Good News!

Just found out that I can go home today!

They checked my cervix early this morning and I haven't dilated much since Friday. Then we went over to do a biophysical on all the babies and check their fluids, and they all passed with a 100%. And then we went and monitored their heart rates for about 40 minutes and all went really well with that. So they decided that I could go home this afternoon! Yeah!

So the next question! Are you on bed rest? No, but I am suppose to take it easy. No strenuous activities, no lifting, cleaning, laundry...they said to think of it as I'm on vacation. When I asked about Olivia, they said that it is okay for her to sit on my lap but that I'm not to lift her. That is going to be the hardest part about being home!

So we made it to 30 weeks! Now we pray that they can hold out day by day.

We will keep you posted!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was a pretty good day for me and the babies. They are still hanging in there and doing good, and I had some visitors. First, my sister Theresa and her son Matthew stopped. They brought me a bag of goodies and Matthew had a good time playing in the closet, spinning in circles, and eating my lemon cake. He is so adorable! I took some pictures that I hope to post soon. Then soon after they left my mom came. When she got here they had just started to monitor the babies heart rates and to see if I was having any contractions. I was so glad to see her. It can take for ever sometimes for them to get a good read on all of them at the same time. They are a bunch of movers! But they are all looking good, and my contractions are few and far between now. So two pluses there!

Adam came later that night and we watched a movie and had some popcorn. He made arrangements for my mom to watch Liv so he could stay here the night. It was so nice to have him here to snuggle with. Well, until I had to move to the recliner because of my acid reflux! Dr. Griener came in the morning and we talked about the plan for today. She said that if everything goes good today then maybe I would be able to go home tomorrow. Their concern is that because I am already dilated some I could go into active labor soon. And they don't want these babies popping out at Target and ending up on the news! So today we did another hour of monitoring which went really good again, and I did a lot of exploring around the hospital. They wanted me to do some more moving around to see if I would start contracting and that went well. No crazy contractions. Then this afternoon they took out my IV, which had not even been used.

In The Hospital

Don't be too alarmed yet! I'll give you the run down day-by-day.

Thursday
Adam and I came in for our weekly appointment and found out that I had dilated a little more since last time they checked me a couple of weeks ago. I was just under 3 cm were before I was just under 1 cm. Then we went to ultrasound to have biophysicals done on all the babies. (An in depth ultrasound making sure each one is practicing breathing, moving, and so on.) And they all passed, but they have also all made there way into head down position. After that they decided to take us over to Labor and Delivery to monitor the babies heart rates and to see if I was having any contractions. They also wanted to start giving me a round of steroids that will help the babies lungs develop if we were to go into labor early. So they monitored us and found that the babies were looking pretty good but I was having contractions about 8 or so minutes apart. That is when they decided that they would keep me overnight and possible until Saturday we had finished the steroids.

Friday
We started the morning off by monitoring the babies again for an hour. They were still doing ok, but my contractions were coming a little closer. So they decided to give me a short break and then hook me back up to the machines and monitor me again for 3 hours. Let me tell you it is not easy laying in a labor/delivery bed for three hours not being able to move more then a couple inches this way and a couple that way, and keeping they babies rounded up enough that we can get a continuous heart rate on each of them at the same time! These babies are ACTIVE! But we made it through and my contractions weren't quite as consistent this time. Dr. Yankowitz still had a few concerns though and so it was decided that I would go back on the monitors again for another hour. This time they had me move into a new room were they just got a new machine that they could monitor all three babies at the same time. I was the first one that got to test it out and it worked pretty smooth! Anyways, after that, they gave me the last shot of steroids for the babies lungs and then checked me again. Since coming in Thursday they think I have dilated just a little bit more to now being just over 3 cm. But since my contractions had gone down and the babies were looking good they decided that they could move me over to the "floor," that apparently is were you go if you are on bed rest or after you have your baby. But I am still not on bed rest just hanging around for observation. (Not that I've been doing a lot of shaking and moving!)
After they moved me I had three wonderful guests brave the snowy weather and stop by. My amazing husband, beautiful daughter, and wonderful mommy. It was so good to see them but I was very sad when it was time for them to leave.

Saturday
Didn't sleep very well last night. Had terrible heartburn keeping me up and waking me more the once. Finally, I gave up at around five this morning. Dr. Griener just stopped in and didn't say much. I have been having some more contractions again this morning so while they had originally thought I might be able to leave today it is looking more like I could be in here for a while. It seems as though they are a little concerned that I may be in the "pre labor stage." But depending on the person, that can last a few hours or days. So we will just have to wait and see. It's all in God's hands now! I know we would all love for them to stay inside a little while longer but if it is time, it is time!

"For I know the plans I have for you, "declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Well that is all I've got for now, but I will be doing my best to keep you all posted on how things are going.

More Pictures From Baby Shower

My niece Rachel, my mom holding baby Ella, my sister Crystal and Ella's momma, and me!

My sister-in-laws mother, Adam's grandma Powell, Aunt Linda, and Bernie (the nice lady who took my postition at Sadler Machine Company).

Bibs made by Mary Stallman for all the babies!

Two car seats! One that was a group gift, and one from Vicki and Brianna Korf.

Baby News

Yeah, we made it to 28 weeks! We were so excited and relieved. Yesterdays appointment went well. They started off by doing growth scans on all three babies. Baby A is at 2 lbs 2 oz, Baby C is at 2 lbs 8 oz, and Baby B (the boy) is at 3 lbs 2 oz. And while they had all grown well since the last growth scan Baby A's heart rate was a little low. So after some discussion they decided to have us go back into ultrasound and have biophysical profiles done on all the babies. A biophysical is an in depth ultrasound that focuses on each one of the babies. They will watch and scan each baby for up to 30 minutes looking at heart rates, breathing, fluid, and movement. If one of the babies does not score high enough on those things then they will send me over to labor and delivery and deliver the babies. Thankfully, they all scored 100%, but we were told that from now on they would do these tests every week and that I should pack a bag and bring it with in case it was time.

I can't tell you how real things started to feel at that very moment. I won't lie, these last two weeks I have really started to feel like I was pregnant with triplets, the aches and pains, the lack of sleep, the heartburn, the nesting, not to mention the huge belly I'm sporting these days. But I have always felt that I had some time before it was time for their arrival. After all I am only 28 weeks pregnant and my original due date was for April 26th! Now they are saying it could be any week! I am trying my hardest not to freak out and remain as calm as possible. I think we are pretty well prepared, but then at the same time I feel totally unprepared. I mean how do you really prepare to have three babies at one time! Especially when you have a little one down the hall that has decided to make sleeping through the night a thing of the past! (I blame that on Adam's Christmas letter bragging about what a good sleeper she is!)

So yeah, the good news is that the babies are all doing very well, and the other news is that someone may have to check me into the loony bin before they even get here! Oh, and if you are wondering how Adam is doing with all of this...he is either getting really good at hiding his emotions in order to keep me from losing it, or he is doing a terrific job of excepting all of this and is ready for the challenges ahead!

Baby Shower

On Sunday the 31st Wilma Miller hosted a baby shower in my honor for the babies. Attending the shower was close family members, and church members from Stonebridge Church. It was a very nice shower and I received a lot of wonderful gifts! I am hoping to post some pictures in the near future.

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!