A Brand New Day

This morning's appointment at the Maternal Fetal Medicine (High Risk OB) clinic was wonderful. My hubby and I left there, hand in hand (actually, I was wolfing down a bagel) knowing this pregnancy will be hard, but that we want to do it, and we will have excellent medical care.

We had a quick ultrasound that showed three little beating hearts and babies measuring right on schedule. Some exciting news on the ultrasound front: I have graduated to abdominal ultrasounds! Woot woot! No more Wanda and taking off my pants for strangers!! Then we met Lisa, our nurse who was so warm, and kept saying "YAY!" for everything which I loved. She asked lots of questions of us about our history and we asked her many questions. I asked how many triplets Dr. P follows each year and she said, "Well, she has about six or seven sets right now!" which is great to hear! Obviously, this is the place for HOM (Higher Order Multiples).

Nurse L also told me there is a dedicated nurse line and they always call back the same day. She explained that she'd been in L & D for a long time and loved this hospital's NICU because the parents and babies get a PRIVATE room. I am serious! They get the same high-need medical care, but there are beds for mom and dad to sleep in so the babies are always with you as they heal. I love this concept! She also told me about the hospital bed rest floor where moms live (in private rooms, again!) and how there is Wi-Fi (must have) and lots of activities to keep us happy. A and my hubby could even sleep over and watch movies with me. As Dr. P pointed out, 1/2-1/3 of all triplet pregnancies have some hospital bed rest time, so it is good to know what the facility is like.

When Dr. P came in, she had a big smile on her face. She is around forty-ish and was wearing bright pink sandals with her doctor's coat. Loved it. She first started by congratulating us and asking what our questions were. She did not know what she was getting into! My first question was, "When you see a pregnancy like this in someone like me, do you think, 'It cannot be done safely?'" She said immediately, "Absolutely not!" Which really sealed the deal for me. Someone who sees very complicated pregnancies and many sets of HOMs felt that we have a good chance for a good outcome was amazing. She continued, "I think it will take a lot of monitoring, resting and eating, but we can do it." It was so reassuring. I asked a lot about Twin to Twin Transfusion (TTTS) and she and her partner are the only docs in several states who are true specialists in some of the more aggressive treatments of it. She said they will watch very closely for it, but that it only occurs seriously in 10% of identical twins. That was also reassuring. My husband asked if we might already see signs of it, and she said since the twins are measuring the same, that is a good sign that they are sharing resources well so far.

Some other things we learned: No chance for vaginal delivery, so scheduled C-section, it is. Most of the triplets she sees make it to 33 weeks or longer. She will measure my cervix routinely and if it shortens, do a cerlage to "keep it closed". Not including the rates of hospital bed rest, she said MOST triplet pregnancies will be on some form of bed rest after 20 weeks, sometimes sooner. They only see a small percentage of patients exclusively (usually they "consult" with an OB) but she will see me every two weeks, from here on out. I expressed my concern about my slow weight gain, so I will meet with their nutritionist on Wednesday to find out how to beef up. The doctor was very specific about the importance of early weight gain with HOM.

I cannot tell you how good it felt to be in a place that knew we could do it, thought it will be hard, and was so positive. We are so happy with them that we aren't going to try the other clinic- I love them. I am also a fan because I delivered A there and they are an amazing place to have a baby.

I was listening to this song today, and thought it was perfect. "A Brand New Day" by Van Morrison:

"When all the dark clouds roll away
And the sun begins to shine...
Well it shines so bright and it gives so much light
And it comes from the sky above
Makes me feel so free makes me feel like me
And lights my life with love

And it seems like and it feels like
And it seems like yes it feels like
A brand new day,
A brand new day."