Hospital bed rest day 82 W33: 33 weeks woohoo! And belly pictures

My prayers have been answered!  Today we completed 32 weeks and enter our 33rd week of triplet pregnancy.  Praise the Lord indeed!

Here is a belly picture taken at 32 weeks and 2 days, i.e. the day after I was discharged for the second time from the labour ward.

As you can see, I'm really not that big for a triplet mother-to-be.  Some times I really can't believe that there are three babies inside there.  They must be really tiny babies! 

At our weekly scan last Friday, the babies weight were:

     Baby A: 1.675kg (3 pounds 11 ounces)
     Baby B: 1.379kg (3 pounds)
     Baby C: 1.786kg (3 pounds, 15 ounces)

Of course these are just estimates.  The babies may be up to 5 ounces lighter when they come out.  I'm really hoping that they can reach 1.8kg  before they come out.  2kg would be an ideal weight, but I'm realistic enough to realize that I'm probably not able to carry three 2kg babies!  Everything else looked good on the ultrasound.  No more trans vaginal scan from now on as the cervix starts to shorten at this time anyway, so that's great!

One thing that I experienced after being discharged from the labour ward was that my babies had dropped.  You know that happens when a pregnant woman is approaching her delivery date.  The babies move lover towards the pelvic in preparation for a normal vaginal delivery.  I now feel their movement lower in my belly.  The drop has also caused my belly to flatten, and my belly seems to be growing sideways rather than frontwards.  It's easier to breath lying down as the pressure of the babies on me is lesser.

I also see parts of my babies sticking up from my belly.  I've been reading this old book called, "Praying for your unborn child".  The author encourages mothers-to-be to engage with the unborn baby by caressing the baby when the baby moves, so every time I feel a bump, I will rub that bump or gently tap it.  The book also encourages parents-to-be to sing to the unborn baby, but okay, we aren't going to that extreme!

So I've been on complete bed rest for a week now!  It isn't as bad it sounds.  I guess knowing that I am in the final league of my triplet pregnancy makes things tolerable!  The most common reason for getting up from bed is to pee.  The nurses brought me an old bed pan, (which looks like the picture except it is all rusty and old) but I tried using a bed pan while I was in the labor ward and hated it.  I'm also not keen in having the bed pan on my bed, although MIL has offered to scrub and sanitize the bed pan for me!  When I was in the labour ward, a midwife proposed that I pee in a plastic bag instead after my first bed pan attempt, and I really liked this alternative.  So I got DH to buy some trashcan bags for me...he got those really flimsy black ones which aren't so great to use.  What I do is to sit at the edge of the bed, pee in the bag, tie it and pop the bag of pee in the trashcan beside the bed.  The I get the nurse to throw it into the proper waste disposal bin.  Not so fun but it sure beats having a nurse carry your pee in a pan and cleaning the pan of your pee!

If I hate the idea of peeing in a bedpan, then doing a big one in the bedpan is yucky.  For that I get a nurse to wheelchair me into the washroom where I do it in the toilet, i.e the normal way.  The nurses decided to leave a wheelchair in my room, so now I figured out that I'll just use the wheelchair to go to the washroom to both pee and do a big one!  I either get a nurse to assist me or I am actually able to do this on my own, which is great!.  Yes I have to stand to sit on the wheelchair and to get up from the wheelchair, so I'm not sure whether my Peri would be happy or not.  The other day I was holding onto the towel railing as I lowered myself onto the toilet seat when the railing gave way and I fell, thankfully on the toilet seat.  My MIL was with me and she almost freaked out!

I'm doing well though, and I'm thinking that the occasional standing and few steps I take should at least help my leg muscles not go to waste.  Bed rest can really weaken the leg muscles and getting back the strength after prolonged bed rest can be very frustrating!

I also had my first sponge bath in the labour room and that wasn't fun either.  So I get DH or a family member to wheel me into the washroom, then I slowly get up and sit on the chair in the shower and have my bathe there.

