find well-cared-for used gear for usually at least half the price of new and most of the time much less. Babies use some items for a very short amount of time. In our community there's a Moms of Multiples (MOM) group. MOM groups are great for connecting with others who've actually been there, done it and have survived to pass along their wisdom. Our group has two garage sales a year. We just went to the spring sale. It was huge, hundreds of items if not thousands. I've never seen so many baby things in one place. The best things about the sale: 1) I was able to see almost everything I've been looking at over the internet live and up close; 2) There were little things I'd forgotten all about; and 3) Because the sale spans various ages I was able to file away ideas of things we might need in the future as the babies move from infancy to toddler. It was a bit overwhelming at times for us (where to start, stay on budget, etc.) but I've been working on this list since January so we went in looking for specifics.
Some people are awesome planners and sharers. In my family my sisters, brother, sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws have been diligent in keeping clothes and passing them along to the next child growing into them. This usually entails boxing them up according to size as the last child in a family grows out of them and carting and exchanging boxes at holidays or other family gatherings. As individual families have decided their family is complete they have also passed along the gear that's still in good shape as well. We are now on the receiving end of this hand-me-down kindness. It's been a relief to know that the bulk of the clothes we will need are taken care of. Friends too have been so generous and are saving and passing along clothes and gear that they no longer need. When the triplets are finished we will pass along too. I would think groups of friends could coordinate and pass clothes and gear back and forth like a large family. If any of you have been doing something like that I'd love to hear about it.
Ok, onto the list.
The Essentials
~ Cribs (3), Pack-n-Plays (3) - We are starting with one crib and three Pack-n-Plays. I hear Pack-n-Plays should only be used for a child up to 22 lbs so we may have to get two more cribs down the line. We plan to start all three babies in the crib and then graduate them to their own Pack-n-Play. Here's an example where our choices are based on what's been passed along and available to us. We'll keep our eyes out for a good deal on two more cribs but if they don't come along we'll keep with the Pack-n-Plays. By the way my sisters would tell you a Pack-n-Play is an indispensible item for travel. Very helpful.
~ Waterproof mattress pad (6)
~ Crib sheets (6)
~ Diapers, prefold cloth (30-infant, 4x6x4), (120-regular, 4x8x4) - Yes, we've decided to go with cloth. Average diaper usage is 7-10 diapers a day per child (estimated by diaper services), that's 210-300 diaper changes a week. My brother-in-law estimated that's about $75 a week in disposable diapers.
~ Thirsties diaper covers (20-size 1, 6-18lbs), (20-size 2, 18-40lbs) - This is the cover we've chosen to go with the prefold diapers. If you don't want to go with a pre-fold and cover, bumGenius is an insert cloth diaper that gets great reviews.
~ Flushable diaper liners (4-6, 100 ct packs per month).
~ Wipes
~ Diaper Pail (2) - One for wet only, one for dirty. We're looking for something that will fit between our washer and dryer in the laundry room. Though 5 gallon buckets with lids might work next to the washer. The Gamma Lids are amazing if you've never seen one. They would help the buckets work well as diaper pails.
~ Diaper Bag - We liked the Okkatots Backpack Diaper Bag. It seems to have enough space and holders for a triplets' worth. We especially like the little cooler area for bottles and that it's a backpack.
~ Bottles (15) - We plan to use the Playtex Drop-Ins.
~ Pacifiers (6)
~ Toddler Feeding Table (We like the yellow seats on the blue table) - This is one of the space-saving, ease of use items. This fits in our kitchen/dining room and will give the kids a play/activity space, as well as function as a highchair. Easy to clean. No nooks and crannies to clean and the seats can go in the dishwasher or be showered off in the tub. The seats can be purchased separately so if you have the time, right size table and the skills, you can make one of these. (See the Surviving Triplets blog in our blogs list.) (This is the only item I've ever searched for on Amazon that I wasn't able to find available through the site.)
~ Clothes - Most babies grow out of infant clothes really fast, so you don't need many of them. However, multiples are usually premature so we are anticipating the babies will be in preemie and infant sizes for much longer.
~ Cool Mist Humidifier
~ Car Seats (3) - See our post on getting 3 across in our Toyota Yaris. Diono Radian RXT Convertible car seats.
~ Stroller - Foundations Quad Lx stroller - Three spots for babies and one for gear.
~ Baby Carriers (3) - Ergo Baby - We're pretty active and this will allow us to carry babies with us. Good to use with infants. Especially useful around the house with fussy babies.
