Thursday, September 9, 2010

31 weeks-going for Gold?





They are so squished in there that the tech was only able to get a decent picture of baby A. They basically look the same as their 23 week 3D pictures only fatter.




This one is really hard to see but try to see if you can make out the baby. I'll give you some clues. It's a profile and he's looking to the right.

We've moved on to weekly doctors visits and bi-weekly fetal monitoring. For the fetal monitoring they do what is known as a "non stress test" were they observe the babies heart rates along with my contractions to make sure they are behaving normally. I will try to get a picture of me soon just so you can see how ridiculous I look. They strap on these discs to my belly, one for each baby and a slightly different disc for monitoring contractions. So I've got 4 big belts strapped around me each with a disc underneath. The tricky thing is that they need all three heat beats for at least 20 minutes. You may think 20min would be a piece of cake but it usually takes an hour to an hour and a half to get a continuous 20min reading. The first hurdle is finding all three heart beats, and since the underside of the discs is slathered in jelly the babies are constantly kicking them around and they slide out of place so the discs will either not pick up any heart beat at all or they will pick up another baby's heart beat. Another problem is hiccups, last time two had the hiccups but thankfully it didn't last too long. They basically want to make sure that their heart rates are within normal limits, 120bpm-170bpm, and that their heart rates fluctuate up and down within those limits. The trips have all behaved normally thus far.

We got to tour the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) today. They had like 30plus babies and can sometimes have upwards of 50 in there. They section off the babies depending on the level of care they need. We saw up close a baby that was born at 31 weeks and was a week old and weighed 3.5 pounds. It was the sweetest thing ever and he really didn't need much care at all besides a little tube on his nose helping him get a little extra oxygen and a heater. Then we saw a full term baby with jaundice and he looked like a behemoth compared the first baby (not that he wasn't a cute baby though). Then we saw a micro preemie (born at less than 27 weeks), she was very sweet too but it kind of breaks your heart to see such a small baby.

So my ultrasound and doc's visit went well and my blood pressure is still good, so no sign of preeclampsia besides the protein in my urine. They gave us specific weight measurements for each baby but since they are so squished in there the margin of error is pretty big so I'm gonna ball park their weights at about 3 and a half pounds each. Looks like we are well on our way to 4 pound babies, but "please no bigger you guys."

So I've had no complications what so ever thus far, which is very unheard of for a triplet pregnancy, I'm basically a freaking anomaly! Also this last U/S showed all three babies head down, so I thought I'd ask the doctor about the possibility of a vaginal delivery if I could make it to 35 or 36 weeks. She seemed to be ok with trying if the babies continued to be head down and were old enough; however, she did tell me I'd still have to take the epidural. I'm ok with that. So why not go for the gold, all signs point to yes? It's still very unlikely I'd make it that far and Phil really hates the idea of trying so I'll keep the idea in the back of my head and IF (big IF) things still look good down the road, we'll try the vaginal delivery. Call me crazy I know!

JP

7 comments:

janet said...

So happy you guys! Excited to see the little men! Can't wait for their arrival. I'm sure you guys feel that way most of all. So proud of you Janet, way to go, taking care of your precious cargo as they get bigger and stronger all the time. Thinking about you all the time and sending happy thoughts your way. Lots of love,
Janet

nan cee said...

Good work Janet! We are all hoping you can hold off a few more weeks. We enjoy seeing the ultra sounds, although these latest ones look like they are squished. I know you must be feeling like an elephant by now with a lot of pressure. Hang in there girl, our thoughts and prayers are with you.
We all love all of you,
A. Nancy

Jonalyn said...

You'd think a vaginal delivery would be a breeze, with small babies. Just squirt 'em out. Glad you got to see the NICU. Tatiana always looked like a monster compared to the tiny babies in there! Wow, this is getting exciting! Everything looks so awesome! You are an anomaly. :) Good job, Mama!

Anonymous said...

Congrats, way to go Janet!! I don't call you crazy for wanting to try a vaginal birth if you, the doc, and the babes all cooperate, why not?
I very much admire your bravery through this whole 3l week period. Can't begin to tell you how excited we are.
The babies are so pretty now. What beautiful mouths they have---That's from your side. Their plump little cheeks and adorable chins, need I say more. Keep going for the gold. (Daddy hang in there)
Love you guys, Mama Sue and Papa

Sara said...

Janet, you are so incredible! I am so happy you have made it this far, the babies will be born happy and healthy I just know it! I so feel for you wanting to do a vaginal delivery and so feel for Phil not liking the idea. Between the two of you and the doctors, I am sure you will make the best decision. Nice to know that a baby at this stage was doing so well, that must be a relief for you knowing that your babies should be fine from this point forward!

Anonymous said...

Janet, looking at the ultra sounds of the babies made me think of something. In case the boys are born with no eyebrows, remember that Phil did not have any at birth either. In fact he did not have discernible eye-brows for quite some time. We all know that he has more than made up for that lack---SP

Kat the Baker said...

You're not crazy to want a vaginal delivery. It is worlds apart from c-section and every mom should try it at least once!