Some Stats of Multiple Gestation

Here are some stats from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in the recent years when it comes to Multiple Gestation of Triplets.

The average length of pregnancy:

• 32 weeks

Survival Rates:

• At 24 weeks the survival of all babies is 42%.
• At 28 weeks the survival of all babies is 94% (a big jump due to maturity of the lungs).
• At 32 weeks the survival of all babies is 97%.
• At 36 weeks the survival of all babies is 98.5%.

Average Length of Hospital Stay:

• Born at 24 weeks - about 4 months.
• Born at 28 weeks - about 3 months.
• Born at 32 weeks - about 1 month.
• Born at 36 weeks - about 1 week.

Serious Complications of Prematurity before 28 weeks:

• Lung problems (immature lungs).
• Bleeding complications (spontaneous bleeding in the brain).
• Eye problems

So lets all pray that we can make it well past the 28 week mark. Each day we can keep them cooking inside me will lower their risks of complications due to prematurity.

Neonatologist

Today Adam and I had a consult with neonatologist Dr. Ekhard Ziegler. He gave us a lot of information, and a tour of the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Dr. Ziegler was wonderful and the NICU was really nice. There are 3 main levels of the NICU, Levels 1, 2, and 3. Once the babies are doing well enough that they can move up to Levels 2 and 3 and they can share a room, but while they are in Level 1 they will each have their own rooms and their own nurses. The rooms were nice but it was really hard to get past all the machines that they could be hooked up to. We didn't go into a room with a baby in it but you could see them from the hallway and they were so tiny. It was really hard to hold back the tears knowing that will be our babies very soon.

After our tour we had an ultrasound to check the fluid levels in each of their sacs and their heart rates, and they all looked good. Once we were finished with that we met with Dr. Rai and Dr. Yankowitz. They were both pleased at our progress. So our next appointment was scheduled for growth scans on all three babies next Thursday.

Once again after visiting with all the different doctors Adam and I can not be more pleased with the choice we made when we decided to come to the University. The level of care and interest they have shown is unbelievable and we really feel that we will be in right hands. We thank God for guiding us in the right direction!

Quick Trip Update

Our doctor's appointment went well on Thursday. They did growth scans on each of the babies and checked their levels of amniotic fluid and everything came back okay. All their fluid levels are in the normal range now, and they have figured out that Baby A (girl) is weighing in at around 1 lb. 2 oz., Baby B (boy) is at 1 lb. 11 oz, and Baby C (girl) is at 1 lb 7 oz. So Baby A is still a little smaller and they will continue to keep a close eye on her, but she keeps growing at every visit so they think that she just has a smaller portion of the placenta then Baby C. So good news!

Our next visit is on the January 22nd and then after that they want to see start seeing us every week! Hard to believe how fast time is flying by!

Liv Says Bye-Bye to Trouble

Yesterday afternoon I took Trouble to the Cedar Valley Humane Society where he will hopefully be able to find a new family soon. After I finished filling out all the paperwork I cried myself to Wendy's for a Jr. Frosty hoping that would comfort me. I know I did the right thing, but he has been my buddy for the last 4+ years. I really do hope that he will go to a new family that will be able to give him the attention and love he deserves. We definitely wouldn't have been able to do that with all that is going to be going on around here in the very near future.

Liv has been really sick for the last few days (puking/double ear infection/cough/runny nose), so my mother-in-law came over to watch her while I took him in. After we packed him up she said, "bye-bye kiki" and then waved good-bye as Trouble and I left. Tonight Adam and I asked her about the kitty and she kind of looked around so we reminded her that he went bye-bye.

So that's that. I have to admit it is was harder then I thought it would be and I am definitely taking it harder then anyone else.

On a different note, Liv is finally starting to feel better. Tonight is the first night that she has played with her toys since Sunday! That is a long time for a little girl! So now we are all praying that she is finally getting better.

Here she is laying on the couch after her first ever throw up. Poor baby, I felt so bad for her!

Christmas With My Side Of The Family

My side of the family decided to have Christmas here in Cedar Rapids this year at my sister Theresa's house. Our family has really grown in the last 2 years taking my parents grandchildren total to eight, and by this time next year we will have added three more to that total! WOW! And who would have ever thought that Theresa, Crystal, and I would all have kids under the age of two at the same time!

My brother-in-law, Jack, holding Ella, next to Jaxen, Kaitlin, and Rachel.

My sister Theresa with her son Matthew getting ready to play with Jaxen's new drum set!

I am talking on the phone with my Grandma Eekhoff while watching Liv play with her new baby and diaper bag. And my sister Crystal is wondering who to thank for giving Jaxen a drum along with more noise making instruments.

And here Olivia is trying to explain to Matt why she needs dress him beads. Jack really loves it when Liv gets him to play with girlie toys!

