35 Weeks!

I'm back!
It's been awhile since I've posted, but I'm still here and still pregnant! We got a new computer (yay!!!), so I plan on being a better blogger. I can't make any promises once the babies are here, but I plan on trying to post more regularly.

Here's what's been going on recently:
We had our last growth scan last week (34 weeks 2 days) and all the babies look great and are measuring over 4.5 lbs each: Baby A is 4 lbs 15 oz, Baby B is 4 lbs 13 oz, and Baby C is 4 lbs 9 oz.
My peri still wants to wait before setting a c-section date. He did an internal exam and said I was a fingertip dialated and he could feel Baby A's head. He sheduled an appointment for next week, but said to go to L & D if anything changes (like steady contrax, water breaks, fever, blood). He thinks it's getting close, but the plan is to try to cook these babes for at least another week. So now I'm hoping he'll set a date this week.

The babies have still been very active, kicking up a storm. Baby B I feel the most often; she responds back if my husband or I tap on my belly. She is getting so big that my belly buldges out on the left, and she's been known to jump or pivot and push out another inch or so. We've been calling her our little firecracker. I usually fel Baby A after I eat or when we lay down to go to bed. Al thinks he's going to be a night owl just like daddy. Once he get a few kicks out, I usually don't feel him again until after I eat in the morning, so he's also a good sleeper just like daddy. We've been calling Baby A our gatekeeper, since he's done such a good job of guarding my cervix. Baby C has been the smallest of the bunch, but she seems like a fiesty one. She is head down now but her feet/legs are way up in my ribs. Anytime I prop aything on my belly, she'll try to kick it off. I feel bad for Baby C because she seems like the most squished of the three. Her brother is currently sitting on her head (poor thing!), so my peri has a tough time getting an accurate measurement.

As for me, well, I'm hanging in there. I spend most of the day on the couch watchimg tv, on the internet (lately it's been my iPhone), talking on the phone, or reading. I'm so grateful to have so many wonderful friends and family who have come by to visit, it really makes this whole bedrest thing more bearable. I also feel more like a human being taking daily showers, so my shower chair has been a godsend. As for sleep, I have my good nights and bad nights. The last couple nights I think I've been exhausted enough that I've slept pretty well. The key is getting just the right pillow placement, and smooth sheets; I swear I'm like the Princess and the Pea lately - I feel every bump and crease! I usually wake up to pee at least 2 or 3 times a night, and at some point I drink an Ensure shake to make it through the night.

Some other 34 week Stats:
Blood pressure: 110/70
Weight: I've gained 61 lbs now
Belly circumference: 47 inches
Contractions: Feel stronger now, but have been less frequent. Usually I only get them when I've been up and about. I'm no longer taking Nifedipine per my peri's instruction. He said that I'm far enough along and if I go into labor now, he won't try to stop it.

Some recent photos:

Al painted my belly for Halloween (35 weeks on Halloween!)

My 34 week self-portrait

Our new ride! The Peg Perego Triplette stroller!
Thanks to my brother Mike and SIL Linda for giving us 2 car seats as a shower gift, and mom and dad Taft for giving us the 3rd carseat AND stroller!

Hopefully my next post will be news about my c-section... or that the babies are here!

29 week update

 
I am now 30 weeks - yippee! I have started to "hit the wall" in regards to comfort. It takes me at least a half-hour, and multiple pillow arrangements, to find a comfortable sleeping position... Then I wake up an hour later to pee, and start all over again. I've also been getting headaches that have made it hard to sleep. Lately I've been heading down to the couch in the middle of the night due to hip pain and a change of scenery. Thank God I can usually sneak a nap in during the day :)

Because I can only stand on my feet for a limited time, I recently purchased a shower chair - which I love! I also may be getting a wheelchair which I never thought I'd be excited about, but I'd be able to get out of the house more, so it's sounding pretty liberating. Yesterday we took advantage of the heat (it was the hottest day In L.A. EVER on record at 113) and spent some quality time in the pool. If it weren't for turning into a prune, I would have spent the whole day in the pool!