~ Boppy Pillows (3)
~ Baby Monitor
~ Baby Bibs (12)
~ Baby Washcloths and Towels (6)
~ Breast Pump - The MOM group says with multiples it's very important to get a hospital grade breast pump. We decided on a Medela.
~ Baby Bouncer chairs (3)
~ Recliner Chair - Our doctor recommended we have one of these for J for her to use as an alternative to sleeping in the bed or on the couch. A recliner will provide different angles for sleeping and may give her more comfort especially as the weeks progress in the pregnancy.
Safety Items
~ Outlet Plugs
~ Breathable Baby Crib Bumper
The Non-Essentials
~ Changing tables/stations (2)
~ Swing - Fold-up portable, travel size. Swings can take up a great deal of floor space. Be sure to check dimensions before ordering.
~ Jumper (2)
~ Receiving Blankets (12)
~ Bumbo Seat
~ Infant Bath Tub
~ Fisher-Price Booster Seats (3) - These are basically highchairs that sit on top of a chair. If we had enough room in our kitchen/dining area we would get them to use as our regular highchairs in place of the toddler feeding table but we don't. We will use them as travel highchairs and to use in a playspace in our back yard.
Luxuries and Play
~ Books - Dunston Baby Language, Baby Sign Language Basics, and Flash Cards, Songs for Little Hands, Twelve Hours Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old
~ Wipe warmer
~ Bottle Drying Rack
~ Glider Chair and Footstool
~ Step 2 Choo Choo Wagon - (step2.com) - A wagon with 4 sections, for times and places when toddlers may want to get in and out, like the zoo or park. These come highly recommended by the MOM members.
~ Toys
~ Blocks - We both grew up with blocks and love them as toys that last through an entire childhood.
~Video Camera
Before I get to the list, a word or two about obtaining all these items.
Garage sales are awesome places to find well-cared-for used gear for usually at least half the price of new and most of the time much less. Babies use some items for a very short amount of time. In our community there's a Moms of Multiples (MOM) group. MOM groups are great for connecting with others who've actually been there, done it and have survived to pass along their wisdom. Our group has two garage sales a year. We just went to the spring sale. It was huge, hundreds of items if not thousands. I've never seen so many baby things in one place. The best things about the sale: 1) I was able to see almost everything I've been looking at over the internet live and up close; 2) There were little things I'd forgotten all about; and 3) Because the sale spans various ages I was able to file away ideas of things we might need in the future as the babies move from infancy to toddler. It was a bit overwhelming at times for us (where to start, stay on budget, etc.) but I've been working on this list since January so we went in looking for specifics.
Some people are awesome planners and sharers. In my family my sisters, brother, sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws have been diligent in keeping clothes and passing them along to the next child growing into them. This usually entails boxing them up according to size as the last child in a family grows out of them and carting and exchanging boxes at holidays or other family gatherings. As individual families have decided their family is complete they have also passed along the gear that's still in good shape as well. We are now on the receiving end of this hand-me-down kindness. It's been a relief to know that the bulk of the clothes we will need are taken care of. Friends too have been so generous and are saving and passing along clothes and gear that they no longer need. When the triplets are finished we will pass along too. I would think groups of friends could coordinate and pass clothes and gear back and forth like a large family. If any of you have been doing something like that I'd love to hear about it.
Ok, onto the list.
The Essentials
~ Cribs (3), Pack-n-Plays (3) - We are starting with one crib and three Pack-n-Plays. I hear Pack-n-Plays should only be used for a child up to 22 lbs so we may have to get two more cribs down the line. We plan to start all three babies in the crib and then graduate them to their own Pack-n-Play. Here's an example where our choices are based on what's been passed along and available to us. We'll keep our eyes out for a good deal on two more cribs but if they don't come along we'll keep with the Pack-n-Plays. By the way my sisters would tell you a Pack-n-Play is an indispensible item for travel. Very helpful.
~ Waterproof mattress pad (6)
~ Crib sheets (6)
~ Diapers, prefold cloth (30-infant, 4x6x4), (120-regular, 4x8x4) - Yes, we've decided to go with cloth. Average diaper usage is 7-10 diapers a day per child (estimated by diaper services), that's 210-300 diaper changes a week. My brother-in-law estimated that's about $75 a week in disposable diapers.
~ Thirsties diaper covers (20-size 1, 6-18lbs), (20-size 2, 18-40lbs) - This is the cover we've chosen to go with the prefold diapers. If you don't want to go with a pre-fold and cover, bumGenius is an insert cloth diaper that gets great reviews.
