For those who are just now discovering Triplamed- welcome to our blog about the ever-changing, ever-exciting world of being pregnant with triplets!
This is my first official post of Triplamed because even though there are three previous posts (you can view them by scrolling down and also clicking on the “About Us” page) I was not ready to share the news with everyone. I have just entered my 13th week and we have just been told by the doctor that we are doing great.
We are now out of the woods for a horrible thing called vanishing twin syndrome, just last week the babies tested negative for Down Syndrome and they are all three at a very healthy length and have perfect little heart beats.. So with the good news on the table, I agreed that now would be the time I write something down about being pregnant with triplets.
When people hear that I am pregnant with triplets the first question I get is typically, “do triplets run in your family?”. All I can say is that if they did Jay probably would have run the other way! No, my family are boring people that tend to only carry one child at a time… I chalk it up to pure laziness. But who am I to judge?
When I was 15 and again when I was 20 I had some serious surgeries which left me with only a quarter of my right ovary and the right fallopian tube. That would have been enough to do the trick- however with the stress of the surgeries my tube collapsed and thus wont take or bring anything which is needed in the delicate world of conception. It was my oncologist who introduced me to Dr. William Meyer while he was still practicing at UNC’s fertility clinic. Later Meyer started a practice with Dr. Grace Couchman called Carolina Conceptions. It was the teamwork of both doctors and their wonderful staff which enabled us to get pregnant. Even though they gave us a 28% chance, they still let us try and how lucky we are for that! Though we needed help, and at times it seemed like my little ovary just couldn’t produce under the pressure, we used my eggs and Jay’s good stuff- so the babies are 100% ours…
Typically after the first question people start warming up to the idea of a single person carrying around three extra people in their belly and I get the “When’s your due date?” inquiry. This is tricky. If this were a normal pregnancy I would be due January 9th, which happens to be a week before my birthday. When I first heard the news I was so excited. I am constantly running late for things and my tardiness was not missed at my own birth. Due right at the end of the year I chose to make my appearance on my mother’s birthday instead. I have always wanted to have a third generation born on that day- since I was late, I figured my baby (since we only thought it was one at the time they gave us the due date) would be a procrastinator too. Um, no.
Since trips typically arrive around the 32nd -36th week of pregnancy I will most likely deliver late November/early December at some point- but just knowing that I would have had a January baby is close enough for me! Guess I won’t host the family Thanksgiving this year, huh?
Our actual due date will never really be pinned down as it’s just a matter of how long we can keep the babies in. The longer they stay tucked in their warm little nests the fewer complications will arise. I will have to deliver at Duke Hospital which has a Level III (meaning the best) NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Duke is about 35 minutes from the house, in good traffic- so the day that they come will be an exciting one! I can’t wait to see how that pans out!
Because I am pregnant with trips I will be monitored more frequently than a mother of a singleton pregnancy and so that means more ultrasound photos and progress notes to post. We figured at the time of the appointments we would take a moment and update the blog with the information we receive, maybe even throw in a photo of the belly too.
Belly at 13 wks
My girlfriend Tahli from Australia tells me that down there they give DVDs of the ultrasounds. How I wish that was the case here. There is nothing more exciting than seeing movement across the screen! The scanned images below are blurry because well, like my husband, my babies are hyperactive. Already I have one which I know will be a trouble maker! (Baby C). This last appointment proved to be their most active screening yet. Baby C was moving so much that Baby A was kicking back in retaliation.. which only made Baby B exasperated. Sure they cant yet survive on their own, but I am not sure they are void of personality even this early on. By the looks of it Baby B (who I think is a girl) is already acting as referee for the other two (which I believe are boys).
I am 13 weeks now and during this week the babies will each grow to the size of a peach. The intestines, which have been growing in their umbilical cords will now start to migrate to their tummies. Also, which just blows my mind- this is the week that their little vocal cords begin development… I was a REALLY loud baby (surprised?!) and so I hope they don’t get the cords I had! I was really tough to take anywhere because I could clear a room with my screams….
The truth is, while this is all very exciting- so much has already taken place that we have documented with scans but not shared. The last three months have been jammed packed with growth. I have been supremely nauseated and exhausted which explains how my body was able to make so much happen in such a short time. For those interested here’s a quick run down of what you have missed over the last three months….
Weeks 1-4- Conception and implantation of three embryos…. (seen here in their five star Petri dish accommodations)
Babies in Petri Dish!
