tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70590358088660514832024-03-15T18:10:10.695-07:00Tubeless in Seattle: Triplets and a Big Sister (Life After IVF)Daily bits from life parenting triplet toddler boys and our girly kindergartener. Our days never lacking in excitement- Take a peek inside!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-46183552800158664062013-01-09T20:27:00.002-08:002013-01-09T20:27:40.890-08:00Wonder Days<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxoZucIQxbj-rTenFIO376gtRiaMny-eV6t0D9nQC5wB2y7cl395d_G1k8yHdJaNX-BpiCtmAsp1tPwp5b0jARlFU4Cty5nL8LzGkf0RJ_EM5KZG7EN1iCMfdtMaycPunUDdWgXx2Dyck/s1600/sand+kids+test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxoZucIQxbj-rTenFIO376gtRiaMny-eV6t0D9nQC5wB2y7cl395d_G1k8yHdJaNX-BpiCtmAsp1tPwp5b0jARlFU4Cty5nL8LzGkf0RJ_EM5KZG7EN1iCMfdtMaycPunUDdWgXx2Dyck/s320/sand+kids+test.jpg" width="224" /></a>Hello out there! I was reminded today by a friend of our long infertility journey, rocky and anxiety-producing pregnancy and subsequent impossibly difficult first couple of years with our triplet boys. I felt compelled to post to saw how deeply I relate to all of you experiencing infertility and miscarriages, and to those of you raising multiples (or just one newborn- that is hard enough!). I wanted to give you a peek into our daily life. It is full of joy and laughter, but also sibling fights, sharing battles and the difficulty that raising four young kids, three of whom are the same age, brings. Each and every day I get snuggled, loved (and occasionally, whacked with a dump truck). Tuning into the small and tiny details of our days together allows me to navigate the insanity; like seeing the way C's eyelashes lay on his cheek when he is reading with me. Coffee fuels the rest.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-14831458802435699862011-11-19T21:23:00.001-08:002011-11-19T21:38:06.246-08:00(Barely) Controlled Chaos<div>HI! I am going to pretend like I haven't been away for far too long and just say this: HOLY HELL. Triplet toddlers are trouble.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYz-135TFGUXql9UmwPBDt0JoMZe1ubKcIazK4XKatk0TIqvyZ7KYDmeUNCdjRj6mgKSze9UBwbd-n3ruqQGa58ZM8cSaYycag6BAFuqUrce9sAYxFFLPMKuBwd-S_SFIjVmiCWNlacaB/s1600/October4-16.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYz-135TFGUXql9UmwPBDt0JoMZe1ubKcIazK4XKatk0TIqvyZ7KYDmeUNCdjRj6mgKSze9UBwbd-n3ruqQGa58ZM8cSaYycag6BAFuqUrce9sAYxFFLPMKuBwd-S_SFIjVmiCWNlacaB/s320/October4-16.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676945124455700546" /></a><br /><br /><div>I cannot believe the things they think of! They moved their table over to the oven after I had to hide their chairs- quite resourceful!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdUWp8BOo3BRUSItilwM8Hh0cQVr2TqDB2Lu_SSHDCZr9_CCv00fns8KVv8AcQ1SUIolJZNZuOMMUPzNCy3XIC5EIxQmRsKXcC3jP8EgdC2CkIJNMn6Ezbow1KaEDyj-DfZaMnvB7DyAu/s1600/October4-14.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdUWp8BOo3BRUSItilwM8Hh0cQVr2TqDB2Lu_SSHDCZr9_CCv00fns8KVv8AcQ1SUIolJZNZuOMMUPzNCy3XIC5EIxQmRsKXcC3jP8EgdC2CkIJNMn6Ezbow1KaEDyj-DfZaMnvB7DyAu/s320/October4-14.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676945519764138706" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>They like to jump off of things. They even like to build things just to climb onto something taller to jump off.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgtdHxCLCmc4bwbPMpPYgDgbT3wihLc6EZgcAc9EWYvurWdYGIcu_SvcnXeCR3_1L15LCd7fTGPY4VlJj1Si2MZOc_phSypzzUP6drXLDXxcoUa3kzcBf9XBSAxwYvetlXNACV-jgnaE3/s1600/October24-46.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgtdHxCLCmc4bwbPMpPYgDgbT3wihLc6EZgcAc9EWYvurWdYGIcu_SvcnXeCR3_1L15LCd7fTGPY4VlJj1Si2MZOc_phSypzzUP6drXLDXxcoUa3kzcBf9XBSAxwYvetlXNACV-jgnaE3/s320/October24-46.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676945807352896370" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>There are moments of cooperation, but these are few compared with the battling over toys...</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsWwMluA4MSRf9G-qbgrW10RG-fTDLWlJlEZzjTzrjwF9hEJlshxSFSnCoJRy1xiC7R0Yvn8QO0i6REkzXmcDKZ89EgqjOnChaDJ2VmkvKqgQnqJEgQtLN6jzBbmUMf4DEX_apqSkMTp-/s1600/October10-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsWwMluA4MSRf9G-qbgrW10RG-fTDLWlJlEZzjTzrjwF9hEJlshxSFSnCoJRy1xiC7R0Yvn8QO0i6REkzXmcDKZ89EgqjOnChaDJ2VmkvKqgQnqJEgQtLN6jzBbmUMf4DEX_apqSkMTp-/s320/October10-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676946647877544674" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>There is a major interest in being inside of toys. They always exclaim they are going to "Costco for popsicles!"</div><div><br /></div><div>And my little guys are TWO! They are an all-at-once roving horde of destruction, full of snuggling (still nursing) gang of boys with whom I am totally in love! Each day is different, but always a challenge for me. Mommy is growing gray hair.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_pYWcIh4-anpnTvo4rI82AgjfudjBYknEtMDjS8ol1uFihu_rMl4GJvH8ubHoyen16eMTK6ZG8AjujJpobPL57v3mHblLqjZBRCNVvaUhyVusZL4qOsb2jqFpPMY3ryRD1yjwNplahJz/s1600/November2-15.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_pYWcIh4-anpnTvo4rI82AgjfudjBYknEtMDjS8ol1uFihu_rMl4GJvH8ubHoyen16eMTK6ZG8AjujJpobPL57v3mHblLqjZBRCNVvaUhyVusZL4qOsb2jqFpPMY3ryRD1yjwNplahJz/s320/November2-15.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676947096906354946" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>This was our thank-you card photo after their birthday- lollipops got them to at least look our way. </div><div><br /></div><div>I won't promise more posts, since I am notoriously bad at following through, but I will try! Interesting identical twin connection versus our fraternal guy... also, pondering preschool for next year. SO much to think about!</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy, happy season of gratitude and Thanksgiving to everyone. I am so very grateful for the amazing communities of mommies around the world, outside my door, and online too.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-46520357615362886142011-04-21T20:00:00.001-07:002011-04-26T08:51:11.231-07:0018 months already?<div>How did my sweet, four-pound preemies become such big toddlers?<div>
<br /></div><div>As a result of excitedly over-volunteering, I find myself with only a few minutes for this post, but as I stated last week, brief and frequent is the goal.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>What are we up to, you ask?</div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aQZ6Zu7XroPBIG6ADgj5k8ANlbI4hSx5FDDNWGrRRmgvNlKZrsKFxUJAD8J7mnMfRkAH8iRsg6DVI7DK16yTes8yKwLCztiQXWlHlQp1dV5kCC9mMO5TlGMjbpOTecr_Z7pP-v9ijErP/s1600/April04-39.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aQZ6Zu7XroPBIG6ADgj5k8ANlbI4hSx5FDDNWGrRRmgvNlKZrsKFxUJAD8J7mnMfRkAH8iRsg6DVI7DK16yTes8yKwLCztiQXWlHlQp1dV5kCC9mMO5TlGMjbpOTecr_Z7pP-v9ijErP/s320/April04-39.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599919974235439906" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>Still nursing, and loving it! (Except when they beat on each other or me in order to get a latch position...)</div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchr7hSV9MPWnaOTXWfnNAIpZybrDEUDCu8fZrQFSQrRgaLQ4sutc04u-nsLBj88d9e1bUC8X8zxdlfggqnPrJhvrTB3wRu-Y-rcBYhX8_P-6WvZ_g48XmQlgAhsuFcxn9MjySM_5kb8rm/s1600/April24-3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchr7hSV9MPWnaOTXWfnNAIpZybrDEUDCu8fZrQFSQrRgaLQ4sutc04u-nsLBj88d9e1bUC8X8zxdlfggqnPrJhvrTB3wRu-Y-rcBYhX8_P-6WvZ_g48XmQlgAhsuFcxn9MjySM_5kb8rm/s320/April24-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599917685154020850" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>Egg Decorating</div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsger2HFmLSV1LGuXdK4pbIHaw4eAPjshYvZTt3ItF5rXT1qIlhKjkIm2vhBh1MDoEY7H9NWHvWMnnj1GPo8TUO_Q74KckIVs9H9kagqlahrdNsi8Wd1AJgOOmAQ8CkEaH26tvfqqkzWWA/s1600/April24-6.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsger2HFmLSV1LGuXdK4pbIHaw4eAPjshYvZTt3ItF5rXT1qIlhKjkIm2vhBh1MDoEY7H9NWHvWMnnj1GPo8TUO_Q74KckIVs9H9kagqlahrdNsi8Wd1AJgOOmAQ8CkEaH26tvfqqkzWWA/s320/April24-6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599917968086807986" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a>
<br />O-Bear</div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5_iB0crHQGOWYa8BJLbZrU1ar76k2T4an0KZTG2s0Un_wb4eWBEVabfKJdbNy-ZgQFsMiXRus0L2H_nNmKk0bsuTPocjIyr6Kf27ss5lYgRHXXGl8vgr6JhNOxIZX-_QwnfJqau-efZb/s1600/April24-14.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5_iB0crHQGOWYa8BJLbZrU1ar76k2T4an0KZTG2s0Un_wb4eWBEVabfKJdbNy-ZgQFsMiXRus0L2H_nNmKk0bsuTPocjIyr6Kf27ss5lYgRHXXGl8vgr6JhNOxIZX-_QwnfJqau-efZb/s320/April24-14.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599918226768416706" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>Egg Hunting</div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93oZlKhLJjRXVmo-s1-wWn3fN1739FVSZ81h8aMO0ZRQYtSJYAnd2nc4KxaE99PkgYziAned1eq5l7WegGtzy0AGYlHLlBei-K2T3oWglMV2qJnIfienlGWh8AkkFuOIv_QclOdH21crH/s1600/April24-8.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93oZlKhLJjRXVmo-s1-wWn3fN1739FVSZ81h8aMO0ZRQYtSJYAnd2nc4KxaE99PkgYziAned1eq5l7WegGtzy0AGYlHLlBei-K2T3oWglMV2qJnIfienlGWh8AkkFuOIv_QclOdH21crH/s320/April24-8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599918557970317442" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>Four SERIOUSLY handsome boys</div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvibrdXnpObOUf8O1gcOyMZ7aBUCtNnXDbz0kwqoU6a2K_gt-Tb5sJWKiJOoCHx6DG7JiwXDbHa0dOgCJcgbXc-44j11pZGLggw7O4M343WDgu8ONPcehfu6FUIa9bN6VoV6GeSde6OErg/s1600/April-Easter-11.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvibrdXnpObOUf8O1gcOyMZ7aBUCtNnXDbz0kwqoU6a2K_gt-Tb5sJWKiJOoCHx6DG7JiwXDbHa0dOgCJcgbXc-44j11pZGLggw7O4M343WDgu8ONPcehfu6FUIa9bN6VoV6GeSde6OErg/s320/April-Easter-11.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599918832609688834" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>This is how we roll; the comments about the stroller are truly endless. </div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6mhcdeCUkWGj9Ox73NIb2YM9hyphenhyphenpAE0pRwLhXdtsHWaSDjnUjp9CWriIahwHoV6IduwONdIbmLf9ZnCiR2cL4s_EBwzv7kCejl6gg6MOAeuoKElUoF_xdrSRLKeFpSbkmVjuzupPwiyAh/s1600/April-Easter-10.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6mhcdeCUkWGj9Ox73NIb2YM9hyphenhyphenpAE0pRwLhXdtsHWaSDjnUjp9CWriIahwHoV6IduwONdIbmLf9ZnCiR2cL4s_EBwzv7kCejl6gg6MOAeuoKElUoF_xdrSRLKeFpSbkmVjuzupPwiyAh/s320/April-Easter-10.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599919219393966482" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>Happy half birthday, sweet boys! I adore each of you!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Coming posts: "Why I Want to Have Another Baby OR My Husband Thinks I Am Nuts-o" and "What the Boys are up to These Days: the Chaos Files".</div><div>
<br /></div><div>
<br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-15411502573997992982011-04-14T11:23:00.001-07:002011-04-14T12:14:43.136-07:00Roadblocks to BloggingHELLLLOOOOO!!!<div>
<br /></div><div>Somehow, I knew life with three toddlers (nearly 1 and 1/2 now) and an almost-kindergartener would be busy, but really, I had no flipping idea of how busy it would get once mobility set in. Insanity! Chaos! Overwhelming Activity! These are the headlines that fly through my mind while I try to figure out how to adequately catch you up.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I have come to the conclusion that since I am not going to write a retrospective summary of what life has been like, we should just jump right into it. I am hoping to be able to blog more regularly as the boys become more manageable, but in order to do that, I should address some of the Blogging Roadblocks I have identified that get in the way:</div><div>
<br /></div><div>1. TIME. <i>Could I please have three extra hours in each day? I need the children to either be sleeping or playing independently though. Thanks! </i>Seriously, between child-caring-for, preschool shuttling, cooking, cleaning, organizing, meal-planning and shopping, I am left with about an hour of truly "free time". And this is with the help of an amazing nanny and my mom. My free time is frequently spent running or at the gym, volunteering for A's school, or maybe grabbing tea with a friend. I will add blogging (reading AND writing) to that list again!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>2. PICTURES. Okay, I have tried to keep my kids faces off my blog. I have, so far, done a good job of it. However, I find that some of my very favorite blogs are the opposite of anonymous. We are invited into someone's life, see what their days are like, and reflect with them on what it all means. It is hard, but not impossible, of course, to do this without photographs, but I find myself wanting to share more. I have almost blogged a thousand moments, but felt without a picture of what the kids all look like covered in ice cream from their first sundae, or a video of A pushing her brother in his red toy car, something would be lacking. I am hoping that this will help me document those small moments, and take more pictures!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>3. QUANTITY. I have so much to say, and so little time to do it. This space will be for those moments in life that make us laugh, give pause, or connect with others in our amazing world. I want the kids to feel that we are all honoring that first soccer practice or scraped knee, taking time to say that despite the fact that I have four kids, each child's experience is important. Brevity but frequency may be the key to my blogging success.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>What are your Blogging Roadblocks? How do you get around (or over!) them? </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Let's start the photo-fun now...