~ Flushable diaper liners (4-6, 100 ct packs per month).
~ Wipes
~ Diaper Pail (2) - One for wet only, one for dirty. We're looking for something that will fit between our washer and dryer in the laundry room. Though 5 gallon buckets with lids might work next to the washer. The Gamma Lids are amazing if you've never seen one. They would help the buckets work well as diaper pails.
~ Diaper Bag - We liked the Okkatots Backpack Diaper Bag. It seems to have enough space and holders for a triplets' worth. We especially like the little cooler area for bottles and that it's a backpack.
~ Bottles (15) - We plan to use the Playtex Drop-Ins.
~ Pacifiers (6)
~ Toddler Feeding Table (We like the yellow seats on the blue table) - This is one of the space-saving, ease of use items. This fits in our kitchen/dining room and will give the kids a play/activity space, as well as function as a highchair. Easy to clean. No nooks and crannies to clean and the seats can go in the dishwasher or be showered off in the tub. The seats can be purchased separately so if you have the time, right size table and the skills, you can make one of these. (See the Surviving Triplets blog in our blogs list.) (This is the only item I've ever searched for on Amazon that I wasn't able to find available through the site.)
~ Clothes - Most babies grow out of infant clothes really fast, so you don't need many of them. However, multiples are usually premature so we are anticipating the babies will be in preemie and infant sizes for much longer.
~ Cool Mist Humidifier
~ Car Seats (3) - See our post on getting 3 across in our Toyota Yaris. Diono Radian RXT Convertible car seats.
~ Stroller - Foundations Quad Lx stroller - Three spots for babies and one for gear.
~ Baby Carriers (3) - Ergo Baby - We're pretty active and this will allow us to carry babies with us. Good to use with infants. Especially useful around the house with fussy babies.
~ Boppy Pillows (3)
~ Baby Monitor
~ Baby Bibs (12)
~ Baby Washcloths and Towels (6)
~ Breast Pump - The MOM group says with multiples it's very important to get a hospital grade breast pump. We decided on a Medela.
~ Baby Bouncer chairs (3)
~ Recliner Chair - Our doctor recommended we have one of these for J for her to use as an alternative to sleeping in the bed or on the couch. A recliner will provide different angles for sleeping and may give her more comfort especially as the weeks progress in the pregnancy.
Safety Items
~ Outlet Plugs
~ Breathable Baby Crib Bumper
The Non-Essentials
~ Changing tables/stations (2)
~ Swing - Fold-up portable, travel size. Swings can take up a great deal of floor space. Be sure to check dimensions before ordering.
~ Jumper (2)
~ Receiving Blankets (12)
~ Bumbo Seat
~ Infant Bath Tub
~ Fisher-Price Booster Seats (3) - These are basically highchairs that sit on top of a chair. If we had enough room in our kitchen/dining area we would get them to use as our regular highchairs in place of the toddler feeding table but we don't. We will use them as travel highchairs and to use in a playspace in our back yard.
Luxuries and Play
~ Books - Dunston Baby Language, Baby Sign Language Basics, and Flash Cards, Songs for Little Hands, Twelve Hours Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old
~ Wipe warmer
~ Bottle Drying Rack
~ Glider Chair and Footstool
~ Step 2 Choo Choo Wagon - (step2.com) - A wagon with 4 sections, for times and places when toddlers may want to get in and out, like the zoo or park. These come highly recommended by the MOM members.
~ Toys
~ Blocks - We both grew up with blocks and love them as toys that last through an entire childhood.
~Video Camera
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Babies in motion - 17 weeks 2 days pics
The latest doctor visit shows all babies growing and at appropriate development levels for 17 weeks. They are now each about 5 inches. Definitely taking up some space. Here's a belly pic of J.
J at 17 weeks
J at 17 weeks
It was a quick doctor visit, not many photos to choose from but here are a couple of unusual ones.
17w2d
When we see the babies up close on the ultrasound monitor sometimes we forget how really close together they are in the uterus. Here are the heads of Baby A and Baby B.
17w2d
Baby C arching his/her back. We still don't know the sexes of the babies. Maybe next visit. Baby A is a blur in the lower right corner.
17w2d
Baby A kicking out. Probably kicking Baby C.