Week 5- The babies were each the size of an orange seed. Their hearts, which at that point were the size of a single poppy seeds, and their circulatory systems were being created. {The three dark spots are the three separate baby sacks. The white bubble-like images in the black are the beginnings of the babies.}
5 Weeks
Week 6- Babies A, B & C were no bigger than a nail head. The beginning of their jaws, cheeks and chins were taking shape and each had little marks which are the beginning of ear canals. Also, their kidneys, liver and lungs were coming into existence. Each baby’s heart was beating around 80 beats per minute.{You can see how the dark sacks have grown larger and are seeming to curve towards one another. Baby C (far left) is the only one who is really visible in this scan.}
6 Weeks
Week 7- At the size of a blueberry each baby was 10,000 times larger than at conception! Brain cells were being generated at 100 cells per minute. The tongue and mouth were formed and so were arm and leg buds which will eventually sprout into paddle-like appendages. The kidneys were now fully functioning and working on waste management.{Notice again the increased size of the sacks and how the babies are really snuggled together! The baby C I spoke about at Week 6 may in fact now be my Baby B- it looks like this week’s Baby A (Shown here as top most baby) traveled from the far right of the screen to the far left pushing the left most baby towards the center!}
7 Weeks
Week 8- My babies were each about the size of a large raspberry. Lips, noses, eyelids, legs and backs were taking shape and their heart rates were up around 150 beats per minute. {Everyone seems to have found a comfortable place to rest and grow. If you look closely at the scan of the three you will each baby is labeled with A, B or C This is the first time we were able to take individual shots of the trips. Though they are blurry, each baby has their own glamour shot!}
8 Weeks with four views
Week 9- The babies officially graduated to fetuses. (No more embryo name-calling.) Measuring about the size of a medium green olive, the babies’ muscles starting to form for later use. All the better to kick me with!
Week 10- My children were then each the size of a prune…. Bones and cartilage were forming and small indentations on the legs were developing into knees and ankles. The elbows have already formed and have been functioning! How cool! Tiny buds under the gums formed for future baby teeth. The stomach began producing digestive juices and the kidneys started producing larger quantities of waste. In exciting news for Jay, if any of the three darlings are boys, the testes began producing testosterone! {We cant really do the wide angle view of all three at once anymore- the babies are too big! Here are individual shots of each one. Babies A & B gave us great shots, Baby C was moving and jerking the whole time! He was bouncing all around his little sack like a Mexican Jumping Bean!}
10 Week look at each jelly bean!
Week 11- Les bebes were each about 2 inches long. Hair follicles were forming and so were the fingernail and toenail beds (I celebrated this milestone the only way I knew- by getting and manicure and pedicure). No more webbed paddle-like hands and feet. Fingers and toes were separated and the ears came even closer to their final shape. The nose gained open nasal passages, the tongue and palate were completed and ready for future cuisine tasting and get this, nipples were visible! How amazing is that…..? If I am fortunate enough to have at least one girl this was the week the ovaries began developing!
Week 12- The babies were each roughly the size of a large fresh plum. Most of their systems have formed- but there is still a lot of work to do! Their digestive systems have been practicing contracting so they will eventually be able to eat. Their bone marrow started making white blood cells and their pituitary glands started producing hormones (can’t wait for the teenage years with three of them! We need to invest in one more bathroom for the house.).
12 Weeks- all healthy!
(All weekly growth information was taken from Murkoff’s What to Espect ® When You’re Expecting)
Whew- now you’re caught up!
We are now on a rotation in which we see the doctor about every two weeks. We were told that if we are lucky the next appointment may be the one in which we find out the genders- but there is a really slim chance of that. If not then, then my 16th week will be the big reveal. IF ANYONE DOES NOT WANT TO KNOW, just skip that post. (We’ll give you plenty of warning so you can skip it). I know some of you are old fashioned and think that this is the one thing in life that should truly be a surprise. My mother thought that way- but honestly people- being told that I was having triplets was enough of a surprise for me. I need to prepare anyway possible for what is about to happen to my family!
As far as how Jay and I are holding up, well we are excited. This is something we have wanted for so long and something we suspect would not have been dealt to us if we were not capable of doing it well. We both desperately want to be parents and this will definitely test that desire!
Jay is walking around with perma-grin. He can’t stop smiling and this new adventure is something he is not scared of at all- even though he is also attending graduate school, supervising renovations to our house, working at our company and starting a new company. He’s just Jay, always up for the next big thrill and ready to be a father. He’s easy, like Sunday morning.
I, on the other hand do not have perma-grin- I have something more like perma-nausea. Though I am fortunate not to have, well “released the nausea” I am not sure which is worse. Getting it out or feeling sick all the time. I hope that my second trimester will be the one in which I eat like a pig and glow like a lighting bug. Now I just feel like a pig with bugs all over her!
That’s it for my first post; the four of us have to take a nap now… this has tired me out!