<br />
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShUG9DNLQbhdBdAAbFspSWnqqJdNrL93UjOhVSNINv-Ebyyl_QgVin9oPU-SB75eHORRi1KQ_uoNpPwmU79biKZ7TJMHYwtx9cO7XHKwRV0WWYzHKXUjHg84UQOPO7ltnuK0ocgcgFuti/s1600/BoysNov21_26.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShUG9DNLQbhdBdAAbFspSWnqqJdNrL93UjOhVSNINv-Ebyyl_QgVin9oPU-SB75eHORRi1KQ_uoNpPwmU79biKZ7TJMHYwtx9cO7XHKwRV0WWYzHKXUjHg84UQOPO7ltnuK0ocgcgFuti/s320/BoysNov21_26.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595508564356693010" /></a><div>Cheeks, O-Bear, Ace</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShUG9DNLQbhdBdAAbFspSWnqqJdNrL93UjOhVSNINv-Ebyyl_QgVin9oPU-SB75eHORRi1KQ_uoNpPwmU79biKZ7TJMHYwtx9cO7XHKwRV0WWYzHKXUjHg84UQOPO7ltnuK0ocgcgFuti/s1600/BoysNov21_26.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>October 2010, 2 weeks old</div><div>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPxnGX6TY5yylTVGIKvst5r-gfqECXN5ap3TKAMlMD1aHJMTNmiqBAxo9I4kNlP2sZsaD3aAmcIKqhsnmn5l8i2jm5js0wN1s3XWoEhsYWjEff89Aa9Ps7slDLgqiEs6e1Ljc77xUIoCM/s1600/April2010-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPxnGX6TY5yylTVGIKvst5r-gfqECXN5ap3TKAMlMD1aHJMTNmiqBAxo9I4kNlP2sZsaD3aAmcIKqhsnmn5l8i2jm5js0wN1s3XWoEhsYWjEff89Aa9Ps7slDLgqiEs6e1Ljc77xUIoCM/s320/April2010-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595507809513739714" /></a>
<br /><div>O-Bear, Cheeks, Ace</div><div>April 2010, 6 months old</div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNcXXk2XieG9uwVdXhTWECcct33rpwMOHvSd29O78EBVcEevlELGz-4cmqKpK4x9ut3hNlMGWdb0yUD7Qz_w636OTTlZFCgYAdW1wE4_PR8sMFzSU7oRtqicwKGVRIJGWR-8CUuQkZuna/s1600/October2-50.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNcXXk2XieG9uwVdXhTWECcct33rpwMOHvSd29O78EBVcEevlELGz-4cmqKpK4x9ut3hNlMGWdb0yUD7Qz_w636OTTlZFCgYAdW1wE4_PR8sMFzSU7oRtqicwKGVRIJGWR-8CUuQkZuna/s320/October2-50.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595513749320617810" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>Ace, O-Bear, Cheeks</div><div>October 2010, 12 months old</div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8-2MJWv7IeMvK6LR1rsPALvfTibD0Bd7w110oN0k_NYCTWotybGRswPm-vp4un7GOJ1fCVTLkqy52cyo0ixiwSFajVFTjtVYHupXERffuqSwyf9_oSlw3fph3kD0BNZF3kOzRZoa5Ni9/s1600/January20-23.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8-2MJWv7IeMvK6LR1rsPALvfTibD0Bd7w110oN0k_NYCTWotybGRswPm-vp4un7GOJ1fCVTLkqy52cyo0ixiwSFajVFTjtVYHupXERffuqSwyf9_oSlw3fph3kD0BNZF3kOzRZoa5Ni9/s320/January20-23.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595518494273776914" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>And my first born, my always-full-of-life daughter! I am in a bit of denial that she is almost five and off to kindergarten next year. WHAT?</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I have some very cutie-pants pictures that are recent, but I need my techie husband to help me figure out how to connect to our AppleTV which has a Dropbox folder on it, containing the aforementioned cutie-pants pictures, from which I have somehow been denied access. (I only pretend to know what I am doing, technologically speaking.)</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I do suppose that this might serve as a teaser for some of you to come back and check in with us? Recent pictures, and a video or two of the chaos that is our daily life are assured in the next post! If you are here, and reading, leave me a comment, so I can build up my Google Reader again. I would love to catch up with you and yours!</div><div>
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<br /></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-45822492188589141372010-07-10T20:36:00.001-07:002010-07-11T07:53:15.197-07:00Mobility Anxiety! And the Blonde Baker!<div><i>I am excited to share my new blog with you! This whole parenting-triplets-thing requires serious baked good consumption, so </i><i>I decided to channel all the time I spend baking, reading cookbooks and sharing treats with friends into a blog all it's own. </i><i>Please come check it out- and try a recipe or two. (I also heard a rumor there is a picture of me on the About page. Just sayin'.) I am <a href="http://theblondebaker.com/">The Blonde Baker</a>!</i></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Back to our (semi-)regularly scheduled programming.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are entering new territory here, folks. MOBILITY. Although the babies have yet to sit up without some major assistance, they are figuring out how to move. Quickly. Usually toward a sharp object or one of their sister's choking-hazardesque toys. We are entering an uncharted territory of "busy".</div><div><br /></div><div>It is usually my mom and I (thank heavens for her!) all day with the trips and A, so we usually rotate who rushes upstairs to get ready or shower in the mornings. We take our iPhones and text if help is needed. Usually, things go fine, although I may end up holding two while pacing if they are fussy, or she could have to hold Cheeks while feeding Ace his breakfast. It's just the usual "double-arming-it" that we do daily. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84hT5WwbCmY-jAg5etvQtpJeA-m1hAZw0fYXXBYTBp-JQnvrCYEDTcUvcjM3-9-P8tT9FXpzjUUWdBu5mC1FesaLnE8zOYqoY_Z5pKqfXEixWdorIjdYxRsdzRmM8NFvWrgQYaVSkSGhh/s1600/July2-8.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84hT5WwbCmY-jAg5etvQtpJeA-m1hAZw0fYXXBYTBp-JQnvrCYEDTcUvcjM3-9-P8tT9FXpzjUUWdBu5mC1FesaLnE8zOYqoY_Z5pKqfXEixWdorIjdYxRsdzRmM8NFvWrgQYaVSkSGhh/s320/July2-8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492487960640627634" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>Ace and O-Bear</div><div><br /></div><div>Increasingly, the babies have been more and more content playing on the floor with lots of toys and one of us sitting with them. I usually have to adjust baby limbs so they don't conk each other in the face, sing songs with hand movements or pick up a fussier boy pretty much constantly. A few days ago, early in the morning, I was sitting on the floor drinking decaf, while A watched "Sesame Street" and the boys played. Pretty soon Cheeks became fussy and needed to be held, so I picked him up and sat him in my lap. Then A needed help in the bathroom, so Cheeks and I went to help her. By the time I got back, O-Bear had army crawled all the way to the ottoman and was half way stuck underneath it and Ace had rolled about 20 feet to the hardwood floor and bonked his head in the process. My mom rushed down to see what the hysteria was about, and all I could do was stand there, holding two crying babies, with a look of terror a glimpse of what was to come on my face: MOBILITY.</div><div><br /></div><div>I believe the thought, "We are SCREWED!" ran through my head in stereo. </div><div><br /></div><div>The new challenges now are not that they refuse to be set down, but that when they do, off they go in THREE directions! I knew this stage was coming, but I did not expect it yet! They cannot even sit up- what do they think they are doing, rolling/crawling/getting stuck already! We live in a three story home with hardwoods throughout the main floor and many a dangerous staircase entrance. The stairs need to be gated, the hard edges padded, and the choking hazards removed from the family room (by the way, all four-year-old girl toys <i>are </i>choking hazards). </div><div><br /></div><div>Let the baby-herding begin!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5iwnFfSvEbVz49axttYbDHh6wZEXvZXPGoPEvB_CQsnXq46UUh84Xb1-Z6BkSjwk7mWJrTXZwrCzUxRqTht3TQzbRWEwkINtqHySIyQeI2fAZXA77CfmPyAZc18npvO-iU8iWThd-WAx/s1600/July2-19.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5iwnFfSvEbVz49axttYbDHh6wZEXvZXPGoPEvB_CQsnXq46UUh84Xb1-Z6BkSjwk7mWJrTXZwrCzUxRqTht3TQzbRWEwkINtqHySIyQeI2fAZXA77CfmPyAZc18npvO-iU8iWThd-WAx/s320/July2-19.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492488276717669874" style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Cheeks in the bath! Seriously, have you ever seen any cuter ones? </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-15266481726087096212010-06-20T20:40:00.000-07:002010-06-20T21:22:15.024-07:00I almost just Googled, "Creative Blog Post Title"<div>Pathetic. Anyhoo...</div><div><br /></div>Right next to the button I just pushed that says, "New Post" is the information that I have not posted since March 27! WHAT? (A very sheepish blush has overcome my cheeks...)<div><br /></div><div>Needless to say, I am a bit on the busy side with eight month old triplets and our nearly four year old, but how can I continue to neglect anyone who still reads this crazy blog? This year has certainly been different from last. <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/06/16-weeks-belly.html">On Father's Day last year</a>, we had a fun family brunch and relaxed all day. I was 16 weeks pregnant with my three perfect boys, and thanking my husband for being such an amazing Daddy to our daughter and daddy-to-be to our little guys. This year, we both had the luxury of a shower, made it through the day with three teething babies, a tyrannical almost-four-year-old and are currently trying to decide if we can stay up until 9 pm to watch "True Blood". Interestingly enough, I talked about that (most awesome of awesome) show last year. It seems some things never change.</div><div><br /></div><div>Everything else does!</div><div><br /></div><div>Some pictures and highlights to catch you up...</div><div><br /></div><div>- We have three teeth among the boys, spread out over two babies! Cheeks and O-Bear, true to their identical twin-ness cut their first tooth within a week of each other, and now Cheeks has number two!</div><div><br /></div><div>- Ace (always the rockstar nurser) has also become the rockstar eater! He eats three solid meals a day- homemade veggies or fruit and Yobaby, his fave. The other day, we were trying to entice O-Bear to just TRY some yogurt (It is sweet! And creamy!) while Ace ate some of his favorite pear-banana-peach blend that I whipped up. He saw us giving his brother yogurt and cried so hard and whacked his tiny, ineffectual fists on the tray until we shared the cultured wealth. </div><div><br /></div><div>- Cheeks and O-Bear mostly make faces like you are trying to poison them when you attempt to spoon some goodness in. They really just want to nurse (ALL the time, which is fine by me) but are beginning to dabble in vanilla Yobaby. Only vanilla.</div><div><br /></div><div>- They are all rolling everywhere, which scares and delights me, but are not sitting up. I really am excited for this so they can have a new view that does not include our ceiling and perhaps they'll be a bit more entertained when my mom and I try to pee/make dinner/take care of their sister.</div><div><br /></div><div>- I have become obsessed with the only hobby that I can do at home: baking! I bake something (usually some delish cookie with chocolate in it) at least once a day, and have been on a cake kick lately. I am thinking of starting a baking blog, complete with fantastic (ha!) looking pictures of my creations and lots of recipes. It would be a fun thing to do from home, while babes sleep, and that is unrelated to parenting, nursing or multiples. As soon as I have my blog looking good and sweet, I'll share the url. Hopefully it will be a well-nurtured blog! (The best cookie I made this week: chocolate marbled oatmeal cookies. HEAVEN.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Some happenings:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN41dk6co9FRYIqAROuqOxkt-2HDmN9Dk_E-9VA8Rz4t4qE7R9ojUL4KFVp6ye0JfJdUKlbliWfJqpECUyLLHQfG7GBZvj1Cjo4nIIKcDVOToVzrACQJucoN71mtIa4GTKXYNG1hZJxw0Q/s1600/May24-2010_15.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN41dk6co9FRYIqAROuqOxkt-2HDmN9Dk_E-9VA8Rz4t4qE7R9ojUL4KFVp6ye0JfJdUKlbliWfJqpECUyLLHQfG7GBZvj1Cjo4nIIKcDVOToVzrACQJucoN71mtIa4GTKXYNG1hZJxw0Q/s320/May24-2010_15.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485073156909593554" style="cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>A, "nursing" her doll</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVPp5aWR_PGsJVTcW3HUYXGCYx3lTKiYT7u0l-JCclPlGu5q1rDarn817PGlXJbUjb1QohPc6sQMhuQs5jaJfr0MmY01RttPnPJXHCKzYlU69TU-mQgZbClybt8TA_TguCLmCmWQ1SFuz/s1600/June4-2010-7.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVPp5aWR_PGsJVTcW3HUYXGCYx3lTKiYT7u0l-JCclPlGu5q1rDarn817PGlXJbUjb1QohPc6sQMhuQs5jaJfr0MmY01RttPnPJXHCKzYlU69TU-mQgZbClybt8TA_TguCLmCmWQ1SFuz/s320/June4-2010-7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485075742299765506" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div>O-Bear, who insists he is on his tummy at all times</div><div><br /></div><div>We happen to be on the other side of the state with the kids (and my awesome mother, and my little cousin) in search of the sun, as it appears it will never shine again in Seattle. One of my assignments for the week: more blog-friendly pictures and another post. I promise one by Friday. Dang, I am getting ambitious around here...</div><div><br /></div><div>I have a more serious and reflective post in the works, one that makes me all teary and sweaty, about the guilt I feel to not be the mom I was to my daughter, about how hard it is to see two crying babies and sometimes have to choose which one to hold, about how I still want to have a clean house and make dinner, which means sometimes I choose to do housework while my mom hangs with babies. It is all a recipe for guilt and anxiety for me lately, and I am working on being more forgiving and also trying to have quality time with all four of my children, each day. Even if it is only for one chorus of "The Wheels on the Bus". </div><div><br /></div><div>I am catching up in my Google Reader while on vacation. Expect to see me in your comments!</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-16685358517764029472010-03-27T21:07:00.000-07:002010-03-27T21:25:46.505-07:00Shameless distraction!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMHloNUA5IQsUmEIrcfc_JpL4MRRN8C0p8poW8HzGlxpA0-hkgLsnnnS4DHgm5P6hBKJiDkbeWYGwYebiOcUT1JzMZBNGeHEqSeE0S8DRmQRCqVNw7_yqauS8Xq9hQAYIKayQLQdA7epm/s1600/4+months+bottoms.jpeg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMHloNUA5IQsUmEIrcfc_JpL4MRRN8C0p8poW8HzGlxpA0-hkgLsnnnS4DHgm5P6hBKJiDkbeWYGwYebiOcUT1JzMZBNGeHEqSeE0S8DRmQRCqVNw7_yqauS8Xq9hQAYIKayQLQdA7epm/s320/4+months+bottoms.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453533087837134354" border="0" /></a><br />5 month-old bottoms!