As of my last appointment (29w 3d) my cervix is still holding strong at around 4. My weight went up another 3lbs, so I've now gained a total of 49lbs. My BP is still good at 110/60. I passed my 1 hr glucose test, so one less thing to worry about! Again my peri didn't mention bedrest, but said to continue to float in the pool and try to stick to the couch.
I will post a more thorough update on the babies after this weeks growth scan. I can't wait to see out cute babies again!

27 weeks

This is my first post from my iPhone, so we'll see how it goes... Our computer is a huge prehistoric monster (over 6 years old), and my carpal tunnel has been so terrible that I don't feel like lugging that beast to the couch for an update.
Besides the carpal tunnel and general discomfort, I'm feeling pretty good. It looks like I will make it to my final baby shower tomorrow, so that's good news!
We actually had an excellent appointment this week. We had growth scan with the "good" u/s tech. Although all the techs have been good, she's the most thorough. When I saw it was her, I told Al to ask about recording the u/s on the cd our original peri had given us. I'm so happy she agreed because the last recording was from my 12 week appointment and I really wanted one of them bigger so it was perfect.
The babies are all growing right on target for 27 weeks; Baby A was 2 lbs 3 oz, Baby B was 2 lbs 2 oz, and Baby C is 2 lbs even. All three babies were practicing breathing and moving around a lot! We even saw Baby B kick her poor brother in the head. The u/s tech also got a bunch of great 3D images. Baby A was showing off his breathing skills and even stuck his tongue out at us. Baby B was once again practicing her contortionist (sp) skills by having her arms and legs covering her face. Baby C is buried under the placenta and likes to hide, but we did get a good image of her from a birdseye view.

Next week I have the fun 1 hour glucose test. So far eveything else is going well, so I hope to breeze through the 1 hour.

Other stats:
Weight: 162 (up 43 lbs)
Cervix: 3.4 with no funneling
blood pressure: 102/60
belly measurement: 42.5
Symptoms: contractions, carpal tunnel, backaches, swollen hands and feet, bleeding gums - sounds lovely, doesn't it?
Cravings: Sweet and salty foods, but I'm trying to limit my intake especially on sweets.

26 week update

The bedrest worked! My cervix was back up to 3.7-4 which is great news! I'm still supposed to take it easy, but it looks like I'll be able to make it to my last baby shower next weekend.

The babies are getting big, and we saw  Baby A practicing breathing. Al says Baby A is going to be a linebacker because he's guarding the cervix and blocking Baby  B & C from getting out. Baby B curled up in a ball looking like she was ready to do a canonball into the pool. Baby C was finally showing us her beautiful profile, after weeks of hiding from the camera.

26 week belly

Front view

Other stats:

Weight: 160 (up 41 lbs)

Blood pressure: 100/62

Belly measurement: 42 inches around

Cravings: Rocky road and mint chip ice cream

Symptoms: BH contractions, although they've lessened since I've been taking Nifedipine. I also have pain (in the joints) and swelling in my hands, especially right when I wake up. My lower back pain has been better since I've been laing aound so much.

25 weeks - The good and the bad news

Bad news first...
I was really hoping my cervix would continue to stay long, but unfortunately,  it shortened a bit this week. It had been staying around 4.5 for the past weeks, but I noticed right away on the u/s that it looked shorter. When I asked the tech the length she said she'd let Dr. N review it and see what he thought. So I knew it wasn't great because usually the tech tells me right away. When we met with Dr.N he said it had shortened but that it is to be expected in a triplet pregnacy, so I shouldn't be too worried... but he did say that if it cotinues to shorten that I would need to be admitted to the hospital. So I need to do my best to stay laying flat as much as possible, aka modified bedrest.

I'd also been having more contractions which have been lasting longer. Dr. N also said this is normal because my uterus is now the size of a full-term uterus. He prescribed Nefedipine to reduce contractions, and said to stay well hydrated. I've only been on them for a day, but I have noticed fewer contactions.

At 25 weeks... measuring 40 weeks

Now for the good news....
I had my 2nd shower this past weekend, and was showered with love and lots of amazing gifts. Four of my sisters hosted the "3 peas in the pod" themed shower. They came up with so many adorable games, party favors, and even food ideas. I'm really hoping one of my sisters sends me their photos because I forgot to bring my camera :( I did get a few photos on my iphone from the shower.

Before the shower, in the nursery

Lots of cute clothes

Diaper cake made by my sister Ginny Sue. I was so impressed, this was her first time making one.