Many have asked us how they know which baby is A, B or C. A is the baby closest to the cervix. The babies move freely within their amniotic sacs but the sacs stay in basically the same position inside the uterus. So each ultrasound finds the same baby in the same area of the uterus.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Sleep deprived already and the babies aren't even here yet
The books and the experienced people have told us that once the babies arrive we won't be getting much sleep. But noone told us that sleep deprivation could start early. J has pregnancy rhinitus, which basically means she has the sinus symptoms of an allergy or a cold. J doesn't usually snore when she sleeps but since she became pregnant snoring has become very typical. When she's not snoring she's making very unusual breathing sounds. LOUD breathing sounds. The kind that wake me from a deep sleep. And then I can't go back to sleep. Some nights it begins early and I'm up before midnight. Some nights it doesn't rouse me until 2ish. Our house is small. Once the babies' room is finished I'll be able to go in there to sleep. Until then, I'm on the couch. A comfortable couch until you start spending portions of every night on it. I have a bedroll of sheets and blankets that I literally just roll out onto the couch and then roll back up when it's time to get up for work. Do I need to mention, I've been much more focused on getting the babies' room finished. I don't like the idea of sleeping in separate spaces but I do think getting as much sleep as possible now before the babies arrive is probably a good idea. At least J has been sleeping. There was some consolation for me while tossing and turning on the couch knowing that she was sleeping well. This has begun to change. She finds herself increasingly more uncomfortable in the bed with more trips to the bathroom. She still seems to be getting more sleep than I am but the quality is diminishing. At this rate the kids will be lucky if either of their parents are coherent or not crabby when they arrive.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Are those our babies? - The alien shots
Today, we have made it to 16 weeks!
Had a doctor appointment last Monday, it was a busy week. I'm a little behind getting the pics up. Some of the ultrasounds are not flattering. But they are fascinating!
15 weeks 2 days
This is an overhead of Baby A. It shows baby's skull and brain development. The line down the middle of the head is actually the line of the brain showing both sides.
15 weeks 2 days
Here's Baby B. This one too, shows the skull and brain development but also shows Baby B's stomach. See the dark round spot in the middle of the body area, that's it.
15 weeks 2 days
Here's the classic profile shot. But in this one we can see Baby C's brain inside.
15 weeks 2 days
Here's Baby A's foot. The cool thing about this pic besides the foot is if you look in the background you can see the lines of the individual sacks. That's a little bit of Baby C just to the left and below Baby A's foot.
At 15 weeks 2 days all babies are where they're supposed to be developmentally. All still about the same size. At the appointment they measured:
Baby A 15w3d
Baby B 15w0d
Baby C 15w2d
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
First Trimester Review
So, N. or you-know-who, has been after me about posting. Honestly I've been a little afraid. I mean really, it's sort of like talking to yourself, isn't it? Anyway, she-who-will-not-be-denied, oh wait, that's my role.... It was suggested that I do a kind of synopsis of the first trimester, since we are now past that, by a whole week. And I thought it was a good idea. So here goes:
We finally got pregnant for the second time in 15 months of trying. I did not get excited. (I don't get excited about vacation until I'm on the plane. I just prepare.) Knowing the first trimester is the biggest hurtle to actually having a live birth, I waited. (FYI: Most first trimester miscarriages are due to chromosomal anomalies, assuming the mother isn't doing drugs, etc.) I did not get excited. I had already miscarried once. I let you-know-who be excited. Then after a few ultrasounds, the doctor said we could tell people. That happened to be the same day we found out there were not 2 sacs but 3. All fraternal, the best type of triplet gestation. Everyone gets their own food source i.e., placenta. I felt assured, especially since from the get go I said we were having triplets. People thought I was joking.... Careful what you wish for. So triplets it is. Then I bled a little, bright red blood. Not a good omen. But it was such a small quantity I almost felt guilty calling it in. I even said to the doctor on the phone, "I'm calling because it says I should on the list." It was maybe a table spoon. So I went in for an ultrasound. Nothing was found. Then a week later, it happened again, but this time it was brownish old blood. This time they found a pocket of blood in the uterus. They watched it. They watched the fetuses. Nothing adverse happened. It didn't get bigger. They said 'hunh.' and that was the end of it. During this time I was ravenously hungry, had to eat every 2-3 hours. In fact it wasn't like I was 'hhmmm, getting a little hungry, should eat soon' it was 'I have NEVER been this hungry in all my life and I will kill you if you get in my way'. But I got the hang of it. I started keeping chopped steak in a Ziploc in my pocket. More than once I found myself, under certain eating-inappropriate situations, excusing myself to the rest room to eat steak out of a baggy. I asked my doctor, 'so how many calories should I eat'? I could not get an answer to that. 