<br /><br />I am hoping that helped you forget the fact that I have not blogged in over a month. A funny thing happens when I stopped pumping (!) and was able to nurse instead- no more laptop time. While this was my ultimate goal, I miss reading blogs from a screen larger than my iPhone, and really miss blogging regularly. Mid-year resolution: short and sweet updates.<br /><br />The boys are five months old! The nursing continues to go well- we have not used a bottle in weeks and are not looking back. I am so proud of them! They love to nurse now, and I usually have at least one baby attached to me for the better part of the day. I think they each nurse around 10 times a day- maybe more. They demand feed at night, too, which is getting out of hand (since they wake up to nurse and promptly fall asleep after latching on) but for now, it works for us.<br /><br />Everyone is growing- our Cheeks is still the largest at a whopping 13 pounds! He is on the chart for his weight without adjusting for prematurity. Clearly, his nickname still fits. He has become extremely vocal about everything. He coos loudly at himself in the mirror, grunts while I get ready to nurse him, and is the first to exhibit stranger anxiety with heart-wrenching wails. Luckily, he is never with any strangers for long, but even out in the community, he can be sensitive. He has a ginormous head that we are hoping rounds out a bit soon, but at least we know his brain is a-growing.<br /><br />O-Bear is also getting so big! He is definitely our snuggler. Wherever he is, he reaches for his brothers and hooks arms with them. He will settle for just gripping their sleeve or hand if necessary, but he likes to be really linked in to his brothers. Lately, he has been bucking while laying on his back, with just his head and feet on the floor and boy, can he move! He basically refuses to roll from front to back (something his brothers love to do) and settles for sucking on his hand. Our O usually has a few fingers in his mouth and drool on his shirt.<br /><br />Ace lives up to that nickname! He rolled over first and is working on back to front. While his Nanna was here, he laughed out loud many times for her and will now for us, if we kiss his neck noisily. He is sort of a boob hog and will cry when he sees his brothers eating until his turn. Ace continues to be super social and loves to be worn facing out in the Bjorn, so he can see the world. He flirts with everyone, with a wide-open grin and loves new people. He reaches for and holds toys, as do his brothers, and he has showed them how to mostly get toys to their target: the mouth!<br /><br />So much to write about- more coming on nursing, "leftover" embryos, multiple parenting and other adventures! For those who still read- thank you! Better posts follow... but now, I must sleep for an hour before someone wakes up to eat.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-81502631800038418362010-02-24T20:51:00.000-08:002010-02-24T21:08:53.905-08:00Happiest Mommy EVERI have so much to write about our adventures in breastfeeding over the last month. For now, I just have to share with you this:<br /><br />The boys are all breastfeeding on demand, without any bottles all day!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVyyDjGWzQlmk4_IawARglXD0PFp8Mg9zQkmDqQ3MQuRfHmkpVgR1fS7T5ifnP9jI6bU81Uvfbn8Xig3QuhGL5eUD6oSSxaKjhb7N6JZr0QeC-635EmRYupABDeml2CDjEyM8a5Le68c3/s1600-h/February24-2010_22.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVyyDjGWzQlmk4_IawARglXD0PFp8Mg9zQkmDqQ3MQuRfHmkpVgR1fS7T5ifnP9jI6bU81Uvfbn8Xig3QuhGL5eUD6oSSxaKjhb7N6JZr0QeC-635EmRYupABDeml2CDjEyM8a5Le68c3/s320/February24-2010_22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442041776487623906" border="0" /></a><br /><br />You may be wondering how they got to being able to get all they need every three hours from nursing. The answer: they didn't! I gave up on that unnatural schedule and am feeding them when they are hungry, two at a time, for hours on end sometimes. They are simply not ready to nurse every 3 hours, so I am following their lead. Today I think I nursed each about 9 or 10 times ... but sometimes it was in tandem. I do not need to pump as often, and I am having the wonderful experience spending more time with my children and less time with my pump.<br /><br />There is so much less crying (by them AND me) and much more bonding time. They nurse happy, smiling and cooing. I feel the same way.<br /><br />I will write a detailed post about how we came to this awesome place despite our major setbacks and roadblocks. I feel so lucky to have all the support of nursing friends, experts and other triplet moms. I have learned more about the way the body makes milk, keeps a supply and the way babies, especially preemies, nurse since the boys were born. I am one of the lucky few who can, with effort, make enough milk for all my babies.<br /><br />I have not felt this good in MONTHS. It feels so frustrating to know where you want to be but not be able to get there, and that is what the last weeks have been full of. Little progress, frustration by all and lots of crying on my part. What it took ultimately, was time, persistence<br />(bull headedness?) and support. We are here!<br /><br />Details to come if there is interest!<br /><br />The boys' other favorite new pastime is touching hands.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWFeMzS96TXJrrw3lX49OphxB7U5f43iAfnMuigvxvFHb2PzdnxiPsikMqxbtH9osVF5XcFNcI50uZHkjsqsOaMfMHaaqZHZNvSjwJV5bUvuK9JFQ-DDCsdaZ7e-IYaYG2hpSYeLcNYww/s1600-h/February24-2010_18.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWFeMzS96TXJrrw3lX49OphxB7U5f43iAfnMuigvxvFHb2PzdnxiPsikMqxbtH9osVF5XcFNcI50uZHkjsqsOaMfMHaaqZHZNvSjwJV5bUvuK9JFQ-DDCsdaZ7e-IYaYG2hpSYeLcNYww/s320/February24-2010_18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442043106953980818" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-54757093558146326552010-02-19T20:03:00.000-08:002010-02-20T20:03:29.922-08:00A Year of Tubeless, Volume 1<span style="font-style: italic;">The next six months Tubeless in Seattle's first year will come later in the week. Thanks for reminiscing with me!</span><br /><br />It has been one year since I began writing here!<br /><br />When I decided to start the blog, it was from reading others, and appreciating so much that people could share their pregnancy loss, infertility and treatment stories and experiences so authentically. Hoping that it would be cathartic to me, and perhaps provide a tiny bit of insight to another person going through the pain of miscarriage and fertility treatments motivated me to start writing.<br /><br />A great decision, it turns out! I have made so many friends and found such an amazing community that supports its members and is unbelievably welcoming to neophytes. I've read both joyful and heartbreaking stories of birth and loss, life and death. I have found myself less quick to assume I understand someone else's experience of fertility, pregnancy or birth after seeing into so many people's worlds.<br /><br />When I started out writing, I was the mother of a two year-old girl who'd experienced the pain of three miscarriages, two after seeing beautiful heartbeats which eventually stopped beating. My OB had put me on Clomid after months of unsuccessful conception but did not monitor me at all. After nothing happened, we sought help at a big Seattle RE, moved to IUI's but then discovered my tubes were severely damaged (from a previous Pelvic Inflammatory Disease) and had to be removed. I was made "Tubeless" in December 2008. Of course, without tubes, IVF was the only option, so in February of 2009, I was waiting impatiently for an ovarian cyst to resolve so I could begin stimulation drugs for my first IVF cycle. I was in waiting-to-start and birth control purgatory and was so desperately hoping for a shot at another pregnancy, another child in our family of three...<br /><br />Here is a bit of what each month over the first half of last year held for me:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />February 2009:</span> <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/02/infertility-makes-me-crazy.html">Crazy Infertile Lady's</a> behaviors are revealed while I wait for an ovarian cyst that is delaying my IVF cycle to GO AWAY. Also, I share an <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/02/show-and-tell.html">Affirmation after Miscarriage</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">March 2009:</span> Eventful! I get to start my cycle, <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/03/22-eggs-retrieved.html">Retrieval</a> goes well, as does the <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/03/fertilization-report-is-in.html">Fertilization Report</a>. I develop <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/03/ive-got-ohss-blues.html">Ovarian Hyperstimualtion Syndrome</a> (OHSS) which almost causes our cycle to be cancelled and embabies frozen, but we still get to transfer and put back <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome-icomleavwe-ers.html">two blasts</a>. The OHSS gets worse and I have paracentesis done to remove fluid in my abdomen. Oh: I also find out <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/03/beta-is-in.html">I am PREGNANT</a>!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">April 2009:</span> We find out <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/04/show-and-tell-meet-and-b.html">I am pregnant with twins!</a> I lament how <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/04/when-does-fear-go-away-child.html">previous miscarriages can ruin pregnancies.</a> I start spotting (which is the way two miscarriages began...) and find out in the ER that <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/04/could-you-repeat-that.html">I am carrying triplets</a>. PANIC and WONDER.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">May 2009:</span> We discuss the idea of reduction for about a second, and are <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/05/brand-new-day.html">extremely reassured by our amazing MFM</a> (high risk OB, called a Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor). <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/05/more-than-you-needed-to-know-about-my.html">The first panicked call</a> to said doctor occurs, and the fear of pregnancy loss and preterm labor commences.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">June 2009:</span> <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/06/whine-whine-whine.html">I whine </a>about trying to be an energetic mommy while preggo with triplets and we are thrilled to discover that <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/06/15-week-check-up-and-gender-reveal.html">my belly holds three boys!</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">July 2009: </span> I am put on strict-ish bed rest when my <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/07/disappointing-shrinking-cervix.html">cervix starts to shorten</a>, I <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/07/paper-charts.html">count the days </a>until viability, and post <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/07/dog-days.html">this priceless picture</a>.<br /><br />I am so thankful to have thoughtful, supportive readers, some of whom have become close friends. Thank you for reading and coming along for the ride through infertility, multiple pregnancy and triplet parenthood. Your supportive comments have lifted me up many a day.<br /><br />Check back this week for the next six months which are full of worry, waist expansion and the birth of our boys!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-47106719178686987342010-02-15T13:51:00.000-08:002010-02-15T14:04:14.659-08:00Babywearing is not just for babiesAs I have mentioned before, our daughter has had a hard time with the triplets' homecoming. OBVIOUSLY. We knew bringing three high-need preemie infants home to a three-year-old who is usually the center of everyone's attention would be terribly hard for A.<br /><br />She went through many weeks of hitting, having accidents, not sleeping and generally regressing in every way she could, and attempting to get attention however possible. Even if that meant throwing a shoe at me while I was nursing Ace, or throwing a full cup of milk at Gramma who was changing a diaper. The list goes on, but the point is, things are better. She has become more accepting of the fact that we are often busy and we've become more creative at finding things for her to do, and times that are just for me and her, Daddy or Gramma and her, or other fun outings.<br /><br />I have realized lately that she is really missing the amount of physical touch I used to give her. I am snuggly, cuddly and full of affection and right now I have a baby attached to my body several hours a day and a pump the rest of the time. I've noticed that I am craving that snuggle time with her, and am determined to get more. We have started going into a different room from the babies and reading together, or just laying on the couch and talking.<br /><br />We wear the babies on our bodies in Bjorns, Moby's, or slings, as we did with A. She is a tiny three-year-old, so a month ago, I asked her if she wanted to ride in the Ergo carrier on my back, since she was feeling jealous that O-Bear was in the Bjorn, next to me. She climbed in and I wore her on my back while I made cookies. She laid her sweet blonde head onto my back and said, "Ahhh. Isn't it nice to be stuck together like glue again, Mommy?" MELT.<br /><br />Again this week, she was wanting to be nearer to me, so my friend suggested some Ergo time. It is amazing what that does for her! We went on a family walk yesterday and I wore her on my back and O-Bear on my front, and this is what it looked like:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4zFWRTQePwl2OduUq8VVNJN3zvWiTWb52bMLMVOqngJ_kqpXAOBWfT8dOsO0u-fu2pFYZR2b6wgQH9gkc6MWmsItz1SfBpS78wbhtSPT0HLUxDFvXtajK9Z9aVTbUio0va3LKF5Tyox2/s1600-h/walking.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4zFWRTQePwl2OduUq8VVNJN3zvWiTWb52bMLMVOqngJ_kqpXAOBWfT8dOsO0u-fu2pFYZR2b6wgQH9gkc6MWmsItz1SfBpS78wbhtSPT0HLUxDFvXtajK9Z9aVTbUio0va3LKF5Tyox2/s320/walking.