Diaper cake from my friend Melissa. You can't see it, but there are 3 pairs of sock in a pod on top - so cute!

My nieces playing the sock sorting game

My niece Renee playing the 3 peas in a pod game

Friends and family enjoing the tea and beautiful weather

Lots of lovely gifts

The most popular gift - we got 7!

24 weeks!

Well we've made it to 24 weeks which is our first, of hopefully many, milestones to reach in this pregnancy. I had my appointment yesterday and the office must have overbooked because it took us a loooong time to be called back. I was trying to be as patient as possible, but it's getting more difficult to sit for long periods of time, and it was super hot in the waiting room. Someone went up to the front and complained about the heat, turns out the air conditioning was on the fritz. No A.C. + a room full of pregnant women = a lot of pissy pregnant women. Once I did get called back the nurse had me give my urine sample, check weight, and took my b/p, but then she sent me right back into the hot waiting room to wait for an u/s tech. It took over an hour to get in for our u/s. Usually I love when the u/s tech does the growth scan (about every 3 weeks), but this week I was already so hot and uncomfortable once I got called back, I was hoping for a quick scan. Thank god the tech noticed I was hot (my bright red face was probably a giveaway) and adjusted the air (which, thank god, was working in the u/s rooms). First she did a cervix check, which is still holding strong at 4.3 with no funneling. Then on to the fun part; seeing the babies! Of course they had all moved around again. It was difficult to see Baby A on the u/s because he's so low, but both Baby B and C are now breech. The growth scan showed that all three babies are weighing in at 1 lb 9 oz. It was at this point that our peri came in, and the first thing he asked the u/s tech was if she was sure she didn't just measure the same baby 3 times (he's a funny guy). Besides being happy with their weights, he was very happy that my cervix is still relatively long. So he told me to keep doing what I'm doing, and just take it easy. After he left that u/s tech got a few images for us to take home (no 3D this time though :(). We decided that Baby A will probably be the shy type since he's hiding down so low in the dark abyss of my uterus, Baby B will probably be a gymnast since she was in a pike position with her toes by her head, and Baby C will be a model or actress since she wouldn't give the poparazzi (u/s tech) a clear image.

Baby A - All we could really make out was the spine and a hand

Baby B - with her feet up by her head

Other stats:

Weight: 158 (up 39 lbs)

Blood pressure: 102/62

Cravings: Not much this week, just water. I guess I could add French Dips because I ordered this twice this week when I went out - yum!

Symptoms: b/h contractions, swollen hands, backaches, mild exhaustion

24 weeks

I also got the protussis vaccination (T-dap booster) at this appointment since there's been an outbreak around here.

I have my 2nd shower this weekend, that my sisters' are throwing for me. I can't wait!

23 week update

I've been a pretty bad blogger lately... I had friends in from out of town so I completely missed my 22 week update. Considering last week was a hectic week and we had a quick appointment, I don't even remember all the details from that appointment... so I'll just move on to this week. As of todays appointment, everything is looking great! I was a little nervous going into the appointment because I wasn't feeling very hot on Tuesday; I was having difficulty breathing, pelvic pressure, and more contractions (BH) than usual. So I spent most of Wed. laying on the couch drinking lots of water, and it definitely helped.

At todays appointment I found out that all the babies had switched positions; Baby A in now breech (he was previously head down), Baby B is also breech (she was head down), and Baby C is transverse (Previously breech). It's good to know they still have room to move around in there, and that explains all the movement I've been feeling lately. Due to the pelvic pressure, I was worried that my cervix had might have shortened but it is still holding strong at 4.5. My peri said that he was very happy with my progress, but again reminded me that things can change very quickly in a triplet pregnancy and I need to continue to take it easy. He loves to kill my joy ;)

Some other stats at 23 weeks:

Weight: 155

Blood pressure: 100/60

Cravings: Mint chocolate chip ice cream, limeade, and... pickles (I know, it's very cliche)

Nursery progress: Al and his brother put up the cribs a couple weekends ago (pictures to come), glider is set up, changing table is ready, and it's painted! Next up is getting the closet ready. We ordered a closet system that should be in next week, then I can get the closet organized.

23 week photo in nursery: