Soon to Be Together Again

Great news! The NICU just called and they are sending Alex home tomorrow. He's eating well and the breathing issues have been resolved. I'm so excited to have him here and to start to get to know him! What a blessing to have only one triplet need NICU care, and for less than a week.

Here's a photo from Saturday evening, when we were able to get the boys together for the first time since Alex went to the NICU after delivery. More pictures of these three together will certainly follow.

Together Again:

Isaac (left), Alexander (top) and Samuel on Mommy's lap.

10/11/08

Mostly Homeward Bound

Today Samuel, Isaac and I will head home from the hospital. Alexander is going to stay in NICU a couple days and we'll probably bring him home Tuesday.

Alex has no major issues, but the NICU docs I talked to yesterday wanted to see him eating more than he was. He's used to his status as the big man who didn't fight for anything in utero, so he's a lazy eater.

The NICU nurses have been working to get him to take 35 mls in a feeding, and we've been telling him we're going to bring his brothers in to show him how it's done. He must be listening, because overnight he took 42, 50 and 60 mls in his feedings -- completely outdoing his brothers. So we'll see if that changes anything for the docs. I expect they'll want to see that kind of intake for a couple days before they release him.

This is such a minor issue, especially in a triplet birth, and for only one baby to even need NICU is a blessing beyond our greatest hopes.

We were able to get all three boys together last evening for the first time. I held them all on my lap and marveled that just three days ago all three of those big boys were inside of me. (I also marveled that I have a lap again!) They each have their own look, and it was great to put them side by and side and compare noses, mouths, ears, and foreheads.

Look, he has mom's ears.

Daddy's mouth and chin on this one.

These two have pretty high foreheads.

That reddish hair could come from either side.

We have some great pictures of the whole crew that we'll post soon.

So Glad to Be Boring

I went to the doctor's office for my weekly appointment yesterday, and I think my doctor is starting to feel a little left out of this pregnancy. The first thing he said (with a laugh) when he came into the room was, "You never even call me!" I asked if he wanted me to call him now and then so he'd feel more useful.

It's not entirely true that I never call. But, I've only had to call three times. Once early on when I had horrible low abdominal pain, which was my C-section scar tearing, rather than stretching as the babies went through their first big growth spurt. The second was around 20 weeks when I had an awful stomachache, which turned out to be viral, as Jeff wound up with the same symptoms. And the last time was at about 30 weeks when I overdid it a bit, wasn't staying hydrated and had a few contractions.

So, my news from the doctor continues to be boring, and boring is good! I did gain 3 lbs. in the last six days (thanks Mom!), making up for the last three weeks where I either lost or didn't gain at all. So my total weight gain is now 39 lbs. I am measuring 46 1/2 inches around, and everything else looks good. We're really hoping to see the babies weigh in at 5 lbs. each during next week's ultrasound.

At this point, they are unlikely to even give me steroid shots to boost the babies' lung development. Most doctors don't bother past 32 weeks, and certainly not once I hit 34 weeks. We're starting to be hopeful that the babies won't need much time in the NICU at all, though they will go there right after delivery for a thorough check.

Let's keep all those prayers for big, healthy babies coming. We can't thank you enough for all your support that has brought us this far!

You've Come a Long Way, Baby!

I stopped by my doctor's office to pick up my Glucola for tomorrow's glucose tolerance test. I parked in a reserved spot (the nurses told me they don't know who those are reserved for, so they may as well be reserved for a triplet mama!) and went in a different door to the hospital than usual. As a result, I wound up getting off the elevator near the NICU.

I couldn't help but think about our tour of the NICU way back in May, just about three months ago, and how getting to 28 weeks seemed almost impossible at that time. I was just 14 weeks pregnant and trying to absorb all of the information my doctors were presenting to me on everything that could go wrong and how our goal was to get to at least 28 weeks.

There were 28 week twins in the NICU the day we toured, and I remember thinking how impossibly tiny they were and praying that we could manage to somehow get the triplets to even that fragile stage. And now, here we are.

If the triplets were born today, they would still have lots of hurdles to overcome, but their chances would be very good. The goal has now been reset to 32 weeks, and that seems like a long ways off, but we are hoping and praying that things continue to go well and we'll get to that goal, too.

We can't thank all of you enough for your support and your prayers. Despite the days when my fear overtakes me and my faith gets shaky, I truly believe that God has given us these three little babies for a multitude of reasons. One of those is surely so we would come to understand just how blessed we are to have so many caring and faith-filled people in our lives.

NICU Tour

Yesterday we took a tour of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Clarian North, where the three little beans will be delivered. Even if they are big and healthy, they'll go to the NICU for a thorough evaluation. We just hope and pray they don't have to spend much time there.

If they do, we know they will be in very good hands. The staff we met were very knowledgeable and friendly. The nurse who showed us around explained how they would handle triplets, the kind of care they might receive and how we are welcome to be in the NICU at all times with our babies. Clarian North has one of few NICUs in the country that has private rooms for the babies, making it much easier for mom and dad to stay with their little ones. They even have showers and washers and dryers there so family can stay round the clock if they like.

Clarian's NICU also has a family gathering room with TV, videos, games, and a special children's area so extended family and friends can be close by if they'd like. The NICU staff will be involved with the triplets from the minute they are delivered. We will have one NICU nurse, one respiratory therapist and one neonatologist per baby in the delivery room. That's nine people in addition to my doctors and anaesthesiologist. I hope there's enough room for Jeff! We've already joked that with a crowd like that we may as well pop popcorn and sell tickets.