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438594266879568130" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It was a gorgeous day, and empowering to feel I could meet her needs too. What a wonderful reminder that she is still very young and needs just as much touch, physical closeness and interaction that the babies do. I just have to be creative in finding that time!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-16998990380869483172010-02-13T11:03:00.001-08:002010-02-13T12:07:27.514-08:003 1/2 Months!If I show you a super-cutie-pants picture will you forgive me for not blogging in WEEKS?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCJ-lqxFw1nzyGCq9H34bPXYRzFVWRIxHrtMRBElKz59A0igtjk-m5zWSzbDTR-k8_lTyTYlSGZoCUnuRK6mNd6ZSMFTYnAWHmxM5_S4mjx9xNEgSP3GTLBqAeBe4xi6goTHzZd4shItt/s1600-h/February13-2010_11.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCJ-lqxFw1nzyGCq9H34bPXYRzFVWRIxHrtMRBElKz59A0igtjk-m5zWSzbDTR-k8_lTyTYlSGZoCUnuRK6mNd6ZSMFTYnAWHmxM5_S4mjx9xNEgSP3GTLBqAeBe4xi6goTHzZd4shItt/s320/February13-2010_11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437806092146719378" border="0" /></a><br />Baby A, Baby B, Baby C (Scroll down for updated nicknames)<br /><br />I hope that worked! As usual, our days are so full of feedings, pumpings, changings and snuggles, but that is no excuse for an extended bloggy absence. Or for my lack of commenting, but friends, I promise I am reading and will quit it with the quiet lurker behavior.<br /><br />Updates, in list form:<br /><br />- I must change the babies' silly and unfitting nicknames which I assigned (after surgery and with three newborns) in the NICU. The babies will now be known by nicknames that mean something and use their first initials:<br /><br />"Cheeks" is Baby A. He is CHUBBY! Possibly our most high-need baby, requiring a lot of help to settle, sleep and eat. He also has the most gorgeous grin and coos loudly, especially at his big sister. He is not a fan of being in the car and has almost required me to run red lights to avoid stopping. Did I mention the cheeks? SQUEEZABLE and chunky. His twin is O-Bear.<br /><br />"O-Bear" is our Baby B. I have always called him O-Bear. He is our little fighter who had NEC in the hospital and who has recovered his weight difference to pass Baby C and almost pass Cheeks! We have a harder and harder time telling them apart as he gains so well. He eats the most and is quite dramatic. If he coughs, or coos to much, he chokes on his saliva and lots of dramatic gagging ensues. He is flirty and bats his long and curled eyelashes at everyone while tuning his head to the side and saying "ah-goooooooo".<br /><br />"Ace" is Baby C. He is not a twin, but knows he is a triplet. He is patient, calm and collected. He rarely cries and smiles all day long. He has dark hair and olive skin, while the twins are fair and blonde like me and my daughter. Wait for the best part: he nurses WITHOUT a supplement after, about every 3 hours during the day. Oh, and he nurses all night, laying next to mommy. :) He also has more strength and just seems older. He doesn't have some of the other preemie behaviors that the twins have, like over extension of their bodies and weak sucks. (See more on that below...)<br /><br />- We are BIG! The babies are all 11 - 11.5 pounds and growing so well!<br /><br />- STILL working on breastfeeding but these boys are getting no formula! I am pumping 'round the clock to ensure the twins have milk for their supplemental bottles after nursing and at night. Hate my pump sometimes, but it has enabled me to provide for them!<br /><br />- The twins were seen by a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) and both have weak jaws/tongues and are just not ABLE to get all they need from the breast... YET! I keep up with nursing each one at each feeding, and give them my milk in a bottle if we need to. I want them so badly to be able to do it, but they are not there yet.<br /><br />- I have some amazing LLL friends who are keeping me sane, and one even brings me her own expressed milk on occassion. I call them crying, frustrated and they bring me back to the fact that I am nursing TRIPLETS and that is a wonderful thing. I am the luckiest mommy ever.<br /><br />- I am coming up on my Blogoversary! A year-in-review post will be coming.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-58762488235122877832010-01-14T08:01:00.000-08:002010-01-15T21:13:26.346-08:00The Post About BreastfeedingBreastfeeding! I never knew what a struggle it could be to get there with these boys. I nursed my daughter until 15 months when I weaned her to try to get pregnant (insert hysterical laughter here) as I was not ovulating or having periods while nursing. So I consider myself a pretty seasoned breastfeeder and can troubleshoot a lot of latch, supply or other problems. Nursing triplets, on the other hand, was something with which I had no experience. Preemie triplets? Uncharted waters.<br /><br />The knowledge and experience about nursing I had before having the boys has served me well. I know that breastfeeding is a supply and demand operation. In theory, the more you tell your body to make (through nursing and pumping), the more milk it will produce. This, unfortunately, is not the case for everyone, despite best efforts, pumping and drugs to stimulate production. I am so far, lucky enough to be able to keep up, but that could always change. For now, I drink ridiculous amounts of water to ensure I am hydrated, and take 14 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-Fenugreek-Capsules-180ea/dp/B0009ETA6W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1263583094&sr=8-1">Fenugreek</a> capsules a day. This is an herb that stimulates milk supply and can be found online or at any health food store. I get mine from Amazon or the grocery store.<br /><br />We are still working to get the boys all nursing from the breast their "full" feeds, which for them is about 90 cc's, or just over 3 ounces per feed, seven times per day. If they are unable to nurse the feed, we supplement with a bottle of EBM (expressed breast milk). How do we know if they got their full feed? I am CRAZY like a fox and have a rental scale. Actually, it provides us with an amazing amount of information about their nursing habits. We simply weigh them before and after nursing, and each gram they gain translates into a cc. So if they gained 60 grams during feeding, they ate about 60 cc's or 2 ounces, which is 2/3 or their feeding. Of course, sometimes they are not as hungry, and sometimes more often, and we always have a bottle ready if they are hungry.<br /><br />This way of feeding, scheduling a breastfed baby to eat seven times a day, sucks (no pun intended) in so many ways. Newborns should be breastfed on demand, and usually between 10-12 times per day. Our guys are 12 weeks old, almost 6 adjusted, and really should be eating about 10 times a day still. If they did that, they'd only need to eat around 2 ounces or so at each feeding, so that is probably what is developmentally appropriate. Because there are THREE mouths to nurse, and I still have to pump 7 times per day, they cannot be demand fed most of the time. In the evenings I cue feed them whenever they are hungry since we have an extra adult home and I don't have to pump one time then. Ideally, they'd all be put to the breast all the time, all day long, but there are literally not enough hours in the day for me to do that and pump. The other problem with it is I would pump my breasts empty and then be trying to feed a hungry baby who is not the most efficient nurser, as it is.<br /><br />So a schedule it is. Right now, so they get the most practice, I nurse everyone at each feeding, and anyone who is still hungry will get a bottle of EBM. When we get to where they are all nursing well, I may only nurse two at each feeding while one has a bottle in the interest of time. We've chosen to start doing "AC/PC" or before and after nursing weights with our rental scale to get an idea of how they are doing. We'd like them to nurse 70-90 cc's or 2+ to 3+ ounces at each feeding.<br /><br />While my little Elephant, our non-twin Baby C is doing an amazing job, usually getting 60-90 at each feeding and often going a whole day without a supplemental bottle, the twins have plateaued. They have made very little gain on the amount they can nurse in the last couple weeks, which is so frustrating! I really hoped they'd be off of supplements by now. So each feeding we weight Baby A, nurse Baby A, weigh Baby A and then possibly give a supplement. Then we repeat that three times. After that, I pump and we begin again shortly after. This process is obviously tedious but keeping logs of AC/PC weights, how much milk we use and how much I pump is really helping us see patterns, or in the case of the twins, a plateau. Part of the frustration is the lack of consistency: sometimes our Lion will take 50 and sometimes 15- it does not seem to have anything to do with time of day, nursing order or position. Their suck is not as strong, they are not as patient to wait for my milk to let down, and they seem to be easily frustrated. To have them push away from me and then latch on easily to a bottle feels hurtful sometimes, though I know it should not.<br /><br />I've had my friend and lactation consultant out, and she thinks they just need to "grow up" a bit more until they can do it. Other multiple moms have said they need to be a bit older to truly have the ability to take full feeds. Other people have suggested that the twins could have tongue tie or another sucking problem and not be able to get more. This could require occupational therapy simply a few tweaks in bottle type to help them learn to suck better. I am getting referrals from our pediatrician today to be seen at Pediatric OT units at two Seattle hospitals. They evaluate baby's abilty to suck/swallow efficiently and their overall muscle tone which plays a part in nursing. I recently discovered I know a Pediatric OT and Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) who works with preemies who are learning to breastfeed. I have a phone call set up with her this weekend and cannot wait to hear her point of view, which may be different from a lactation consultant.<br /><br />That is where we are at right now- sort of in a holding pattern. I am so grateful that my babies will latch on at all, and enjoy each second of nursing them. I am truly determined to make this work, but I had not expected we'd need to persevere this long. Were it not for my completely amazing mother, who helps me with each feeding, does the dishes and laundry and bottle washing, I would not be able to do this. If it weren't for my husband who encourages me, distracts our three-year-old when I am focused on a nursing baby and doesn't mind the pump and scale rental costs, I would not be able to do this. I am lucky to even have the chance! I have also met an amazing triplet momma who is nursing her trio and she has fielded long emails from me with so much support and kindness. I have an awesome LLL leader friend, one who is on her way and totally unwavering and a great LC to consult with. This is taking a village.<br /><br />You, bloggy friends, are part of the village! Please let me know if you have any ideas, thoughts or questions about this major undertaking. :)<br /><br />I think it is important to add our successes over the past couple weeks:<br /><br />- No one needs a nipple shield to latch on!<br />- Two of the babies can nurse, laying down in bed with me. Most precious feeling ever.<br />- They don't cry before they even start as they used to scream and flail while trying to latch them.<br />- Baby C PREFERS to nurse :)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Part of the problem is a complete lack of info about nursing triplets. It is different from nursing twins or a singleton, and throwing the preemie factor in there makes it even more of a unique situation. I have had limited success in gathering resources about nursing triplets, but a good (and really the only) book about nursing more than twins is </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Mothering-Multiples-Breastfeeding-Caring-International/dp/0976896931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263584997&sr=8-1">Mothering Multiples</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> by Karen Gromada. For those of you expecting babies who are interested,some of my favorite resources about breastfeeding are </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.kellymom.com/">KellyMom</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a great general breastfeeding guide; </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.llli.org/resources.html">La Leche League's site</a> which has a good tool to finding local help; and <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Nursing-Mothers-Companion-Revised/dp/155832304X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263582935&sr=8-1">The Nursing Mother's Companion</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> by Kathleen Huggins.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-83065845866444620182010-01-12T21:40:00.000-08:002010-01-12T21:47:46.807-08:00Breaking my own ruleYou know, the one about no pictures? I had to show off- my babies are getting big on my milk and I am so proud! How big? 9 1/2 to 10 pounds each!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiFMngHT3cGuPoxgP5Hb-KvvJtQ_diKvo6PyKyhRSCdIT9rZqfsw6AaU13ZDENy0rN4Ls23G8CuUCOrRQqv-vW21O4mSh981cnAYTuxXQ3smz1y7ZPynxy6F12SJIxBpzYND3nE91Q1UE/s1600-h/January9-2010_64.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiFMngHT3cGuPoxgP5Hb-KvvJtQ_diKvo6PyKyhRSCdIT9rZqfsw6AaU13ZDENy0rN4Ls23G8CuUCOrRQqv-vW21O4mSh981cnAYTuxXQ3smz1y7ZPynxy6F12SJIxBpzYND3nE91Q1UE/s320/January9-2010_64.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426096311287013250" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A very long, overly-detailed and obsessive post about breastfeeding is forthcoming. These babies are amazing, and I am hoping I might be able to drop a pumping session or two soon as they take more from my breast and less from a bottle. Are you on the edge of your seat or what? I am sure you'd rather be watching "American Idol" auditions than read about nursing, but STILL. It occupies my mind, breasts and time 'round the clock, so what better to write about?