Other than these peeing and pooing moments, and shower moments, I'm pretty much confined to the bed!  I know its the best thing to do for now.  My legs and feet turn red whenever I'm sitting up or on my feet so I'm guessing that my stomach is blocking the blood circulation to my legs.  I think that's good enough a reason to limit my movement.  And since I'm really no longer ambulatory, I've finally relented and requested that they start giving me those blood thinners to avoid blood clots.  I get a shot every morning at 10.30am.  So much fun!

Apart from that, I'm really not in pain and the discomfort is tolerable, especially since I'm no longer walking.  My only complain is that my belly is lopsided to the left as you can clearly see from the photo, so it's a bit uncomfortable to lie down and have your whole body misaligned and this is surely no good for my backbone.  I have to put a cushion underneath the left side of my belly for more support. The lopsided belly also means that I can only get up from the bed on my left side, but have difficulty doing so on my right side!  I have a slight backache due to the lopsided belly, and I'm hoping that it will not get worse.

I sure how that I will get another belly shot in before the babies come out.

Hospital bed rest day 78 W32D2: Back to the wet market aka the labor ward, and finally, the 32-week milestone!

I was looking forward to posting a nice smiley picture of myself with a 32-week belly and a happy note that we have reached the 32-week milestone, which is the average duration for triplet pregnancies.

Just the day before we celebrated DH's birthday.  Sis was back from Switzerland for a holiday with her kids, and there was nothing like a good cheer that little kids bring along with them, which I so needed as a long term patient stuck in hospital!

Monday morning was like any other week day at the hospital.  My Obs came in during her ward runs and I had no complains as usual.  Apparently it was stated in my Peri's treatment plan that I was scheduled for a CTG scan at 32 weeks, the Obs decided to go ahead and get it done that morning itself since I was just a day before 32 weeks.  Just in case you are wondering, a CTG scan refers to a cardiotocograph where the babies' heartbeat are monitored over a period of time.

I was quite happy to finally get a CTG scan before I had wondered before whether I'll ever get one.  The one thing I have learned about triplet pregnancy in Malaysia is that I cannot assume that the management will be similar to how it is in USA, especially as I am at a government hospital.  Yet, happy as I was, I was also very sleepy having stayed up late all night on my labtop.  The nurses got me hooked on not one but two CTG machines - they said this way it would be quicker.  In my dazed, half-sleep mode, I wondered briefly whether I should attempt to take a picture of my belly and the many straps that were fastened around my belly, but I abandoned the idea feeling that it would be silly to do so in front of the nurses. What I couldn't remember was that the CTG scan could also monitor my contractions.  As I dozed off, I saw one of the nurses looking at the graphic printout and  telling the other that I was having two contractions in 10 minutes.  Half asleep, I opened my eyes and the nurse told me that given the regular contractions that I was having, I might have to get an emergency C-section.

As soon as the CTG scan ended, the nurses notified the medical officer on call and my Peri.  Things moved quite quickly after that.  They inserted a speculum inside me and then measured my cervix (both were not fun exercises).  My cervix was dialated 1 cm.  I did not know how good or bad this was, but the next thing I knew I was whisked off to the labor room once again to be tocolyzed.

So I found myself back in the awful labor ward or what I call, the wet market! I was wheeled into the familiar room for the second time, and it was exactly as I remembered it to be - the bright, glaring fluorascent lights, medical staff walking in and out, the noisy corridors, women in labor screaming and babies crying. Pretty soon they had me on the IV drip and started administering Nifidepine orally, which is supposed to relax my muscles and hence, reduce the contractions.  My Peri came in and was relieved to know that I had not taken my breakfast yet as I was supposed to fast in case I need an emergency C-section.  So they gave me anti-gastric jabs as well.  My Peri also said that if the Nifidepine does not work, I will be put on magnesium sulfate again.  Darn!  The magnesium sulfate drip is supposed to be the awful stuff with the horrible side effects that triplet mothers are familiar with.  My experience with the magnesium sulfate when I was admitted into the labor ward at 24 weeks wasn't too bad, but what I hated was the urinary catheter that went along with it. 

We then received news that there weren't enough ventilators in NICU as several sets of twins had recently been delivered.  So were were informed that if all our babies needed ventilators, some of them would have to be sent to the nearest government hospital in the next town.  Not good news! 