'Just eat right' he said. And everyone who knew remotely anything about pregnancy, that I complained to, said it was good advice. Just so you know, at 15 weeks and 3 days, I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life. But the past 2 weeks I haven't gained anything. Know what the doctor said? The doctor said, 'I don't care if you gain 5 lbs or 50 lbs or even lose weight, just eat right and eat when you're hungry.' Wouldn't that just be a prego's ideal dream, to have 3 healthy children who sucked the fat right off the butt and thigh areas, so you came out weighing less? I can only hope, I won't get excited. So what else about the body changes... I burp, A LOT, first thing in the morning, like I just chugged a soda. I am sure you-know-who thinks it's part of the alarm ringing on my phone. And can we talk about flatus...also known as gas, toots, farts.... FYI: the three little parasites cause the gastrointestinal tract to increase absorption of nutrients (isn't that cute) by releasing hormones that slow down peristalsis i.e., they slow the gut down. This slowing causes more water to be absorbed (think constipation) and it lets things ferment/rot for longer. What smells worse? Things that are a little rotten or things that have been rotten for quite sometime? You do your own experiments. All I can tell you is that I could barely tolerate myself with the fan on in the bathroom. Now, I eat LOTS of fiber. And people thought I was vegetable girl before. Serious fruits and veggies people. In fact, today has consisted of yogurt with berries, a tangerine, and kiwi. Oatmeal with a banana. A sweet potato, an apple, some grapes, another 2 tangerines, steamed cabbage, a bratwurst. Four carrots, half a cucumber, and 3 pieces of cheese. And an Eddies fruitful blueberry popsicle. I am contemplating some Annie's cheddar bunnies (organic goldfish) but you-know-who will be home soon and we can contemplate dinner together. I digress. Back to the story. So, here we have almost insatiable hunger, coupled with a slowed gut, where does the food go? Enter: morning sickness. The food comes right back out. Now it wasn't like some horror stories you hear, but I will say it is quite something, as an adult to experience projectile vomiting. It immediately made me feel like I was 6 years old. Probably because that was the last time I experienced uncontrolled emesis. And yes, I was hungry afterwards. (Eeeww.) My morning sickness was mostly in the evenings. The other funny thing that happened was my gag reflex was suddenly at the level of my molars. That made brushing my teeth entertaining. Let me warn you now, yogurt and fruit vomit doesn't just rinse off the dirty shower wall, you have to get the scrubby sponge out. Imagine, a 6 year old sick girl in the shower and you make her scrub it out too.... Do you see the pouty lip? I did discover the best time to brush was after throwing up. And yes there were a few days that minty sugar free gum had to suffice. Sometimes all I could brush was the front 2/3rds of my teeth. But I did brush at least once a day. Some things that I did not know when having triplets, amniocentesis is not recommended. So how do you find out about Down Syndrome, especially when yours truly is 40 yrs old? You look at nuchal translucency and nasal bone length. What about that blood test they usually do in conjunction with the nuchal translucency? It cannot be done with triplets, too unreliable. Plus everyone looks good according to the nuchal translucency and nasal bone measurements. However, this past week baby C showed an "isolated echogenic cardiac focus" (fancy-dancy). Which just means there was a bright white spot on the heart when they did the ultrasound and there is a one percent chance it could mean Down Syndrome. It's 'isolated' because there are no other indicators of Downs. Translation: 99% chance it's nothing, 1% it's something. I will not get excited about it. In fact, I am really not worried about much concerning this pregnancy. The cankles (what you get when there is no differentiation between the calf and ankle) are visually disturbing but not physically. My doctor assured me they would get worse. And what about fatigue, you ask? The second 3 weeks of pregnancy I had to take naps, but then I started sleeping 9 hours a night. Haphazardly I will pass out earlier than normal bedtime, but for the most part, naps are over. I am also having eye problems. I have to wear my glasses all the time now. I think my astigmatism has gotten worse. I have an eye appointment next week. Another lament I have is sleeping. I am a back only sleeper, but recently I find myself waking on my side and its killing my neck. Only muscle stiffness, but still.
So what does all this mean? My body has been taken over, literally. It is now controlled by the placentas. My doctor, the specialist, says they don't know which one is the leader, or how it is that multiples with their own placentas interact to control the mother's body in a cooperative way. I do know that they are all the same size and therefore no one is being short-handed on nutrients.