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-58225846564139066732010-01-03T11:13:00.000-08:002010-01-04T10:58:32.490-08:00A Different Mother<span style="font-style: italic;">I have been reflecting on the kind of mother I have become since the birth of the boys: decidedly different. The number of children born into our family 10 weeks ago has necessitated a busier, more multi-tasking, less present mother than I ever was with my daughter. These thoughts were not coming together in prose; a style departure is in order.</span><br /><br />The day you emerged from me, you were pulled away.<br />Your tiny bodies were not laid on my breast.<br /><br />I mothered you through thick plastic and<br />Hated the leaving of you in a place not your home.<br /><br />Your three new lives broke me open into four pieces,<br />Each piece regenerating and growing stronger.<br />I am one mother moving in many directions, all at once.<br /><br />I am less able to hold each of you, but able to hold more of you each day.<br />You hear my voice singing to you less, but hear me soothing your brothers constantly.<br />Does that soothe you too?<br /><br />I am spread too thinly now, but wider, longer too.<br />Like spilled milk, vast and white, smoothing out the rough edges.<br /><br />You, my three glorious boys have but one mother to nourish and nurture you<br />Whose body makes your milk yet cannot feed all of you at once.<br /><br />I hope when your tiny hands touch, you draw comfort from each other and<br />You understand that I wish I could always hold you, always feed you, just us.<br /><br />I learn from you each day how to make each moment, each interaction<br />Thick and warm and sustaining.<br /><br />I am different this time, not ideal, but perfect for us, I hope.<br />You three are perfect for me.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Are you a different mother than you'd imagined? Are you still trying to become a parent? What is your ideal role? Do you have peace about your mothering?</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-48778190878331211972009-12-26T20:11:00.000-08:002009-12-26T22:01:11.767-08:00I have not lost all brain cells yet...As a result of having triplets and a preschooler and therefore little time to blog, I will give you a bullet-point update while pumping.<br /><br />- The Refluxers seem to be doing better with their Prevacid! A Christmas miracle!<br /><br />- I am in serious need of a diet overhaul. Apparently, sleep deprivation makes me want CARBS and nothing else, and the weight loss has stopped, leaving me with 8-ish pounds that I would like to be free of. The extra skin? We'll have to see if that ever goes away.<br /><br />- As a result of above epiphany, I am going try to watch what I shove in my mouth as I walk by the kitchen while holding a baby, and get out for more walks up hill. Although I love to run, the size, sensitivity and weight of the ginormous breasts will prohibit it for a while. I am trying to squeeze in (A pun! Am not totally brain dead!) lunges and squats while holding babies. A frequently tries to imitate my lunging and only then do I realize how silly I must look to her.<br /><br />- A wonderful Christmas we had! My mom and I, frequently called Martha Stewart-types, learned a hard lesson: we cannot do everything for the holidays that we usually do. I forgot to help A put out cookies for Santa, we were all wrapping gifts at midnight on Christmas eve, and I did not get to watch "Love Actually" which is a huge tragedy. What we learned? We have to let go. My house is no longer spotless and well-decorated (unless you count piles of burp-rags and pacifiers on the tables as decor) and it does NOT matter. What matters is happy and content children- four of them, not whether or not we made the marinara for the lasagna from scratch.<br /><br />- The nursing/pumping adventures continue! I am working hard to keep up with my little eaters... and am constantly amazed at how much milk my body can make, and how variable my pumping output is. Frustrated post about the pump and its quirks to follow. The babies are all latching on better and taking more at each "session" but still need a bit more after sometimes. The times where they nurse themselves milk-drunk and are content are more frequent, which is awesome. I am also nursing two in a row (tandem is a three ring circus still) and having some success with that. I cannot believe how hard this is, the nursing followed by pumping followed by bottling. It sucks (Another pun!) all the time I'd have with them and their sister, but is so necessary to get where we want to be. Listening to their contented nursing sounds while they snuggle next to my skin is the most wonderful sound.<br /><br />- Lastly, we are a spectacle! And neighborhood celebrities. It is rather amusing to watch cars slow down and stare at this (not liking the way my behind is looking these days! Must resist cookies.):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_N2VbSGX7KBzDtX4JbGSb021v717WwUJycdgkcNytEzDXYUN8PVYb77HdAgA_Ba7r9y-QoVYWpj0ghBJDE1Cgj2wQ6otvlgIgFIdY4ueoUme9Q4vzaowj03UKT3JTI6aODY_my-Y7rVDQ/s1600-h/photo-22.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_N2VbSGX7KBzDtX4JbGSb021v717WwUJycdgkcNytEzDXYUN8PVYb77HdAgA_Ba7r9y-QoVYWpj0ghBJDE1Cgj2wQ6otvlgIgFIdY4ueoUme9Q4vzaowj03UKT3JTI6aODY_my-Y7rVDQ/s320/photo-22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419784784708444130" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-37060414616205576352009-12-24T14:35:00.000-08:002009-12-26T17:21:18.795-08:00Four StockingsLast Christmas, all I wanted was another stocking hanging over our fireplace, another child in our family. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine there would be three new little stockings gracing our mantle. I am so full of love and gratitude that I tear up whenever I see these stockings. They represent a desire fulfilled after years of heartbreak.<br /><br />This year was full! Full of delayed cycles, surgery, OHSS, bed rest and high protein intake, more surgery, hospital stays for me and the boys and finally, a home full of healthy children. I cannot believe how much our family has changed this year:<br /><br />- I became infertile without IVF after my fallopian tubes were removed<br />- I carried triplets and became a mother of four<br />- My amazing mom moved in, making our home even more loving<br /><br />What changed for you this year, the good or the bad?<br /><br />Wishing each of you many more wonderful changes in 2010, and promising more posts. :)<br /><br />Happy Holidays!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-40449658906060201592009-12-16T17:09:00.001-08:002009-12-16T17:32:35.173-08:00It should be called "Ass-id Reflux"... because <a href="http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t106000.asp">Gastroesophageal Refulx (GER)</a> is an asshole and it makes my babies scream. Two of them, anyway.<br /><br />About ten days ago, we noticed that Seal and Elephant (Babies A and C) were having a very hard time eating. At first, we thought it was just when they were nursing, but then we realized it was nursing or bottle feeding. It has never shown up in our Lion, baby B, who had NEC in the NICU, who was the "sick" one. He slurps down bottles, nurses like a champ and falls promptly back to sleep.<br /><br />For the two experiencing the pain of reflux, it goes something like this:<br /><br />Baby acts HUNGRY and roots around, opening mouth for a nipple of some sort. Is placed at the breast or given a bottle of breast milk, and latches on happily. Then, after a few swallows, Baby's eyes open wide and they begin to cry. Then, they make the saddest face ever and scream at the top of their lungs while arching their backs stiffly. Often, they are inconsolable, and we pace the house, holding them upright while they try to root around on our arm for some food. When we try the bottle or breast again, the whole thing usually starts over, but sometimes they've had enough of a break that they can keep eating. Sometimes, they exhaust themselves crying and fall asleep in our arms, only to wake up hungry again in an hour or so.<br /><br />I talked with our pediatrician last week and she saw the babies to ensure there was not something else going on and put them on Zantac, the first line of defense of babies with reflux. (I should add that preemies are at a high risk for it, and that it often does not show up until the sixth week of life or so.) She said we'd give it a week and if it was not dramatically improved, talk about other options. Well, it got worse. The poor guys spent at least every other feeding crying so hard, while we did all the things we could to comfort them: feed them upright, give them little bits and breaks in between, hold them up after eating for about 30 minutes or more. Please keep in mind that it is usually two adults trying to manage this along with another baby and a three-year-old who would like some attention, thank you very much.<br /><br />Our daughter, A, has already had a really hard time since the babies life-altering arrival (sibling post forthcoming), and she does not tolerate their crying well. Honestly, it is LOUD and stressful, and frustrating for adults, so I can only imagine how it makes her feel. When it first started, she used to ignore it, since it was for short periods, but now it can go on for an hour or more, and she often lets out the most highly pitched screams ever heard. Just in case we forgot about her, which we did not. Let's just say she is watching a lot of "Super Why" and "Sesame Street" right about now.<br /><br />Yesterday, we decided to move on to Prevacid, the "big guns" in baby reflux, and hope it makes a difference. Their first dose was this morning, so we shall see if it helps. The pharmacist said we could see results in as little as a day. Their pain is so obvious, and I know that caring for one baby with reflux is challenging, without any other children or multiples in the house. I have cried with them many times.<br /><br />Yet another reason why reflux is an asshole is it makes them unable to nurse when they are having a hard feeding. I have held them up in some crazy positions, which can help sometimes, but usually, I end up pacing the house with my breast hanging out, "shooshing" and trying to get them to latch on to me, a bottle, anything. The contrast between the two Reflux-y ones and Lion is that he never cries when he eats, nurses like a professional nurser, and is soothed by food. The other two are made worse by eating, which is the ultimate comfort and nourishment one gives a baby.<br /><br />It is emotionally tiring to see our sweet boys suffering, and I am hoping with all hope they get some relief soon. All I want for Christmas is Reflux-Free Babies.*<br /><br />*And three extra hours in each day, and exclusive nursers, and my body back. Just in case anyone has Santa's ear...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-42200890311099040352009-12-07T21:35:00.001-08:002009-12-07T21:54:39.431-08:00Look Who's BloggingHi! Remember me? I used to have endless hours laying on the couch with no one but my Bloggy friends and Wi-Fi to keep me company, and nothing to do but update my blog with frequent worries and musings. Not so with three precious newborns and a darling yet wildly jealous preschooler; the times, they are a-changing.<br /><br />What do I do all day, you ask? Aside from the bit of sleeping, snacking and trying to spend some time with our daughter, I am doing two things:<br /><br />... nursing (here is my view)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SVWZRNs7TThyphenhyphensxRaF3zy1zcI-x90p-WIEO8CSOc1Nkhasz5Y_McB4BhPS_XpZbI-YdgpgP50CHFT0V0EzIyE_7p6kro4lBmAffpyt_vUkXuBzu8oyKvJpV1q8au7VGDZpXM1ZtmtFraI/s1600-h/photo-19.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SVWZRNs7TThyphenhyphensxRaF3zy1zcI-x90p-WIEO8CSOc1Nkhasz5Y_McB4BhPS_XpZbI-YdgpgP50CHFT0V0EzIyE_7p6kro4lBmAffpyt_vUkXuBzu8oyKvJpV1q8au7VGDZpXM1ZtmtFraI/s320/photo-19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412726768688617442" border="0" /></a><br /><br />... and pumping.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKdXYr1COFNNCsbNnnBRRCnYG5aqvi73AOnNvDwe6RZPF5XCVo7tACd9orhy4HlUFkzjkzhDf8CaLEmzhBGgc1Ijqx_VAt_EYZFPX75iZiw5XyGEVEC6p03kVEVjM-0Ui9ISYEsDFt7OP/s1600-h/photo-18.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKdXYr1COFNNCsbNnnBRRCnYG5aqvi73AOnNvDwe6RZPF5XCVo7tACd9orhy4HlUFkzjkzhDf8CaLEmzhBGgc1Ijqx_VAt_EYZFPX75iZiw5XyGEVEC6p03kVEVjM-0Ui9ISYEsDFt7OP/s320/photo-18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412726554812857602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNt4rwmUDxbTXqdLtFQzYHPmcq9UinEqH3t5KJcqvEAZYlSgBAQ5GGorjwTPv-InTArhDM-2-pFyueGytGMlcLi8NYbzNm3U703AbjDuhb8QfrANhePYETandMDLYumZkNBKnisZF7Qi8g/s1600-h/photo-16.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNt4rwmUDxbTXqdLtFQzYHPmcq9UinEqH3t5KJcqvEAZYlSgBAQ5GGorjwTPv-InTArhDM-2-pFyueGytGMlcLi8NYbzNm3U703AbjDuhb8QfrANhePYETandMDLYumZkNBKnisZF7Qi8g/s320/photo-16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412725579744117282" border="0" /></a><br />This amazing contraption has given my babies an abundance of breast milk and allows me to pump in less time than if I didn't have a hospital grade model. I LOVE IT but sometimes, I wish the babies could take all they need without the seven times daily pumping sessions.<br /><br />Without the unwavering support of my mom and husband, I would NOT be able to nurse and pump as much as I am. As of now, I make more than enough milk for the babies and have to freeze some each day, which is an awesome feeling. It takes about 30-45 minutes to work with one of the babies at each feeding and pumping is usually a 20-30 minute operation. Without my mom who does ALL the laundry and bottle washing and fixing, this would not be doable. Without my husband's commitment to breastfeeding, this would not be possible and I am very thankful to both of them. If I was alone all day or even most of the day, I would have thrown in the towel, I think. So the wonderful thing is I pump often and make a lot of milk for my boys.<br /><br />The whiny, grass-is-greener thing: I wish they were ready to nurse exclusively, eat until they were full whenever they were hungry, and be able to tandem nurse. This is an unrealistic goal for many triplets at this age because despite their birth date being 6 weeks ago, they are 1 day old, adjusted, and have about the maturity of a baby born YESTERDAY. It is hard to not to rush the process and to trust that one day they will all be more efficient nursers.