I knew that my babies were not ready to face the world yet.  They were kicking a lot in my belly that morning, oblivious to the impending danger that they might be pulled out of their snug little home at any moment.  And I was not in pain, so I really didn't want a C-section yet!  I prayed really hard that the Lord would give the babies at least one more week so that we could complete the 32 weeks.  I could still feel the contractions so I could not tell if the nifidepine was actually working or how long it would take for it to work.

I spent the rest of the day in the labor ward listening to my neighbor in the next room screaming in pain  every few minutes - now that's what I call painful contractions!  It was quite a juxaposition, with one poor woman screaming like the world was ending whilst the rest of the medical staff continued their daily routine unaffected.  She was already screaming when I arrived, and continued to scream and scream for the rest of the day right till evening.  If you remember my previous post, epidurals are not an option as a pain relief for women in labor.  I heard that she finally delivered.

Finally, at about 6pm, they allowed me to have a light snack of biscuits and milo.  Definitely not enough for a poor starving triplet mummy-to-be who hadn't eaten for more than 15 hours.  I resumed my fast again till about 1pm the next day, when I was allowed to take a small bowl of cereal and milk at my request.  My poor babies!  I could hear them crying, "Food, food, food!" They continued to keep me in the labor ward since I was still having contractions of 1 to 3 in ten minutes.  I was allowed to have another light meal for dinner.  By this time, I could feel my contractions slowing down.  My Peri finally said I could leave the labor ward and return to my old ward at 10.30pm but instructed that I had to go on completed bed rest from now onwards.

So, right at 32 weeks of my triplet pregnancy, I'm  now on complete bed rest.  That means no toilet trips or anything of that sort!  I am pretty much confined to my bed for the rest of my pregnancy.  Oh what fun!

Hospital bed rest day 74 W31D4:Humpty Dumpty lays down on the bed - strict bed rest!

Well, it seems like I have gone from tolerable-enough discomfort to barely-tolerable discomfort!  Over the past week, my discomfort has been increasing.  As much as I try to continue being as mobile as possible, making sure I waddle up and down the ward a few times a day, its getting harder and harder to waddle, get on and off my bed, sit, bend or stand for long.  A few days ago, DH asked me why I was walking like Humpty Dumpty but I can't help it!  I do feel like Humpty Dumpty.

Yesterday morning, I was feeling particularly uncomfortable.  Even lying down on my bed felt uncomfortable.  Breathing has become more difficult, the joints of my legs were hurting and my belly has starting to itch a little again - a reminder that my poor stretched skin continues to tear as my belly continues to expand.  Sometimes, I can't even tell if my bladder is full because I feel uncomfortable even when my bladder is not full.  The pressure on my pelvic is getting worse, so every step I take I feel the pain of the pressure.

Then, it was time for my scan with my Peri.  My scans are now scheduled on a weekly basis; it was biweekly before.  My Peri checked the babies' ammonic fluid and heart rate and everything was good.  He decided to do one last transvaginal scan to check the length of my cervix.  Bad news!  The first measurement of my cervix was 1.3cm, the second just about 2cm. Also, we could now see part of baby A's head on the screen during the transvaginal scan, which means that baby A has dropped lower and is positioned at my cervix.  That explains the increasing pelvic pressure I feel when I try to walk!  Baby A is pushing is head down my cervix with his two brothers on top of him - that's as lot of pressure for my poor pelvic!

Well, that was it.  My peri doesn't want me walking/waddling around the ward any more.  He said that apart from going to the washroom and taking my shower, I should be in bed.  He also said that the next two weeks were critical, because I could go into labor any time and they would have to perform an emergency C-section.

The nurses acted very quickly the moment I returned to my ward.  They rearranged some furniture and moved my bed closer to the bathroom.  They have started offering to bathe me - which I refused, but I have started bathing with a chair.  They also gave me an ice cream bell to ring whether I need assistance, since the help button is stupidly placed on the wall beyond my reach.

