Monday, May 4, 2009

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."

20 comments:

  1. I LOVE THIS POST!!!!!!!!! Yay! I am so glad you had a great appt. You sound like the weight of the world has been lifted from you. Sounds like you are in great hands. I am impressed!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. YAY!!! Love this post..it was so postive and upbeat!! The no more WANDA made me LOL!!! I'm ready for that day!! I feel so great about your pregnancy!! (((HUGS)))

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know from our experience, a good (or bad) doctor can make or break a pregnancy experience. Glad to know you have someone cheering for you! I'll be following your blog:-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah!! Your post made me so happy!!! I am so glad that you love your doctor and that she was POSITIVE!!!! I know you can do it!!! Here's to eating well and a happy and healthy pregnancy for you and all THREE of your peanuts! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just started reading your blog (found you through Emily) and I am so happy to hear the appointment went well. Congrats!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What an amazing medical team you've found! Sleep-in NICU is amazing. Makes me wish I were in Seattle (among other reasons I'd love to be there, including the gorgeous summer that's coming).

    Glad you got such good news on the triplets!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm SO glad you had such a good experience. What a difference to be in the hands of a doctor who sees HOM pregnancies all the time, and is so positive.

    You've got a ton of us out here rooting for you. All of you! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. so glad you're doing well and able to hear wonderful news from the doc's! way to go :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Absolutely wonderful! I think having a doctor who is positive is a huge step. And that hospital sounds fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm SO happy to read this!

    Your attitude is amazing and it sounds like you have a great team of medical staff behind you.

    Yay, yay, yay! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is amazing news!!! I have such a good feeling about this, I just know you are all going to pull through this no problem! Happy that you have a good relationship with your new dr. That is key. Congrats again!

    PS - I am your neighbor, just three hours south!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sounds like a wonderful doctor to me! I'm so hopeful for you all. Excellent medical care can certainly make a big difference!

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a great post. What a wonderful time for you and your three babies and one great DH. I am so happy for you and really looking forward to reading your stories!
    EB

    ReplyDelete
  14. Such positive energy and reassurance must be a huge relief for you. This will be a fun one for us all to "watch" through your eyes! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dr. P. sounds great - and much like my own Dr. P.

    FYI - you're not done with transvaginal ultrasounds ... the way she'll check your cervical length is to use TV U/S. Very good sign that they are specialists in TTTS, btw.

    For what it's worth, and I know this is totally unsolicited advice, I would do your best to push for having them take you on as an exclusive patient. It took a lot of stress off of me not to have to juggle two sets of doctors, and not to have to wonder which doctor to call when (IF!) things went wrong (in my case it was when, in your case, let's hope not).

    It may not seem like a big deal to juggle two doctors at this stage of the game, but it CAN become a bigger deal later.

    Anyway, that's the last time I'll mention it because you have to make your own choices without someone second-guessing you, and I know how hard it can be to feel like the blogosphere is judging you, which I most definitely am NOT - I am only sharing my own experience (I personally seriously RESISTED dropping my OB because I loved him, but it ended up the best decision I could have made). :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I shed a little tear of happiness when I read this. I'm so glad you're getting such great medical care! I have a feeling you're going to the same MFM I went to. Yes, they are truly fabulous.:)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm so glad you love your doctor. That is so important. It must feel nice for someone to be a realist yet optomistic at the same time. SOunds like you will have great care. I'm glad the triplets are doing well.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm so glad you found a clinic that you're comfortable with, especially one that sounds so amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I just want to squeeze you! you sound so much happier now. Big luvs to all of you.

    ReplyDelete