<br /><br />I met with an amazing nurse lactation consultant from our NICU and she was incredibly encouraging. She gave me some wonderful tips on how to soothe the frantic baby who won't latch on, how to ensure they all get enough practice, but mostly, she cheered me on for the efforts and time invested and reassured me that in a few months, we should be where we want. Not only is it easier for me, but it should allow me to nurse two at once while one is given a bottle of breast milk, making it easier on the other adult here and certainly easier on my daughter. Also, less bottles to fill and wash and prepare, and less pumping for me! One of the most frustrating things is I have to go off to pump after a feeding, which is when the babies are most likely to be awake and extra cute.<br /><br />As for my recovery, I was given the "green light" to exercise and the other things they "ok" at your six week visit today. I am thrilled that I can start Pilates and cardio (although these boobs preclude running!) because this body is flabby. Although I've only got 8-ish pounds to lose, the abs are stretched, the behind is saggy and I can't wait to feel some sore muscles after a good workout again. The effects of triplet pregnancy and months of bed rest need to be counteracted ASAP. I know the extra skin that is residing in my midsection needs a bit of time, but those transverse abdominal muscles better watch out- I am determined to flatten something out, and goodness knows, it will not be my breasts anytime soon.<br /><br />My daughter and I brought a big box of homemade cookies and nuts that my mom and I have been working on to the nurses and doctors at our MFM clinic. We were met with lots of hugs and showed off pictures of the little guys. I spent so many weeks there, getting to know the sonographers and nurses, Dr. P and a few others, and it was bittersweet to say goodbye to them. We were all a bit teary, and we promised to bring the boys in when it is not 20 degrees in Seattle.<br /><br />I remember feeling the same sadness about the graduation visit from the fertility clinic, but even more intensely because I know I will never be pregnant again. Just typing that makes me pause and swallow a lump in my throat. One would think that after a pregnancy like that, I'd be thrilled, and I am, mostly, but the feeling of my children moving inside me is one of the most magical and I will mourn the fact that I won't feel it again. Four children makes our family perfectly complete, but it is strange to know with certainty that we are finished having children since we have spent the last two years trying to bring one into the world safely. To switch from the trying-to-get pregnant mindset and the trying-to-stay-pregnant mindset to the no-more-children one is a shock to my heart, and requires some adjustment.<br /><br />The boys! My love for each of them separately and the three of them together is more than I could have imagined. Their personalities are so fun to observe and without one of them, something would truly be missing. I am so thankful they are all safely here, growing and thriving.<br /><br />As of last night (yes, I rented a scale):<br /><br />Seal: 7 pounds, 6 ounces (CHUNK!)<br />Lion: 6 pounds, 7 ounces (my daughter's birth weight)<br />Elephant: 7 pounds, 3 ounces<br /><br />Their growth is amazing everyone- all those cookies I am still eating are going to good use, I suppose. (That is what I tell myself at night when I have another biscotti.)<br /><br />I promise another post within the week. What should I write about next? My mind is mush and I need prompting and direction!<br /><br />1. The hardest part: my daughter with her broken heart and demon-like behavior<br />2. The boys' personalities and quirks<br />3. What our days and nights are like<br /><br />I am getting good at typing/scrolling/reading while pumping, so I will try VERY hard!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-649971154631329422009-11-16T21:07:00.001-08:002009-11-16T21:20:31.876-08:00Flying by the seat of my yoga pantsI cannot believe it has been so long since I've posted, but seriously... I am sort of busy around here. Life is wonderful and amazing with four children in our home! All of our boys are so very healthy and happy, and our three-year old is adjusting to the new life. My husband, mom and I are all getting used to sleep deprivation and wander around like cheerful zombies.<br /><br />People have asked questions about life since our triplets' birth and I thought it might make a nice and organized blog post, since my mind is a bit mushy lately. A thoughtful narrative post will follow, most likely some time around the new year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How is the Lion?</span><br /><br />Our little Lion! He is an amazing boy whose body is healed, who astounded his doctor's with "the mildest case of NEC" they've seen. He managed to quickly recover, thanks to the highly skilled staff at the NICU. His seven days "NPO" (without anything by mouth) were brutal. Although he was getting IV nutrition, he cried often and his tummy was audibly rumbly. My mom, husband, mother-in-law or I always stayed the night with him while he healed. We never wanted him to feel empty and hungry and not have one of us there. While the Seal and Elephant were home (4 days before Lion), life was crazy! We only had two adults to do all the newborn preemie care and feedings and care for our daughter, while one of us was at the hospital. Thankfully, Lion was only a bit behind his brothers and after he was allowed to eat, he caught up so very quickly to them! Since he's been home, he eats like a champ with his brothers and is getting much better at nursing. He usually latches on and falls asleep, though, and requires foot-tickling and such to stay awake.<br /><br />I know I will always watch him more carefully, paying special attention to his cries and behavior. I examine each diaper for traces of blood- I have no doubt this habit will go on for months. I promised him when he was in the hospital that he'd always have dessert first- he earned it during his days of being hungry. We could not be more grateful knowing that many babies are not so lucky and have major ramifications from this awful disease whose cause we know little about. Our Lion was a lucky boy, and we are so glad his body fought the infection with so much strength.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How big are the boys?</span><br /><br />Lion is about 4 pounds, 14 ounces, Seal is 5 pounds, and Elephant is living up to his name at 5 pounds, one ounce! They've all had their first "well child" visit and their pediatrician is very pleased with each of their growth.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What is your day like?</span><br /><br />Pull up a chair and grab a latte- this may exhaust you.<br /><br />5 AM: Feed babies! My mom and I usually do this one together while my husband sleeps. It is a "super bottle" feeding where the breast milk is fortified with a preemie powder for lots of extra calories.<br /><br />6 AM: Pump. I always have to wash one of my two sets of pumping parts after this. Our daughter usually wakes up in this hour, too.<br /><br />7 AM: Make bottles for the day, do some sort of household chores. My mom is always on top of this, too.<br /><br />8 AM: Feed babies! This time, we add vitamins and iron to a bottle of breast milk and I nurse one of the three. Depending on who is nursing, we have to give them a bit more breast milk in a bottle.<br /><br />9 AM: Pump. Play with our daughter if she is not at school.<br /><br />11 AM: Feed babies! A super bottle again, and I nurse one.<br /><br />12 PM: Pump. Household stuff or play with A.<br /><br />2 PM: Lunch for the people in the house over a month old, if we are lucky. Usually a handful of trail mix or veggies and hummus. (In fact, I just found a cashew in my bra.) We tend to graze when we feel like we might pass out.<br /><br />5 PM: Feed babies! Again, a fortified bottle for two and I nurse one.<br /><br />6 PM: Pump.<br /><br />6:30 PM: Dinner. If we have time. We always feed A, though, so don't worry.<br /><br />8 PM: Feed babies! More vitamins and iron and I nurse one.<br /><br />9 PM: Pump.<br /><br />10 PM: Go to bed.<br /><br />11 PM: My husband and my mom do this one while I sleep unless A wakes up (as she has been) or I am needed.<br /><br />2 AM: Feed babies!<br /><br />3 AM: Pump.<br /><br />5 AM: Return to beginning and repeat!<br /><br />This is infinitely easier when we have an extra adult (besides my mom and I) so when my husband is home, it is much better, and my wonderful mother-in-law was here for a week, but for the most part, we will be on our own. My sister-in-law will be here for five days later in the week and that is the end of our "planned" helpers. Then we will be at the mercy of our friends and family who will come help feed, hold a baby, play with A or fold laundry.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How goes breastfeeding?</span><br /><br />It is a wonderful joy to feed my babies from my body. When A was an infant, I struggled to get her to latch on, and used a nipple shield for a couple months, then nursed her for 15 months. I loved every nursing session with her and do not think I ever felt closer to her. The initial frustration of trying to get her to latch on, stay awake and eat enough so that she was not hungry again 90 minutes later felt like it would never get better. Slowly, her latch improved and she was able to eat more quickly with less fuss.<br /><br />In the hospital, I was able to nurse the boys for a maximum of 3o minutes, and they were weighed before and after each feeding. Sometimes they got their whole feed, sometimes only a few CC's. Through all of it, I have pumped every three hours, around the clock, telling my body to make enough milk for three. So far, I am able to keep up with what they need, as long as I drink insane amounts of water and take Fenugreek to boost the supply a bit. It is not my favorite pastime, pumping, but I am figuring out the tricks and am usually able to pump 5-6 ounces per session, for about 40-50 ounces per day.<br /><br />Trying to give each boy a good chance to nurse and help them "learn" to latch on, stay awake and take in enough are similar problems to how my daughter's nursing began. However, then I had ONE baby to teach and work with and I would put her to the breast about every 2 hours during the day. She had many more chances in 24 hours than her brothers do. I try to nurse one baby at almost each feeding (the nights I don't) and then sometimes they need a bottle of breast milk to finish. Seal could just nurse, I am convinced. He latches on without the shield and does a great job of getting my milk to let down. Lion, who does not latch well, is the most efficient eater and is usually done very quickly. Little Elephant has the hardest time latching on and gets frustrated. I just keep working with him until he is latched, but he is often wiped out after all the efforts and doesn't get much milk since he passes out quickly.<br /><br />Ultimately, my goal is to nurse two at once at each feeding while the third one gets breast milk in a bottle (or formula if necessary) and right now that feels so very far away. I know it's ambitious to expect a preemie to "get it" so quickly, so I try to take heart in what both my pediatrician and lactation consultant said: That (a) they will be much stronger nursers by their due date and (b) the most important thing is to give each practice while maintaining my pumping schedule. I just expected it to come more quickly and for it to be easier to get them off of so many bottles. A very small concern compared to what can happen with preterm triplets, but it is something that is a very important goal for me. The always-wise Dr. Sears says in his “Premature Baby” book that to teach preemies to breastfeed, you need the two P's: Patience and Perseverance. I think he is right once again.<br /><br /><br />Here are a couple of pictures of our trio, settling in at home.<br /><br />Snuggled in their Boppies; second favorite only to being held.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaq9oovfVG_tJ1sIWVzAYiydj1KtXRDh8frzH2S915-Ei6juIa16Ln7uV__LvpIj2MCrGpZr2F60ZGxjUr2xyeJpFxaKv3ZPDl0VS-5YtW5rGo147wO-rfOefmMBCZZwBCw6oPqbS0Lo9h/s1600/boppies.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaq9oovfVG_tJ1sIWVzAYiydj1KtXRDh8frzH2S915-Ei6juIa16Ln7uV__LvpIj2MCrGpZr2F60ZGxjUr2xyeJpFxaKv3ZPDl0VS-5YtW5rGo147wO-rfOefmMBCZZwBCw6oPqbS0Lo9h/s320/boppies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404937917880502642" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Thirty toes!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxc7hCI6VpzKxN4rH8wn79ZLoOWEGm3uhjgMS1jrhtc24mjnk2SsRnYemfUBP4eyWyjCmaHo-M3rf_bvFS0QVwbB9LXzXUJ4d5rGpPh4sz8eXg-iWd0vV6tZ66n2kgKyYyZHRA24lu6TY/s1600/BoysLegs.jpeg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxc7hCI6VpzKxN4rH8wn79ZLoOWEGm3uhjgMS1jrhtc24mjnk2SsRnYemfUBP4eyWyjCmaHo-M3rf_bvFS0QVwbB9LXzXUJ4d5rGpPh4sz8eXg-iWd0vV6tZ66n2kgKyYyZHRA24lu6TY/s320/BoysLegs.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404938060516849842" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-17988551756379968832009-11-11T10:49:00.000-08:002009-11-11T10:51:26.687-08:0010 second updateOur Lion is healed.<br /><br />Our three beautiful boys are at home with their family.<br /><br />I cannot tell you how much each comment and thought meant to us as we got through the most wondrous and terrifying week.<br /><br />I will post tonight, though it may not be coherent. <br /><br />My heart is swollen with love and gratitude.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-82793349967323323042009-10-30T18:51:00.001-07:002009-10-30T23:47:16.922-07:00Our Sweet Lion<span style="font-style: italic;">We've finally come up with appropriate nicknames for our trio as we won't be posting names here.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Baby A is our little</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> Seal</span><span style="font-style: italic;">- he smiles in his sleep all the time, makes little barking sounds when he is rooting around for food and his sister thought the seal sticker was the perfect one for his isolette.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Baby B has some seriously spiky hair, quite like a lion. So he will be </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Lion</span><span style="font-style: italic;">, one of the twins. His nickname suits him even more with what he has gone through over the last two days. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Baby C is an amazing eater. He sucks breast milk down through his bottle and nurses like a professional. He can almost take a full feeding (36 cc's, or about an ounce) at the breast. For his isolette sign, we picked the </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Elephant</span><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br /><br />Now I understand why having your babies in the NICU can be called a "Roller Coaster". I can easily say that yesterday was one of the worst and also one of the best days of my life.<br /><br />But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me begin at the beginning ...<br /><br />Yesterday morning, on the boys' sixth day in the world, my mom and I came in for the morning feedings. When we arrived the nurse told us that all three of the babies would have their phototherapy lights off as their billirubin levels had normalized. This means they could be held much more again and got to take off the masks they so loathed. Great news! Also, since the twins were taking their maximum feeds, their IV's could be removed. Another step closer to coming home. (Elephant is just a day behind on feeds and had his IV removed last night.) I felt like a child on Christmas morning! So many wonderful things happening.<br /><br />After I nursed the Seal, we removed his IV and put him into his isolette for a nap. I was excited to nurse Lion as he'd been too sleepy at 8 pm the night before and I had not held him. T, our amazing nurse, and I went to our Lion so I could help her change him and she mentioned he'd had a hard night, fussy and seemed to be hungry, but after he was fed, he was fussier. They were watching him closely and he seemed peaceful when we arrived. As soon as we opened his diaper, we saw blood. T immediately called the neonatologist who ran into our room. I looked at her and said, "Is it <a href="http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/peds_hrnewborn/nec.cfm">NEC</a>?" She said, "It could be. We need to run some tests, but bloody stools are never a good thing." I asked if she'd ever seen this kind of stool and it was <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> NEC and she said, "Maybe... once." And I burst into tears, watching the room's energy change as the doctor ordered an x-ray, blood work and a discontinuation of all oral feeds. His IV was staying in, and they were going to start antibiotics.<br /><br />I have read extensively about <a href="http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/peds_hrnewborn/nec.cfm">NEC</a> or Necrotizing Enterocolitis as it can become very serious, very quickly in premature babies and multiples are at a higher risk. It is a disease that begins after babies start feeding, and the cause is not well understood. The baby often presents with fussiness, distended abdomen, vomiting or bloody stools. An x-ray is needed to diagnose the disease. It looks for air in the liver caused by pockets or areas of necrotic (dying) tissue in the bowel. It can also cause apnea episodes, drops in the heartrate and desaturation of oxygen, all of which can call for intubation. They cannot be put on CPAP as it pushes air into the body and we do not want any air in his tummy, so it would be straight to a ventilator. The babies are started on antibiotics, their feeds are discontinued for 7-10 days and a suction tube is put into their nose to pull out any stomach contents and examine it. It some cases, it can require immediate surgery which tries to cut out the infected tissue in the bowel and sometimes bring the intestines to the surface of the abdomen. Of course, surgery on a premature infant is terrifying and must be performed by specialized nurses, surgeons and anesthesiologists. Most NICU families know what NEC is and are terrified of it.<br /><br />The x-ray was performed in his isolette and we waited while the doctor obtained and read the films. It was the longest 20 minutes of my life until Dr. C walked in and said, "He has NEC." I was nursing Elephant when he came in, and could not even speak. I just looked at the baby at my breast and let my tears fall onto him while he contentedly ate. Dr. C said that he felt we'd caught it early, but we do not know how NEC will progress until we have at least a few x-ray images to compare to one another.<br /><br />I kept saying, "Can he survive? Will it get worse?" and he said, "I hope this is a very mild case. Stay tuned is all I can say for now. If he is going to get sicker, we will see it quickly. He will start to look different, his vitals will become unstable, and he will change his behavior. I will let you know more when I know more. I called a surgeon from another hospital who does NEC surgeries all the time, and he's coming to read the next x-ray. We may need to transfer him to Children's or another hospital. I will come back soon. I am so sorry this happened."<br /><br />My mom and I were left with our babies, sobbing, with our most caring nurse, T, who filled in the blanks on any questions we had. She reassured us that the best thing he had going for him was he looked healthy, and had stable vitals. If he had not had the bloody stool, she said, no one would know he is sick. We waited and my husband arrived, who'd been dropping A off at preschool, and I had the unbelievably hard task of telling him the news. We stared at each other and he walked to Lion, telling him how strong he is, and how much we love him. The next few hours while we waited for the next x-ray were torturous. We watched Lion like hawks, staring at his monitors, and were reassured that his vitals did not crash and he did not seem to be in pain.<br /><br />The surgeon, Dr. H, arrived. He is a man of maybe 70 years, who was the chief of surgery at Children's for many years. He explained what he is looking for, and that the next x-ray would tell us a lot. He said, "We do not want to see anymore air in the liver, and certainly no air in the free space of the abdomen. That would require immediate surgery as it would indicate a bowel perforation." He assured us that if he thought it was necessary, he would have him transferred but he hoped he could stay with his brothers. He promised to visit him each day and consult with our neonatologists for updates frequently.<br /><br />The x-ray began while he was here and it was a digital x-ray which allowed us to read it immediately. They had to position him on his side and hold his arms over his head, which made him scream, but we had to just stand back and soothe him with our voices as best we could. After it was over and Dr. H was able to see the images, he smiled. He looked at us and said, "These look quite normal! With NEC, we usually see a rapid progression and this is very reassuring. I think we should be cautiously optimistic." He told us to call him for anything, but he did not think our son would need surgery, just antibiotics and an empty tummy for 7 days. We thanked him over and over, crying, and sat down next to our sick baby, urging him to keep healing.<br /><br />The rest of the day we clung to our babies we were allowed to hold, sat next to our little fighter and sang to him, touched his face, rubbed his soft, fuzzy head. I cursed the disease that was inside his body, wishing I could take all of his discomfort away, wishing he would keep healing. We were so encouraged by the doctors' comments and examinations, but we know how NEC can be, and kept ourselves cautious. He had an x-ray scheduled for 10 pm that would provide us with a little more info.<br /><br />I went home after softly begging my son to heal, to keep his fighter spirit. I needed to spend some time with our daughter who has been missing us terribly. My amazing husband has not left the hospital in two days and sleeps with our boys each night. We do not feel that we can leave them alone right now, and so one of us is always hereI came back three hours later for the 8 pm feedings and to be with Lion. He had another x-ray that evening and we wanted to talk to the neonatologist after he read it. I tracked him after 11 pm and he came in to tell us the best news we'd heard all day: his x-ray was normal and his blood work looked great! He said if we did not know he had NEC from his previous symptoms and x-ray, he would not be able to tell. He felt hopeful he would continue to improve. Tears of relief came to us, and while we knew this disease can be so sudden, he seemed to be fighting hard to heal.<br /><br />This morning I came in and his first x-ray also looked "stone cold normal" according to the surgeon, Dr. H. He decided to just check in on him this weekend but he feels great about his progress! We are overjoyed! After his last x-ray this evening and blood work, Dr. C came in and said he feels Lion is "out of the woods"! Again, things can change so quickly, but his body seems to be going in the right direction. Leaving his digestive system empty while administering strong antibiotics is working to reverse the damage. Had it not been caught so quickly by the excellent nurses here, and had the doctors not responded with knowledge and care, things could be very different right now.<br /><br />Now, the plan stays the same: he will be "NPO", which means nothing by mouth, so no breast milk at all for seven days from the onset of the disease (Thursday) and strong antibiotics. All of the nurses and doctors have repeatedly told us that they were thrilled he was on breast milk only; babies on formula have a much higher risk of NEC, so when his feedings do start again, we can feel good. He will start very slowly, receiving only a few CC's (1/10 of an ounce) while we see how his bowels react to the restarting of milk feedings. In the meantime, he is on IV nutrition called TPN which delivers his calories and lipids. Unfortunately, since yesterday evening, he has started to be truly hungry, rooting for a nipple when it is time to eat, needing to suck more on his paci to feel calm, and crying very hard when we hold him and cannot feed him. It is so unbelievably difficult to want to nurse him, make him feel satiated when I know that would be the worst possible thing to do. All my maternal instincts are wrong in this case, and I've taken to singing to him through his hunger. He seems to like Coldplay.<br /><br />For now, we are feeling like things might be all right, but are still watching him extra vigilantly, keeping eyes on the babies' monitors and watching for signs of NEC in his brothers. So far, they both are doing extremely well, still nursing often and taking one ounce of breast milk 8 times a day. I am so happy to say I have about 80 ounces of milk in the freezer, waiting for when Lion is ready to eat again. I cannot wait to nourish him when his body is ready.<br /><br />This was one of the best moments of the day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8FjnHR4mq3Z3Nqq1bo86HvRCQ4pmg-r0qRzzhs3BzP__YFqhuEhkkm7tH-Po9jYuCKFrsMHs_fh291xcb6Wh9ylQOwjTEA1yTxwWE21cBQHny2X8ngrSewFPyCSaTKwfLTh1DToqgD47/s1600-h/Day7_19.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8FjnHR4mq3Z3Nqq1bo86HvRCQ4pmg-r0qRzzhs3BzP__YFqhuEhkkm7tH-Po9jYuCKFrsMHs_fh291xcb6Wh9ylQOwjTEA1yTxwWE21cBQHny2X8ngrSewFPyCSaTKwfLTh1DToqgD47/s320/Day7_19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398649051918834290" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Seal and Elephant are dressed! They seem to have shown they maintain a normal temperature quite well and are probably moving to an open crib to co-bed tomorrow. Of course, Lion will be in his isolette while he heals and has an IV, and we know we will be aching for him to join his brothers. They haven't seen each other since birth and they were in quite tight quarters for 7 1/2 months!<br /><br />Please keep our Lion in your thoughts and help us urge his body to keep fighting, keep healing and that he will feel comforted.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-24507377836601011942009-10-28T22:22:00.000-07:002009-10-28T23:17:33.595-07:00Madly in Love!<span style="font-style: italic;">Thank you so much to my husband for being the guest blogger to let everyone know that the babies have arrived! He claims that those posts had the most comments because of his superior blogging skills, but I pointed out it could've been the news he shared: our sons are here, and they are doing marvelously!</span><br /><br />The short version of how our boys came a few days before their "scheduled" day is that I had gone to see Dr. P for my last ultrasound and was miserable. I had woken up that day in so much pain, and had not slept in a week. The contractions were harder to control at home and I just felt off. Thank goodness my husband decided to drive me to this appointment. When Dr. P saw me she said, "Something is different!" I told her how I'd been feeling, and the boys took a while to pass their BPP's so I was worried about them. She found that I was starting to have protein in my urine and sent me over to triage for an NST.<br /><br />The contractions showed up right away, and I took a hefty dose of Nifedipine after Terbutaline. They slowed for about 10 minutes and picked right back up, stronger than ever. My body was in real labor that did not want to stop, and Dr. P felt there was no need to put us all through even heavier meds, monitoring and possibly an emergency C-section, so we decided that since I hadn't eaten much, she would deliver them that night. While I was "prepped" I had regular and painful contractions and was surprised to have to recall my labor breathing from our daughter's birth. We were thrilled! And terrified!<br /><br />A mad dash ensued to find a way for my mom to attend the birth while our dear friend and my brother cared for our three year old daughter. My mom arrived with many bags of things I spouted off between contractions and we all prepared to meet our sons. I looked at my husband and asked if he remembered the feeling of falling completely in love when we'd met our daughter. He said, "Of course! And we get to do it again ... " I wished I had kissed our daughter before I left the house, held her tighter for a minute because I did not know it was the last time I would see her as my only child.