I have to go eat now.
We finally got pregnant for the second time in 15 months of trying. I did not get excited. (I don't get excited about vacation until I'm on the plane. I just prepare.) Knowing the first trimester is the biggest hurtle to actually having a live birth, I waited. (FYI: Most first trimester miscarriages are due to chromosomal anomalies, assuming the mother isn't doing drugs, etc.) I did not get excited. I had already miscarried once. I let you-know-who be excited. Then after a few ultrasounds, the doctor said we could tell people. That happened to be the same day we found out there were not 2 sacs but 3. All fraternal, the best type of triplet gestation. Everyone gets their own food source i.e., placenta. I felt assured, especially since from the get go I said we were having triplets. People thought I was joking.... Careful what you wish for. So triplets it is. Then I bled a little, bright red blood. Not a good omen. But it was such a small quantity I almost felt guilty calling it in. I even said to the doctor on the phone, "I'm calling because it says I should on the list." It was maybe a table spoon. So I went in for an ultrasound. Nothing was found. Then a week later, it happened again, but this time it was brownish old blood. This time they found a pocket of blood in the uterus. They watched it. They watched the fetuses. Nothing adverse happened. It didn't get bigger. They said 'hunh.' and that was the end of it. During this time I was ravenously hungry, had to eat every 2-3 hours. In fact it wasn't like I was 'hhmmm, getting a little hungry, should eat soon' it was 'I have NEVER been this hungry in all my life and I will kill you if you get in my way'. But I got the hang of it. I started keeping chopped steak in a Ziploc in my pocket. More than once I found myself, under certain eating-inappropriate situations, excusing myself to the rest room to eat steak out of a baggy. I asked my doctor, 'so how many calories should I eat'? I could not get an answer to that. 'Just eat right' he said. And everyone who knew remotely anything about pregnancy, that I complained to, said it was good advice. Just so you know, at 15 weeks and 3 days, I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life. But the past 2 weeks I haven't gained anything. Know what the doctor said? The doctor said, 'I don't care if you gain 5 lbs or 50 lbs or even lose weight, just eat right and eat when you're hungry.' Wouldn't that just be a prego's ideal dream, to have 3 healthy children who sucked the fat right off the butt and thigh areas, so you came out weighing less? I can only hope, I won't get excited. So what else about the body changes... I burp, A LOT, first thing in the morning, like I just chugged a soda. I am sure you-know-who thinks it's part of the alarm ringing on my phone. And can we talk about flatus...also known as gas, toots, farts.... FYI: the three little parasites cause the gastrointestinal tract to increase absorption of nutrients (isn't that cute) by releasing hormones that slow down peristalsis i.e., they slow the gut down. This slowing causes more water to be absorbed (think constipation) and it lets things ferment/rot for longer. What smells worse? Things that are a little rotten or things that have been rotten for quite sometime? You do your own experiments. All I can tell you is that I could barely tolerate myself with the fan on in the bathroom. Now, I eat LOTS of fiber. And people thought I was vegetable girl before. Serious fruits and veggies people. In fact, today has consisted of yogurt with berries, a tangerine, and kiwi. Oatmeal with a banana. A sweet potato, an apple, some grapes, another 2 tangerines, steamed cabbage, a bratwurst. Four carrots, half a cucumber, and 3 pieces of cheese. And an Eddies fruitful blueberry popsicle. I am contemplating some Annie's cheddar bunnies (organic goldfish) but you-know-who will be home soon and we can contemplate dinner together. I digress. Back to the story. So, here we have almost insatiable hunger, coupled with a slowed gut, where does the food go? Enter: morning sickness. The food comes right back out. Now it wasn't like some horror stories you hear, but I will say it is quite something, as an adult to experience projectile vomiting. It immediately made me feel like I was 6 years old. Probably because that was the last time I experienced uncontrolled emesis. And yes, I was hungry afterwards. (Eeeww.) My morning sickness was mostly in the evenings. The other funny thing that happened was my gag reflex was suddenly at the level of my molars. That made brushing my teeth entertaining. Let me warn you now, yogurt and fruit vomit doesn't just rinse off the dirty shower wall, you have to get the scrubby sponge out. Imagine, a 6 year old sick girl in the shower and you make her scrub it out too.... Do you see the pouty lip? I did discover the best time to brush was after throwing up. And yes there were a few days that minty sugar free gum had to suffice. Sometimes all I could brush was the front 2/3rds of my teeth. But I did brush at least once a day. Some things that I did not know when having triplets, amniocentesis is not recommended. So how do you find out about Down Syndrome, especially when yours truly is 40 yrs old? You look at nuchal translucency and nasal bone length. What about that blood test they usually do in conjunction with the nuchal translucency? It cannot