So now I am really on bed rest!  Although being on strict bed rest this isn't going to be fun, I know that this is the best thing I can do for my babies, because I don't want my cervix to get any shorter!  I don't want to go into labor and I definitely don't want an emergency C-section!  Previously I walk around a lot in my room, pottering from the bed to the refrigerator, the cupboard  and my suitcase to get food, things, etc.  Since my in-laws pack food for me all the time, I have plenty of food containers to wash as well.  In my attempt to remain as mobile as possible, I also find as many excuses as possible to walk around the ward - get a fresh change of clothes, fill water in my tumbler, see DH off when he leaves...etc.  Now, however, I'm trying to limit my mobility around the room, doing several things at a time with each trip from my bed and back.  And I'm not even attempting to venture out of the ward because I would sure get into trouble with the nurses!

I currently weigh 68kg, which means that I have put on more than 20kg (46.2lbs) since I became pregnant.  What used to be my waist is now measuring at 42 inches.  The Peri didn't measure the babies weight during the last scan, so I have to wait till next Friday to know their weight.

Sigh!  The days will surely pass by even slower from now on.  I'm trying to keep positive about things - at least I can still walk to the bathroom, I don't need to use a bedpan!

In the meantime, grow, babies, grow!

Hospital bedrest day 70 W31: 31 weeks!

Today has been a quiet day.  DH is back in KL for work, and so is my MIL.  FIL came in early this morning to deliver breakfast.  Then I was left alone for the rest of the day.  I got by the day by sleeping for a better part of the day till 5pm - I felt a bit disgusted with myself wondering whether I was being plain lazy or that having not slept the night before and having to carry three babies makes the sleep justified.  Yet as night approached, I was feeling a bit lonely.  It's hard being stuck in here away from everything else, when the rest of the people I love is out there in the world doing their own thing.  Then, kick, kick, kick...I felt baby B kicking within me and felt comforted.  I was not alone.  I had my three babies with me.  In fact, pretty soon, I will rarely be alone!  I might even crave for some alone time!

Having reached the 30-week milestone, DH & I finally felt confident enough to start making purchases for our babies.  We were both in mutual agreement not to make any purchases too early - I had read of a triplet parents-to-be who had set up an entire nursery but loss their babies at 22 weeks.  We didn't want any baby shower either, but being admitted at 20 weeks, that wasn't really an issue.  So up till recently, the only things we had for the triplets were a set of baby wear for each baby (courtesy of a dear colleague who gave me my one and only baby shower present!) and a set of wash cloths that I had purchased back in US several years ago.

One day, DH had come across the small collection of baby items that I had packed the night before I was admitted to the hospital.  He must have felt excited enough to take a picture because he seldom takes random photographs...he even included the two little cats we have sitting on his study table that is supposed to be symbolic of the both us!

I found a preloved light weight twin stroller for sale on Twins Plus Singapore and it so happened that mum was going down to Signapore last week.  She met up with the parents of twins and came home with the Peg Peragio Aria Twin Stroller!  The mother who sold the stroller to us also added in some new and preloved Avent feeding bottles and nipples.

I had told DH that I'd rather get a branded 2nd hand stroller than a new cheap stroller so I'm happy that we got what I wanted, even though this 2nd hand stroller did cost twice as much as a new cheap stroller.  My sister-in-law has passed us her single stroller and more Avent bottles, so we are done shopping for strollers and bottles for now!
I've also bought a moby wrap to maximize my carry-time with my babies, and a pupsik nursing cover.  Okay, the nursing cover was a luxury item, since I could get cheaper ones at half the price. I didn't like any of the designs from the cheaper once.  Also, I figured that if I was going to be breastfeeding a lot (and hopefully so!) then I should at least have a nice nursing cover.

DH finally got into the business of looking for an electric double breast pump and car seats.  This is a huge Yahoo and I was pleasantly surprised when he shared with me his research after months of trying to convince him that a triplet mother CANNOT survive on a single manual breast pump and car seats were essential for our babies safety.

My sister just arrived from Switzerland today, and she has brought a whole stack of preloved baby boys clothes, a new sterilizer and some other stuff - yay!  Its funny how excited we get over preloved items - but having less to spend is awesome because we really need to save for the new apartment that we just purchased and I know that DH is really worried about finances.

Ah well, I also cheated.  At 28 weeks, I went online to Amazon and purchased a few items to decorate our babies' nursery.  Just some pretty wallpaper border, a valance and a diaper stack.  Sigh, I wish we were in America where there are so many nice things to buy at affordable prices!  I'd have bought the lamp as well if there was a cheap way to get it shipped to Malaysia!  These are for our babies' room at our new apartment.

It's really easy to get carried away buying lots of cute baby stuff, so I started a spreadsheet to keep track of all my expenses for the babies so far.  

It's an amazing feeling to be at 31 weeks.  Now, we can finally talk about our boys confidently knowing that at this stage, they're most likely to make it.  Of course, we do not know if they will be born healthy or not.  We decided early in my pregnancy that we were not going to do amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling to test for chromosomal abnormalities, Down Syndrome or neural tube defect.  Since we had already decided against selective reduction, there was no point taking all this tests.  So far, our Peri has not detected any abnormalities during the scans, but without the tests, he cannot guarantee that there wouldn't be any abnormalities.  I do worry about this especially since only baby B seems to be pretty active - I can feel him kicking and moving throughout the day but his two brothers hardly seem to move.  I wonder if it is because of their position that I am not feeling them as much?  I brought this up once before to the Obs, but since all three babies' heartbeats are good and the scans have been positive so far, no one is worried except me.

Well, my recent blood results came back negative - though I'm not sure what I was tested for.  I've also been asked to test my urine daily for traces of protein.  Protein may indicate preclampsia, a condition that endangers both mother and babies, hence every pregnant woman's nightmare.

So now, we're just waiting to hit the 32-week milestone...

Hospital bedrest day 66 W30D2: Our boys are indeed growing!

Having passed the 30-week milestone, our next target is 32 weeks, which is the average duration for triplet pregnancies, although no parents-to-be of triplets can ever take it for granted that their babies will reach this average - many don't.

We heard that the other mother-to-be of triplets in the hospital (who was right next in the labor room with me during my 24-week pre-term contraction scare) went into labor and had to undergo an emergency c-section to deliver her babies at 30 weeks.  I've not seen her again since our brief encounter in the labor room because she is in the 4rd class ward.  Her babies birth weight are 1.5kg, 1.1kg and 1.1kg.  The two little ones are currently on ventilators but it does sound like all three babies are doing well enough.  Good for them! 

Since I've been admitted here 10 weeks ago, one triplet mother-to-be delivered at 24 weeks, and now this triplet mother-to-be delivered at 30 weeks.  So even though this hospital appears to have a "out-of-the norm" policy of admitting mothers-to-be of triplets at 20 weeks, even the safest place in the world to be for a triplet mother-to-be has its limits and only so much can be done to prevent a pre-mature delivery.

Of course, this being a Malaysian government hospital, we do not get the privilege of getting a tour around NICU where our babies will be headed right after they are delivered.  So I have no idea how NICU looks like, and the tiny preemies that I've seen are on the blogs of triplet parents.


Anyway, I had my regular two-week scan with my Peri yesterday.  I was very anxious to find out my babies' weight since I've been worried about not putting on enough weight over the past few weeks.  So I was pretty pleased to find out how much our babies' weigh:

   Baby A:1.37kg (3lb)
   Baby B: 1.2kg (2lb 10oz)
   Baby C:1.5kg (3lb 5oz) 

I'm really glad that the babies are growing well especially since I'm not as large as many of the other triplet mothers-to-be that I see on the internet!

All three babies are doing well - their amniotic fluids are at the normal level and so are their heart rates.  The Peri measured my cervix as well as was pleased with the two measurements that he took - 3.0cm and 3.1cm.  We are very thankful to the Lord that things are progressing well and the babies are growing!  I can definitely feel them growing because it's getting more and more uncomfortable to be in any position except lying on my elevated bed!

Hospital bed rest day 65 W30D1: 30 weeks and still going strong!

Let's face it - No woman goes to bed wishing to wake up the next day pregnant with triplets.  Twins yes, but triplets no.  And definitely not quads!

I tried my best to be as low-key as possible when we first discovered that I was pregnant with triplets.  I do, however, have a FIL (father-in-law) who cannot contain his pride as a grandfather-to-be of triplets.  Unfortunately, FIL also happens to be friends with everyone down the street here in this town where I am currently hospitalized, so word does spread rather quickly.  It goes without saying that the entire church is aware of this fact.  Even the owner of a popular Chinese restaurant here knows.