<br /><br />All the preparations were in place and I walked into the operating room, was numbed and in seconds, it seemed, Baby A was out and screaming. I heard myself say, "OH! You are here!" and cried while his brothers emerged shortly after. I watched them all be examined, and have wonderful reports shouted from the NICU nurses and Dr. C, the neonatologist. He kept saying, "They are so healthy and beautiful!" and they all hit the four pound mark. They were taken to NICU with my husband and I was wheeled to recovery with my mom, and we stopped to see our beautiful boys being checked out further. Someone told me they all got APGARs of 9/10, and needed no help breathing. I was put into my room and after a couple of hours of begging to be let up, off my IV's and meds, they let me be wheeled in to see our little men.<br /><br />They were in radiant warmers, not isolettes yet, and I was able to touch each of them, smell their intoxicating baby smell and tell them how long we'd been waiting to meet them. I started getting pretty sick from the Morphine and had to go back to my room for the night. I pumped three times that night and had the nurses deliver the colostrum to the babies even though their feeds did not start until the second day. I was very proud of having something for them already. My husband stayed mainly with our sons and my mom was in and out before she went home to see our daughter, the big sister to three.<br /><br />The next day they were put into their isolettes, received IV nutrition and monitored closely. No one has needed any help or interventions- no episodes of apnea or bradycardia, no need for medications or extra tests. After that they moved to feedings through their NG tubes, and the next day from the breast! They all practiced nursing while a nurse would squirt their bit of colostrum into the corner of their mouths. Now they all are able to take a bottle or nurse a bit, though we still put their feeds down their tubes to help conserve energy. Breastfeeding uses more calories and energy than bottle feeding or getting a feed through their NG tube (a tube that runs into their tummies) so we are only allowed three feeds a day at the breast right now. It is more than I had hoped for and I am thrilled to nurse them and say they are only getting breast milk. I have been pumping about every 3 hours and am producing 30+ ounces of milk a day for them. WOO HOO!<br /><br />They are currently under phototherapy lights for jaundice but their levels are down already and they'll be out tomorrow. When they are under the lights, the time they spend "out" being held or nursed is strictly limited, so no extended cuddling sessions, which we hate. We cannot wait to have them be able to look around again, without their masks (protect their eyes from the lights) and able to be kangarooed for long stretches. Their IV's should come out tomorrow also since they take all their feeds orally or through their tubes. Next steps: maintain their temperatures and get into an open crib together and take all feeds orally.<br /><br />We know everyone wants to hear when they'll be home. The answer: we wish we knew! They will most likely come home in about 2 weeks or so, but it could be sooner. It could be together or staggered, they might have something come up that delays them, or they could jump ahead. We just do not know, and that is the hardest part.<br /><br />The recovery from the C-section is no fun at all, but I am amazed at how much better I feel each day. I was eager to get up and walking, and managed to get myself discharged early so I could be with the babies more. The nurses could never find me since I was always in the NICU anyway, so they had the doctor discharge me. The biggest hurdles are the lack of abdominal strength and just being swollen and tired. The incision does not hurt much at all.<br /><br />The side effect of producing lots of breast milk for my sons is engorgement, sore nipples and general breast pain. I kind of look like Dolly Parton, with the added ability of shooting milk across a room. I am so lucky to have a good supply, but I am sort of chained to my pumps (one at home and one in the boys' room) and it is not nearly as appealing as snuggling a little baby.<br /><br />My schedule is tough, but do-able and SO worth the exhaustion. I cannot wait to see them each day but miss their sister so very much when I am away. My husband and mom spend so much time with our daughter and are both very present in the boys' care. I can't stress this enough: without "Gramma", we could not do this well!<br /><br />6 am: Pump and shower<br />7:15 am: Leave for the hospital<br />8 am: Nurse the boys, snuggle for a minute, help do their "cares"<br />9:30 am: Pump, pack up to go home<br />10:30 am: Hang out at home with A<br />12: 30 pm: Pump, eat lunch<br />1:15 pm: Leave for the hospital<br />2 pm: Nurse the boys, snuggle for a minute, help do their "cares"<br />3:30 pm: Pump, pack up to go home<br />4:30 pm: Do something with A, help at home<br />6:30 pm: Pump<br />7:15 pm: Leave for the hospital<br />8 pm: Nurse the boys, snuggle for a minute, help do their "cares"<br />9: 30 pm: Pump and go home for the night. Discuss the plan for the evening with the nurses before leaving.<br />11:00: Go to bed<br />12:30 am: Pump<br />3:30 am: Pump<br />6:00 am: Start again!<br /><br />(I may need to print this so I know where I am supposed to be!)<br /><br />And now ... I must go sleep a bit. I will leave you with this cutie pie picture of our little guy getting phototherapy. I cannot wait until their masks come off and we can see their gorgeous eyes again! I will try to update more frequently, and I am sure when I buy a hands-free pumping bra that I will have much more time with my lap top. I cannot wait to share about each of their personalities and the sweet things they do as well as how AMAZINGLY their big sister is doing. (She told us she'd like an isolette from Santa for her baby dolls for Christmas.) I could also write a ten page post on the range of emotions I am feeling right now, from downright euphoria to hysteria and anxiety. Ahh, the postpartum period.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiUhXH1B65bKmTOKudU9TtNXAw-pa791N89tQwyTDNyHa7wthGxIcSNRnKig8iiONSwqU0JnW4gNuo_p4bQT1SQ1fttGL2mqqABLG4dsICTuaOZgd1Z9Xe6RuDe2SBSHT8Qc07C22tn05/s1600-h/Day3_16.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiUhXH1B65bKmTOKudU9TtNXAw-pa791N89tQwyTDNyHa7wthGxIcSNRnKig8iiONSwqU0JnW4gNuo_p4bQT1SQ1fttGL2mqqABLG4dsICTuaOZgd1Z9Xe6RuDe2SBSHT8Qc07C22tn05/s320/Day3_16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397900567965704450" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Thank you for all of the congratulations and well wishes. We are so very, very blessed and we know it. Falling in love with three precious boys is just as amazing as it sounds.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-28572054086664490192009-10-26T07:39:00.000-07:002009-10-26T07:57:35.829-07:00Boys and Mom are doing great<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">This is a guest post by Carrie's husband.</span><br /><br />Carrie asked that I give everyone a quick update until she can write a longer post about birth and the first two days. She has been amazing and spends all her time breast feeding, pumping, holding and helping care for our three beautiful sons.<br /><br />The boys were born around 8:30 on Friday night. All the boys are doing great. They are all breathing room air without assistance, breast feeding and growing stronger every day. We both feel extremely blessed that are boys are healthy and doing amazingly well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Baby A</span><br />Weight: 4 lbs 1 oz<br />Length: 17.3 inches<br />Apgar score: 9<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Baby B</span><br />Weight: 4 lbs 0 oz<br />Length: 16.7 inches<br />Apgar score: 9<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Baby C</span><br />Weight: 4 lbs 1 oz<br />Length: 17.1 inches<br />Apgar score: 9<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwStfIgXZ3DfdZLSeIioHBzylec9qHru8VglkpQyRktXEXIegBrpoN1KifrVkbxFI-82u2uY8EoRW_8dW-bycG0owV2sI73VwzbOOKQJRdnpsWBwCex_hU8HwA1ENBaQO3YGSDK8N9WBU/s1600-h/blog4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwStfIgXZ3DfdZLSeIioHBzylec9qHru8VglkpQyRktXEXIegBrpoN1KifrVkbxFI-82u2uY8EoRW_8dW-bycG0owV2sI73VwzbOOKQJRdnpsWBwCex_hU8HwA1ENBaQO3YGSDK8N9WBU/s320/blog4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396922173581643410" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVH2SdJZPRbR8KDSyBN5ko6T9kpXwPrgQVqMnCeCgE2of6mfs87UJjpIdZAZlOk9cOPGepavdUq4GZWWnQrlWgrffWcIkRugROjKCQ3QMGpjI7ADTYg0K_mKmzauGPlFjSW3hg8u_rCPn/s1600-h/blog3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVH2SdJZPRbR8KDSyBN5ko6T9kpXwPrgQVqMnCeCgE2of6mfs87UJjpIdZAZlOk9cOPGepavdUq4GZWWnQrlWgrffWcIkRugROjKCQ3QMGpjI7ADTYg0K_mKmzauGPlFjSW3hg8u_rCPn/s320/blog3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396921888860059954" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhNVr1cdEBf6aiOVvRPHNTNV_mSOCjDlKY-IsFNVeUnClNgDAMLrbZIj_8IOlO6Exbz8Eni2goP_IITJULRjzdW16l2G68wx_WRiwp0GAXL_ytbnDiLYgq73c5_zaMn7RYA4iawcITXkV/s1600-h/blog1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhNVr1cdEBf6aiOVvRPHNTNV_mSOCjDlKY-IsFNVeUnClNgDAMLrbZIj_8IOlO6Exbz8Eni2goP_IITJULRjzdW16l2G68wx_WRiwp0GAXL_ytbnDiLYgq73c5_zaMn7RYA4iawcITXkV/s320/blog1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396921352909553090" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-31866847119177989132009-10-23T18:45:00.000-07:002009-10-23T18:56:24.675-07:00Tonight is the night<span style="font-weight:bold;"><i>This is a guest post by Carrie's husband. </i><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br />I took Carrie to her final appointment this afternoon. Carrie has been having more frequent contractions for the last few days and generally not feeling well. Today, she also has a headache and the contractions continue to get more painful.<br /><br />The babies looked great during the ultrasound but contractions continued. After the ultrasound, the doctor decided to send her over to Triage for NST monitoring. The contractions only got stronger throughout the day. After a few hours of monitoring and an extra dose of nifedipine, the contractions are still getting stronger. Dr P. has been checking in every few hours and decided to go ahead and schedule the delivery tonight. The babies will be born in about 2 hours. Carrie will post more tomorrow.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059035808866051483.post-7827509857146384032009-10-22T20:59:00.000-07:002009-10-22T21:22:09.640-07:00Stillllllllll pregnant at 33 weeks and 4 days87 hours and 14 minutes until my C-section. 12:15 on Monday. Are we really almost there?<br /><br />A long and reflective post is working in my mind, but I have a feeling this body of mine will not allow me to post it until after the boys' birth. I could give a laundry list of the aches and pains accompanying these last few weeks, along with all the interesting things my body is doing, but mostly, I am grateful. I am so grateful to be here, and so hopeful that the boys will make it until Monday and thrive after they come into this world. <br /><br />Their breathtaking movements are so encouraging, and their NST's have been wonderful. But. There is always the small chance that something could happen, and I need to hold them in my arms, hear their voices, touch their skin to know they are truly well and here to stay. <br /><br />Several people have asked the excellent question of why the babies will be born at 34 weeks if I am not in labor. Why not wait until 35 or 36? GREAT QUESTION! And I have a great answer. :)<br /><br />In every pregnancy, the placenta supplies oxygen and nutrients to the fetus(es) and eventually becomes less efficient at this job. Studies show that multiple babies' lungs and bodies mature faster, but their growth slows considerably after week 30-32 because the placenta(s) have done their job and cease delivering enough nutrients to the babies. In our case, we have seen the rate of growth on all of the boys slow because of both the space limitations and the placental deterioration. <br /><br />Our doctor's office will NOT deliver triplets after 34-35 weeks. If the rate of growth stays good, they will go closer to 35 but not after. This book, called <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=1aAtl4zt5SMC&pg=PA107&lpg=PA107&dq=optimal+triplet+gestation&source=bl&ots=9repckxerP&sig=KQg1z_pyHO6j-coNoAiYomIwT8U&hl=en&ei=sCvhSov7OYyqswOAg5TODA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CCMQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=optimal%20triplet%20gestation&f=false">"Triplet Pregnancies and their Consequences"</a> asserts that the fetal death rate for triplets is the LOWEST when they are born between weeks 35 and 35. While getting to 34 is great because of the increased lung development and eating abilities, going past 35 puts the babies at other risks, and they generally (according to my doctors, and what I've read) do better outside the womb. <br /><br />In the case of our boys, their weight has gone from being in the 40th percentile to less than the 20th in two weeks. The Doppler studies which examine the quality of blood flow from the placenta into the babies' cords, bellies and hearts has become elevated- they are having to work harder to get as much nutrition. When Dr. P told me this on Tuesday, of course I asked if we should deliver NOW? Was this dangerous? She said, "No, not dangerous. It just gives us the information that they are going to be ready to come at 34, and that their placenta is aging." She said it is not a bad sign, it is just indicative of what is happening. Because their fluid, NST's and BPP's continue to be wonderful, she (and I) feel good about getting to 34 weeks, which is THREE DAYS AWAY!!<br /><br />Again, this is only my understanding from our doctors and nurses, as well as the neonatologist we spoke with. I know some who have 6 pound, 36 week triplets, but it is not going to be us, and that is okay. <br /><br />I seem to have "Come Monday" by Jimmy Buffet stuck in my head, once again.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />"Come Monday, it'll be all right.<br />Come Monday, I'll be holding you tight..."</span><br /><br />If you need to give it a listen, <a href="http://tubelessinseattle.blogspot.com/2009/04/come-monday.html">here you go</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com35