Hospital bed rest day 90 W34D2:34 weeks and last day of triplet pregnancy!

Yes, we made it to 34 weeks, another great milestone for triplet pregnancy!

And the big new is, dang, dang, dang, tomorrow the babies are coming out!

Last day of my triplet pregnancy.
Last day of carrying my three babies inside me.
Last day of feeling my babies move and kick inside my belly.
Last day of feeling the weight of my three babies pushing on my pelvic when I walk.
Last day of carrying an additional 23.5kg on me.

The idea of that with effect from tomorrow I would no longer be pregnant with triplets leaves me with a strange, strange feeling.  I've got so used to having them inside me, it's hard to imagine how it would feel like without them.

DH and I had always hoped I could carry the babies till at least 35 weeks.  The NICE guidelines for multiple births recommended that for uncomplicated triplet pregnancies, a scheduled c-section be done between 35 weeks 0 days but before 36 weeks.  So when our Peri wanted to schedule a c-section at 34 weeks, I was naturally dissappointed.  Keeping the babies in longer in the womb meant less days in NICU, less changes of infection and hopefully healthier, heavier babies.  Our Peri is a very organized, careful doctor, and he explained that the risk of me going into labor and having an emergency c-section after 34 weeks was much higher.  And an emergency c-section over the weekend or in the middle of the night would not be good since they would be lacking staff.  The other problem was the ventilators at NICU.  Whether or not there would be enough ventilators has always been a big issue, especially since this hospital has a high birth rate.

So feeling very pressured to go ahead with the delivery at 34 weeks, DH and I weighed the pros and cons of doing so and waiting a llittle longer.  DH did say that the Lord has brought us so far in our triplet pregnancy and maybe we should not be greedy and ask for more, i.e. 35 weeks. Certainly waiting would upset all the medical staff off and put a lot of stress on our Peri, which would not good either.  There was another factor that helped me make the decision.  My contractions have been increasing in intensity and frequency.  They are still painless, but I do feel a bit breathless and muscle tightening not just at my uterus, but also all around my abdomen and my back.  My belly gets rock hard when I get a really strong contraction, which is often enough.  Late night till early hours of the morning are the worst.  I get a contraction every eight minutes or so. 

I've read a lot about the use of a terbutaline pump and injections to reduce the contractions, but my Peri doesn't want to use either because of the side effects.  I don't even think we have a terbutaline pump here!  So the only thing I'm on to reduce the contractions are the tiny Nifidepine pills that they give me 3 to 4 times a day.  Well, they don't seem to be working anymore.  I'm thinking maybe my contractions are an indication that my babies are ready to come out.

So from feeling emotional and a bit of a failure for not being able to keep my babies in for at least 35 weeks, I've been feeling a lot more peace about proceeding with the c-section on the 9 August 2012 - that's in a few hours time today! 

My entire family came down for dinner today and sis bought me Kenny Rogers.  Was wonderful having mac and cheese, something I have been craving for a long time!  I ate my entire chicken set meal and then took the leftover chicken that DH could not finish.  Who says a very pregnant woman with a triplet belly cannot eat too much at one go!

As of today, there is still a slim chance that the c-section will not take place later.  We were told that a set of twins were born yesterday, taking up two ventilators.  Later, the resident doctor came in and told me that they had two ventilators available.  Yet, anything can happen overnight - a new preemie baby may be born needing a ventilator.  So the c-section can only be confirmed tomorrow morning.  If there really aren't enough ventilators, then the c-section will be postponed to Friday.  If there are still not enough ventilators by then, the c-section will be postponed to Monday. This really doesn't help my anxiety!

Today also marks my 100th day of hospital stay for the year 2012 , 90 of which is my hospital bed rest.  The other 10 days in the hopital was when I was previously admitted in January at the onset of my pregnancy with OHSS.

I'm signing off now.  I need some time to pray and ask the Lord to calm my nerves.  I'm terrified about the surgery and the painful post-recovery.  You might wonder if the excitement of meeting my babies would overcome these other negative emotions, but do remember that I may most likely not get to see my babies until the day after.

The next time I write I hope I will bring good news.  Till then, a very anxious and apprehensive triplet mama signing off!

(4.30am, 9 August 2012)

Here's a picture of DH asleep on the lazy chair in my room.  He was so exhausted and unwell with a fever one night that he took a nap and couldn't wake up till noon the next day!  One important perk of having a hubbie who is a specialist in the hospital that I am in is that he doesn't get chased out after visitation hours are over.

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...