Yet, truth to be, a triplet pregnancy is nothing like a normal, singleton pregnancy. While dad and FIL exclaimed in half-disbelief and half-delight upon receiving news of our triplet pregnancy, I remember the look of concern registered on both our mothers' face.  DH's mother was a retired midwife, so she was well aware of the risks of multiple pregnancy, so did my mother.  While I was still in my first trimester, our Peri in Kuala Lumpur told us bluntly that the body was not made to carry three babies - it may be able to tolerate two, but three...?  Then he advised us to take this as an adventure, since that was the best that we could do.

Back in January, the  other Peri who had discovered the triplets during a scan while I was still in hospital had advised us not to go and read about all the things about triplet pregnancies on the internet because she didn't want us to get too anxious.  Well of course that was just what we did.  Power is knowledge, and the more we learned about the risks involved, the survival rate of of babies, the health complications and everything there was that remains unknown to most singleton mothers, the more we prepare ourselves for this journey.  I had a mission to get my hands on every material, every resource and experience I could read on triplet pregnancies.

If you are clueless about why triplet pregnancy is considered a "high risk pregnancy" this articles spells it out it well enough: Watching risks, week by week  I remember DH reading the stats to me - triplets have a 1 in 10 risk of birth defects, including down syndrome.  I found some other stats in the Enlightenment Issue no. 10, June 2011 published by the Interwoven Soals Coalition, an organnization that supports medical research relating to complications arising from a multiple pregnancy and birth (see left).

Oh, and did I tell you that mothers of triplets are 5x more likely to develop post-partum depression? And are at a higher risk for heart complications, severe bleeding post-delivery among others.  When I think about it, I seriously feel like I have to get to the business of working on my will before I am cut open, sigh!

DH went through a period of feeling depressed after we discovered our triplet pregnancy.  When I started bleeding, having blood clots and backaches, I myself laid in bed for a week miserable waiting for my babies to go.  Our fertility doctor said it was quite common for one of them to vanish (i.e. the vanishing twin syndrome) so perhaps nature would take its course.  Yet, as I continue to bleed for another week, I didn't know how many of my babies were going to make it.  I told DH that I would grief even if I lost one of them.

Yet all three babies pulled through!  Slowly, the bleeding stopped and I heard the Lord assuring me that my babies were not going anywhere for now.  I was comforted.  DH had moved to the stage of acceptance and felt enough peace that we would just have to walk in faith, praying and hoping for the best of circumstances that was beyond our human control.

And so, even as I struggled through my all-day sickness (which the doctor said was good because it meant that my body was producing enough hormones for the babies!), we stepped into our roles as parents-to-be of triplets.  How much do we plan, and how much should we brace ourselves realistically for the worst case scenario?  How excited should we allow ourselves to get, or should we always be mindful that we could lose our babies at any time?  How do we balance between preparing to become a family of five from just the two of us, and the possibility that we could face a life of struggle and pain, should we lose our babies or have children with severe health problems.  As first time parents-to-be who had traveled down a less than smooth baby-making journey, we could not suppress the joys of pregnancy (finally!) but there was always the shadow of the unknown that remain hidden yet close by.

We started our journey of adventure in January 2012 when we first discovered the three heartbeats of our babies inside me.  Seven months later, here we are with our triplets, at 30 weeks gestation, sill going strong.  The "still going strong" part refers to our babies, their kicks are now strong compared to the flutters I felt several months ago.  I haven't always felt very strong, emotionally (and psychologically) during this journey, but DH and I continue to walk this journey in faith.  Thank you, Lord, our Jehovah Jireh, for bringing us this far.

Hospital bed rest day 63 W29D1: 29 weeks and over!

I had my transvaginal scan last Wednesday, and my Peri took two measurements of my cervix - 3.7 and 3.2cm!  And the sludge was gone too!  I was so relieved that my cervix was not shortening but there was no one with me to share my good news, so I had to be content with a silent prayer of thanks and inner feelings of happiness.