be done with triplets, too unreliable. Plus everyone looks good according to the nuchal translucency and nasal bone measurements. However, this past week baby C showed an "isolated echogenic cardiac focus" (fancy-dancy). Which just means there was a bright white spot on the heart when they did the ultrasound and there is a one percent chance it could mean Down Syndrome. It's 'isolated' because there are no other indicators of Downs. Translation: 99% chance it's nothing, 1% it's something. I will not get excited about it. In fact, I am really not worried about much concerning this pregnancy. The cankles (what you get when there is no differentiation between the calf and ankle) are visually disturbing but not physically. My doctor assured me they would get worse. And what about fatigue, you ask? The second 3 weeks of pregnancy I had to take naps, but then I started sleeping 9 hours a night. Haphazardly I will pass out earlier than normal bedtime, but for the most part, naps are over. I am also having eye problems. I have to wear my glasses all the time now. I think my astigmatism has gotten worse. I have an eye appointment next week. Another lament I have is sleeping. I am a back only sleeper, but recently I find myself waking on my side and its killing my neck. Only muscle stiffness, but still.
So what does all this mean? My body has been taken over, literally. It is now controlled by the placentas. My doctor, the specialist, says they don't know which one is the leader, or how it is that multiples with their own placentas interact to control the mother's body in a cooperative way. I do know that they are all the same size and therefore no one is being short-handed on nutrients.
I have to go eat now.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Can you fit 3 car seats across in a Toyota Yaris?
Why, yes! Yes, you can. Great cheers were heard at our house yesterday and a huge sigh of relief. We do not have to buy a new car this year to accommodate our triplets. I'm sure there's a mini-van somewhere in our future but at least it doesn't have to be this year. It's a tight fit. The top of the car seats (rear-facing) touch the back of the driver and passenger seats. At 5'8" and 5'2" we do not need to set the seats as far back as someone 6'. As it is with the seats positioned where we need them for driving and riding, there is no more room if one of us were taller. The car seats fit 3 across with a bit of room to spare! The doors do not touch the seats when they are closed. We will be checking with our local fire department to assure proper installation and that the tight fit does not pose any safety risks for any of us.
We have a 2009 Toyota Yaris 4-door with trunk. The car seats are the amazing Diono Radian RXT convertible car seats. Amazing because they fit 3 across in our compact car. That said there are some down sides to these car seats. I recommend reading the entire instruction booklet before attempting installation, especially if you are not familiar with car seat jargon, e.g., latch installation, harness adjuster, etc. These seats are not designed to snap in and out of an attached base like the Graco seats. Once in the car they stay in the car so there's no easy portable baby carrier. They weigh 24 lbs each. They fold up and are designed to be carried (to use them in a bus or an airplane). They come with a carrying strap and can be carried on one shoulder or like a backpack. They are expensive, $288 on Amazon. But they have a 10 year warranty, are designed for kids 5-120 lbs, and convert from rear-facing to forward facing. Much cheaper than buying a new car and probably the only seat we will have to buy, so a one-time purchase. We won't have to buy another one for front-facing or as a booster.
We began with a quick fit test. We took the Radians out of their boxes and seatbelted them into the back seat of the car. It took two of us to get them in, positioned and seatbelts threaded through each seat. If you have larger hands, you might want to find someone with smaller hands. The path to feed the seatbelt through is similar to the Graco, though very smooth with no rough edges, roomier but still tight. Once we knew they were going to fit we brought them back in one at a time, J attending to adjusting them for newborn infant size and me carting them in and out. This is where the reading through the entire instruction booklet would have come in handy. We're both pretty mechanically inclined but the jargon in the instructions had each of us with a booklet in hand trying to figure out what exactly they were talking about. It really wasn't that complicated after we got the manual for the car out of the glove box to better understand what kind of car restraint system we have and once we got the first carseat adjustments done. I was able to get them strapped back into the car by myself. Our only difficulty with this was the seatbelt attachment can fall out of the path, so I recommend sticking it through as far as possible with one hand and then grasping it with your other and not letting go before you click it into place. Though this means strategically leaning against the ever moving receding seatbelt (I used my knee) while feeding the seatbelt through. There's a nice video on YouTube showing how to install one of the seats into a vehicle. The best part is the suggestion about where to put pressure on the seat while snugging it down.