Christmas with Adam's Family

This year for Christmas on the Sadler side we all went to the Grand Harbor in Dubuque, which is an indoor water park/hotel for the weekend. As you will see fun was had by all!


Adam's dad and mom, John and Nancy, after going down the "big" water slide on the double tube.


Adam and Olivia having a good time floating around and around the lazy river.

Aunt Aubrey helping Liv down the slide.

Olivia having fun in the splash pad.

Adam's nephews Owen and Brady testing out there new Leapster games.

Cousin Mabry and Liv eating their Puff's after opening all those presents.

Trips Update

We had our second appointment at the University yesterday. We started off with an ultrasound to mainly check on the girls and the levels of fluid in their sacs. Once it was finished Dr. Williamson met with us to tell us what he was seeing and what his concerns were. So... Dr. Williamson said that they had all grown appropriately since our last visit two weeks ago. Baby B (the boy) likes to hang out on my right side and he is still going strong. He is measuring in at 23 weeks (always a week ahead) and has plenty of fluid in his sac. Then we moved to Baby C. She is sitting pretty right on top. She measures right on target at 22 weeks and has just the right amount of fluid in her sac. And then we moved to Baby A. She is snuggled in at the very bottom. And while she grew the appropriate amount in the last two weeks, she is still measuring a week behind at 21 weeks. The fluid in her sac is also measuring at the low end, but at this time it is not a serious concern. A concern, but not a serious one. So we continue to pray for her and hope that her fluid levels go up by our next visit in two weeks.

Next we moved on to meet with Dr. Lori Day, a Fellow in the High Risk Clinic. She too spent a lot of time with us. She went over all my questions and into further discussion about the girls and then talked about signs of preterm labor and what to do. She also did a cervix check and found that while my cervix is still really long (that is good), I am just slightly dilated. But when I say slightly, I mean under a centimeter. So she is putting on what she calls pelvic rest. We asked about bed rest and she said that there was no reason for me to be on bed rest at this point. Yeah! But we did talk about lifting Olivia and she said that she is about the heaviest thing I can lift, push, or pull. Nothing over 25 lbs. She also said that she would even like me to keep that to a minimum. :(

So overall, the babies are still doing good and so am I, with just some minor concerns at this point. We are at 22 now and if we can make it to their goal of 28 weeks that would put us at the first part of February. If we can make it to 32 weeks that would put us in early March, and if I would be blessed enough to make it to my goal of 36 weeks that would take us April! Crazy!

Here is a link to the University if any of you are interested in checking out any of the doctors I have mentioned. http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/med/obgyn/facstaff/index.html

Oh, and if you are wondering about my how big I am getting. My tummy measured as if I was 30 weeks prego with one baby!

U of I Visit

Finally a blog about our last doctor visit two days before our next.

Many of you know that Adam and I have been struggling with the decision to stay in the care of our current doctor, Dr. Hess and deliver here in Cedar Rapids at St. Luke's, or go to the University of Iowa Hospital to a specialist and deliver there where they have a level 3 NICU and doctors that specialize in high risk pregnancies. Finally after many discussions with many different people I made an appointment at the University for a consult. So, we went to Iowa City and it went great! I'm so glad we did it and it really proved to us to go with your gut and if something doesn't feel right then you need to be the one to change it.

I will admit the size of the hospital is a little overwhelming but the staff and doctors totally made up for it. Our appointment was at 2:00 and we didn't get out of there until 6:00, but we really only spent about 20 minutes waiting that whole time. And that wasn't even that bad because they have flat screen TVs in all the rooms. (Adam was really excited about that!)

We met with Dr. Rai who is a Fellow in the OB/GYN Department. Which means that she has completed her residency and could go practice anywhere but she has chose to continue her education for another three years to specialize in high risk pregnancies. The hospital has three Fellows and they are all supervised by Senior High Risk Obstetricians. We met with one the senior doctor's at the end of our visit with Dr. Ria, Dr. Andrea Greiner. She went over some more things with us and informed us that the twin to twin transfusion can happen at any time of the pregnancy. While Dr. Hess had told us that by week 20 they would know if that was occurring or going to occur. So I guess we need to keep praying about that, and here I thought we were in the clear. Then we went and had an ultrasound done. It was a lot like the ultrasounds we have had in the past. But this time when they were finished Dr. Ria came in with another senior doctor, Dr. Jerome Yankowitz. He went over the ultrasound results with us and when we were all finished up he even walked us out. It was so nice to feel like we were being cared for by someone that cared about us and feels that this pregnancy is as special as we do. It was what I had been looking for all along and I am so glad we decided to have the consult.

I don't have any pictures to share this time of the babies but they all looked good, the only thing that we are watching for is the twin to twin transfusion between the girls. One is measuring just a little smaller then the other so they are going to keep a close eye on them and even gave me some possible warning signs to look for. Other then that mom, dad, Olivia and babies are doing great!