I am currently 64.1kg, so I've put on almost 18kgs since I got pregnant!  It has started becoming difficult to walk as my belly feels heavier.  I'm really waddling now.  I know that I look really funny, but I still try to waddle up and down the ward several times a day just to keep active.  The joints of my legs are hurting even more and the pelvic pressure is a pain every time I go to the loo, which is about once every one and a half hours. The most comfortable position is still for me to be lying on my bed which is propped up and lined with pillows, from hard to soft.   

My contractions are increasing so I'm getting worried again.  The nurses come once in a while to time my contractions (using the hand-on-belly method), but they only time for 10 minutes.  I started timing this evening and I have about 3 to 4 contractions per hour.  I just hope that they are Braxton Hicks and not the real thing.  We still have 5 more weeks to go!

Hospital bed rest day 59 W28D5: Woo hoo, we are passed 28 weeks and belly pictures!

Finally, we have passed the second goal of 28 weeks!  This means that if the triplets are to come any time now, they are most likely than not to survive, although they will probably be very ill babies, with possible long-term medical and health problems.

At the scan with the Peri last Wednesday (W27D7), the babies weight were:

Baby A: 1047g

Baby B: 1054g

Baby C;1001g

Oh, by the way, did I mention that we are having BBB triplets?  We found this out quite early at week 16. DH was hoping for a girl, but I reckon that if we were to have a set of single gender triplets three boys is still more manageable than three girls, ha ha.

According to Dr. Luke’s statistics for fraternal triplet boys, our boys are slightly below the 50^th percentile of birth rate.  I guess this is where our babies' growth will unfortunately start to slow down in comparison to a singleton baby.  Still, DH and I are quite satisfied with the weight of our boys given my 5’2 height and small frame.  Also, we are conscious that the stats were taken from a sample of Western triplets and we wonder if perhaps Asian babies are smaller than Western babies?   I was a bit worried because I felt that I had not put on enough weight over the past 2 weeks, so we’re just happy that they’re all above 1kg now.

Now for the cervix.  The Peri said this was going to be our last cevix scan since anything beyond 28 weeks would be redundant as the cervix starts to shorten in preparation for labor thereafter.  He took the first measurement and it was 2.1cm – bad news.  Prior to this, my cervix had been pretty consistent, at abou t 3.5cm so this was pretty drastic shortening.  Anything below 3.0cm is not good.  The Peri took another measurement and this time the cervix was 3.2cm.  So is it 2.1 or 3,2?  Also, he was concerned about some sludge that he sported in my cervix.  He gave me some progesterone pessaries  for daily use, and I go back this Wednesday, i.e. tomorrow for another cervix scan. 

I’m trying not to get too worked up about my cervix, since the only thing I can do is to pray and wait.  Everything has been going on fairly smoothly so far, and I do hope that it will continue this way.

The Peri did mention in passing about my refusal to get the daily blood thinner jab.  He didn’t insist on it, though.  I’m trying to be as ambulatory as possible but although I feel the increase in my pelvic pressure whenever I walk, and it making walking uncomfortable.  Actually, I am truly waddling (not walking) at this stage.  Even the prenatal cradle does not help much with the increasing pelvic pressure.

I’m also worried that the increase in pelvic pressure means that my baby has dropped and that this is another indication of pre-term labor.  The Obs assures me though that this pressure is normal because I’m carrying three babies.   So I guess right now I just have to bite the bullet and tolerate it in addition to the pain in my leg joints, sleep of not more than two hours in a stretch, and pain in my fingers every time I wake up.  I know these are still considered minimal complains.  I have no backache, heartburn, acid reflux, nausea or serious carpel tunnel syndrome, so I have a lot to be thankful for.

Our boy would have to almost double their weight in order to reach the ideal minimum weight of triplets at birth, 1.8kg.  I already feel so heavy so I have no idea how it would be like to be carrying double of my babies weight! That would be equivalent to about twice the weight of an average birth weight of a singleton baby (i.e. 3kg) in additional to three times the amount of placenta and amonic asid inside my poor uterus.

From now onwards, every additional two weeks is a milestone for us.  Our next goal is reaching the big 3 – 30 weeks.  It doesn’t seem too far away.