Tuesday, June 30, 2009

So Fine, I Don't Have Any Broken Ribs...

Fine. Okay, you're right, I have no broken ribs. Although I didn't have an x-ray to prove it, I did have an ultrasound that clearly showed the leg of Mattea wedged under my rib ALONG with the big ole melon of Frankie jammed up in there for company. It is not my imagination, the pain and uncomfortableness of moving from one side to the other, of sniffling, sneezing or coughing. Thanks kids. Ya know, for reminding me of your presence. Now just stay put in there and keep growing. I love you.

Monday, June 29, 2009

The Not So Fun Part

The last couple of days of this pregnancy have been hard. Sleeping is getting almost impossible. Something is going on with the lower left side of my rib cage. It feels like I have broken ribs. It kills when I breath, sniffle, cough, move, aagh, it is the worst pain ever. I've had a broken rib before which wasn't fun and remember there is nothing that can be done about it so I guess I just have to deal with whatever is going on. Rolling over in bed is such a task. I'm dying to sleep on my back or stomach. I would kill to have a Lazy Boy right about now. I look like poop. My nose has grown to what seems like giant proportions as well as my lips. It's hard not to complain when I am already measuring full term and can only imagine what it would be like to go another 8 weeks.
However, in spite of being uncomfortable I am so grateful for each day that I get to continue to cook these amazing babies. A fellow forum member had her triplets the other day at 25.5 weeks. They are doing well for their gestation but they are just so little. At the same time, when I look at the pictures of those babies I can't believe I have 3 in here that are even bigger than that. I just can't fathom it. I wish my stomach was see through and I could see where they are. Granted my belly is very big but I still can't imagine how they fit in there all together. It continues to blow my mind. And even though I have a hard time grasping that they are all in there and will be out soon, I already love them so much.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Getting Huge...




I am certainly getting quite large. I had an appt. yesterday with my regular OB. My fundus is measuring 37 weeks and I have gained 20 pounds so far so I feel that I will be an elephant very soon. You'll notice I haven't added any face shots with my pics. This is because for one thing, I have always hated having my picture taken and two, I look terrible. My skin is awful because I've been left to fester in my own pile of grease and I just look very unfavorable. In any case, enjoy the huge belly pics...

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Triplet Sandwich

Yes, we have a triplet sandwich. I haven't been feeling the little ones move too much lately and was quite bothered by this. I spent the weekend poking my stomach, shaking it, downing lemonade. Today at my appointment ultrasounds confirmed that each baby is lying transverse (across my belly) with their heads and feet in opposite direction. Since all the placentas are across the front of my stomach I'm not feeling their jabs. I saw them today though and they were very active.
They all have adequate fluid and are measuring a little over 26 weeks. Baby A (Frankie)measures 1.15, baby B (David) 2.1 and Baby C (Mattea)1.15. My cervix is measuring about 3.9 which is very good. My BP is good so everything is going wonderfully so far. I look like I should've given birth last week.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Yay-Nursery Almost Complete
















The nursery is almost complete. We need only the area rug, the chnaging pad and the perfect lamp. I have enjoyed my new discovery of mod podge. With it I've made the wooden letters for the wall and also some little birdhouses. My mind is spinning with all of the things I could make with mod podge, not for the nursery though because it's already busier than I wanted it to be. Maybe Breahna will let me make something for her room, if it's not too kiddish. Here are the pictures. Here it is:










Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Strawberry Pancakes




My husband was sweet enough to go to the strawberry orchard yesterday and pick me some strawberries. Fresh picked strawberries are my all time favorite food in the whole world and I only have access to them for about 3 weeks a year. It's a darn shame I tell you. So, the highlight of my day was the strawberry pancakes David made me for dinner. They were delicious with a side of bacon. It seems pretty dull to be so exciting but I can't express how boring it is to be on bedrest, to not leave the house, not to be able to do a hair of anything productive (Except grow babies of course, which is highly productive). I've been lunging in this bed, growing zits, becoming more and more emotional over t.v. If any of you caught the Oprah show today then you had the opportunity to see the most heart wrenching videos I've ever seen in my life. I mean, I've even seen it before today on YouTube but today it struck an even more vulnerable cord. It was about a baby born with Trisomy 18 and the video diary his father made for him. I don't know the name of the baby nor the video but I would highly suggest that anyone who is planning on watching it to make sure they are alone and have at least an hour to bawl their brains out. It is one of those things that leaves you completely jarred afterward for hours upon hours. I took care of a baby with a similar genetic disorder not along ago in the hospital and her story left me feeling not only the fragility of life but the narrow passage between it and death.




Another show that I haven't been able to watch since being left here to fester is Baby Lab, a show about infertlity and couples on the verge of conception or falied cycles. AAagh, it seems so much harder to feel the pain of infertlity when I am outside looking in for once. It brings back the waiting, the wanting, the disappointments. I guess when you are in the midst of it, the determination to conquer it sort of squashes out the deep pain it is actually causing. Looking at these couples makes my heart ache. I'm not sure if being on bedrest is good for the psyche or if this is just normal hormones taking over. Or, this could just be me.