Here are pictures of the seats in our car.
We have a 2009 Toyota Yaris 4-door with trunk. The car seats are the amazing Diono Radian RXT convertible car seats. Amazing because they fit 3 across in our compact car. That said there are some down sides to these car seats. I recommend reading the entire instruction booklet before attempting installation, especially if you are not familiar with car seat jargon, e.g., latch installation, harness adjuster, etc. These seats are not designed to snap in and out of an attached base like the Graco seats. Once in the car they stay in the car so there's no easy portable baby carrier. They weigh 24 lbs each. They fold up and are designed to be carried (to use them in a bus or an airplane). They come with a carrying strap and can be carried on one shoulder or like a backpack. They are expensive, $288 on Amazon. But they have a 10 year warranty, are designed for kids 5-120 lbs, and convert from rear-facing to forward facing. Much cheaper than buying a new car and probably the only seat we will have to buy, so a one-time purchase. We won't have to buy another one for front-facing or as a booster.
We began with a quick fit test. We took the Radians out of their boxes and seatbelted them into the back seat of the car. It took two of us to get them in, positioned and seatbelts threaded through each seat. If you have larger hands, you might want to find someone with smaller hands. The path to feed the seatbelt through is similar to the Graco, though very smooth with no rough edges, roomier but still tight. Once we knew they were going to fit we brought them back in one at a time, J attending to adjusting them for newborn infant size and me carting them in and out. This is where the reading through the entire instruction booklet would have come in handy. We're both pretty mechanically inclined but the jargon in the instructions had each of us with a booklet in hand trying to figure out what exactly they were talking about. It really wasn't that complicated after we got the manual for the car out of the glove box to better understand what kind of car restraint system we have and once we got the first carseat adjustments done. I was able to get them strapped back into the car by myself. Our only difficulty with this was the seatbelt attachment can fall out of the path, so I recommend sticking it through as far as possible with one hand and then grasping it with your other and not letting go before you click it into place. Though this means strategically leaning against the ever moving receding seatbelt (I used my knee) while feeding the seatbelt through. There's a nice video on YouTube showing how to install one of the seats into a vehicle. The best part is the suggestion about where to put pressure on the seat while snugging it down.
Here are pictures of the seats in our car.
Monday, February 13, 2012
13 weeks 2 days
The ultrasound was extra long today because the doctor was trying to get specific pictures. Amazing that we could sit and watch the babies moving all around. Good views of their little brains, spines, ribs, arms and legs. One of them even opened and closed his/her mouth. It's all truly miraculous.
Ultrasound 13 weeks 2 days
Not the best pic of the babies but nice to see all three again in one shot. That's the back of Baby C. They've really grown since the first pic of all three. They are all almost 3 inches, crown to rump measurement. If you look along the top of Baby C and Baby B it's a great pic of two of the placentas.
Not the best pic of the babies but nice to see all three again in one shot. That's the back of Baby C. They've really grown since the first pic of all three. They are all almost 3 inches, crown to rump measurement. If you look along the top of Baby C and Baby B it's a great pic of two of the placentas.
Baby A, 13 weeks 2 days
You can see the umbilical cord for Baby A just above the tummy.
You can see the umbilical cord for Baby A just above the tummy.
Baby B, 13 weeks 2 days
Waving.
Waving.
Baby C, 13 weeks 2 days
Baby B and Baby C were especially active today during the ultrasound. This was the best shot of Baby C. You can see some of his/her little fingers just below the chin.
Baby B and Baby C were especially active today during the ultrasound. This was the best shot of Baby C. You can see some of his/her little fingers just below the chin.
Baby A, 13 weeks 2 days
Since Baby A was not moving as much at the beginning of the ultrasound there are several really nice pics of A. We call this one 'Levitating' since Baby A looks suspended in space.
Since Baby A was not moving as much at the beginning of the ultrasound there are several really nice pics of A. We call this one 'Levitating' since Baby A looks suspended in space.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Triplet Discovery January 3, 2012
Ultrasound - 7 weeks 3 days
Thought we were having twins. Baby A and Baby B were alive and well and we were delighted. And then...
Ultrasound - 7 weeks 3 days
Baby C!
OMG, TRIPLETS. Ok, I was a little unnerved, delighted, but unnerved.
J was ecstatic.
Ultrasound - 9 weeks 2 days
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