On a lighter note, Breahna read stories to her siblings tonight for the first time. She read The ABC book by Dr. Seuss and The Snowman (one of my faves). It was cute and we'll try to do that more often. She was super excited to be able to be involved like that. It was really neat. Anyway, she is begging me for the computer so she can type something for school so I shall post my 24.4 week belly pics and be on my way.








Sunday, June 14, 2009

Nursery Progress...

Yay. David finished putting all of the cribs together today. This means all the building part of the nursery is done and now the accessorizing may begin. Even though I know the babies won't be sleeping in there for a long time, it is a weight off my shoulder that it is almost done. As anyone that knows me, I hate undone things. They give me anxiety. This is part of what drives me to do my projects in one fell swoop. I honestly hate incomplete missions. So now all we need to do is hang the wall hangings I painted, the curtains, stick on the birdie decals I got and we have to pick out an area rug. Most of these little pieces of the nursery are in the mail so until they get here, we won't have anything more to do in there.

In addition to the nursery coming along, my father in law is feeling better and will hopefully be coming home from the hospital tomorrow. My little nieces just graduated from high school and Breahna will be graduating from fifth grade next week and moving on to middle school. So much going on. Oh, and I have an appointment with my perinatologist tomorrow which means I get to leave and actually get in a car and go somewhere. I haven't been out of the house since last Tuesday. I hope I remember how to use the stairs. Here are some pics of our progress and aof the canvas wall hangings I made. Okay so my computer is really slow I will post the pics in another blog.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Day 2 of Bedrest

Aaah day 2 of bedrest. My body is stiff already. It's amazing how much you take for granted everyday activities, like being able to make your own salad the way you want, watering your flowers and blasting the music while you tool around the house and tidy up. I've been eating a lot of ding dongs these past 2 days, drinking a lot of lemonade of course and it gets old real fast-ya know, the whole pigging out thing. I am feeling the effects of Vitamin D deprivation along with anyone else who lives in New England). By the time I emerge from my cave I should be a purplish shade of white-a lighter shade of paaaallleee.....

I've been brushing up on my internet shopping skills and was able to find what I believe are some pretty good deals on some odds and ends to complete the nursery. The last main thing we need is an area rug. I am certain I will find one I like with this time on my hands. It's fun to be able to participate from bed and if I am lucky I will take an excursion this weekend to put the bedding on and see how everything looks together. It will only take 10 minutes and I've been good.

My husband has been running around like a mad man between his father being on bedrest and myself, trying to get the nursery put together, taking care of the dogs, Breahna and all of the other household stuff that needs to be done everyday that nobody notices until it's not being done promptly. Now a turn of events has sent my poor father in law back to the hospital. However, I am thanking God my mother in law had the good judgement to call and inquire on something that wasn't right because he had a blood clot. That could have turned bad fast so again, thank God.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Officially on House/Bed Arrest

It was only a matter of time before the dreaded two word phrase would be spoken and today was the day. I have been ordered to bedrest until 28 weeks at least. If all goes well until then I may be able to enjoy some small freedoms.
However, the babies look great. They are measuring as follows: Mattea 1.10oz, David 1.9oz and Frankie 1.6oz. We've pretty much learned that they all will hit their growth spurts at different times and to try not to get too freaked out when one is measuring behind as Mattea was last week. Right now they are positioned so that all of their bums are facing eachother and they are all going different directions. They are in completely different places than they were at the last visit.
My cervix ix measuring 3.7 which is great. So even though all is well, the high risk doc is being very cautious at this point beacuse of the contractions I have been having. I will see him every week now as he does not want to miss a beat. These next 5 weeks are critical in terms of preventing preterm labor. Although 24 weeks is the "age of viability," babies born before 28 weeks can suffer catastrophic complications. It would be dumb to risk going into preterm labor just because I want to decorate the nursery or go out for ice cream. SO, I will be horizontal for as much as I possibly can. I will read, watch movies, read some more and probably go out of my mind. I'm so lucky to have a husband who is so supportive and willing to jump in and take over the household.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

The Fun Has Begun

Yesterday I made my first trip to the hospital's OB triage. I woke up feeling "not right." I was crampy, emotional, tired and just a little nauseated. I knew I was feeling something suspicious and wasn't sure if I should call the doc or not. I've come to learn that unlike a single pregnancy where you may want to relax before jumping the gun, you must take all strange feelings seriously when you have 3 in there because of how fast things can change. Sometimes it's too late to undo the damage or the halt the progress of labor in this kind of high risk pregnancy.
So we trucked in and I was hooked up to the Toco monitors and could immediately see the little mounds coming up on the screen (contractions). I was glad I went in even if they were irregular. They were happening randomly, some small and some bigger. My cervix was closed and the babies looked good so they decided to let me come home. I will find out Tuesday at my high risk appointment whether or not these contractions caused any shortening of my cervix-my worst fear, well one of them among many. The doc thinks they may have been caused by a UTI. I will find out tommorow whether or not my culture is positive. I have a feeling that this is the begining of a long summer wrought with many frightful events and worries, not to mention house and/or bed arrest. Whatever it takes to keep these muffins baking I will do.