Not your average doctor visit

So this Tuesday brought with it something very unexpected. It started off as a normal morning. I headed off to the doctor as I now have to do every week. I was having a little cramping (sometimes sharp) in my belly but was only planning to mention it to the doc. I got my scan done as usual and the doc noticed my cervix had shrunk from 3.6 to 2.6cm in just the last 7 days. That added to my complaint of cramping and the doc said I should go over to the hospital just to have it checked out. So I headed off to L&D at Northside for what I thought would just be a few hours of monitoring. Boy was I wrong! They hooked me and the babies up to all sorts of monitors. It turns out the cramping was not a problem (it eventually passed) and I was not in pre-term labor. That was the good news. The bad news was that while I was there my blood pressure spiked a bunch. At one point it was 156/110- yikes! So the docs wanted me to stay overnight for monitoring. Of course I agreed but fully expected to be released the following day. Wrong again! My blood pressures kept fluctuating and they found I had a small amount of protein in my urine possibly signifying the start of pre-eclampsia. If I did have pre-eclampsia and it went untreated it could possibly lead to seizures, stroke, or kidney or liver failure. So the doctors take it very seriously. So that is why I am still here 3 days later. Although my blood pressures have come down and things appear to be going well, the doctors still want to keep me for observation. I am hopeful at some point I will get to go home. Otherwise, all 3 babies are perfect. They are just busy and growing bigger every day.

A big thanks to Mom & Carla!!

I have to start off by giving a huge thanks to Mom and Carla for coming down to Newnan today. Before today everything for the babies was in complete disarray. There were clothes everywhere and the nursery had lots of boxes and bags scattered around. I was really getting stressed that we wouldn't have things organized by the time the babies got here. Never fear, Mom and Carla were on top of it!. They came to Newnan today and whipped the nursery into shape. Now all our newborn clothes are either hanging in the closet or folded in drawers. The changing table is stocked and organized. And we almost hung stuff on the walls but realized we need another expert to come in for the assist (thanks Sam :). We had a really fun day and I am so thankful to these awesome gals for so much hard work. I love you! Oh, and Mom is now satisfied that we have enough blankets- lol.

On Tuesday I will be 30 weeks pregnant. It feels awesome to be in the 30's instead of the 20's. I will be back at the doc on Tuesday for an ultrasound to check the babies and my cervix. This will not be a growth scan though. I won't have another one of those until 33 weeks. So hopefully everything is still going well. I am having a lot more contractions and cramping but as long as my cervix is still long and closed I can stay out of the hospital. Wish us luck!

Farewell to social activities

Today I am finally accepting the fact that I am not my normal self. I cannot keep up the traditional social pace I am used to. I am a woman in the third trimester of a triplet pregnancy. When you are a social butterfly like me, you are not content turning down invitations and sitting at home on the sofa. Last night was the Christmas Dinner of the Moms of Multiples Club. I've been looking forward to this dinner for several weeks. The women in this group are so nice and have so much information to share. When I am with the group I just soak up their experiences and advice like a sponge. But looking back on it now, I shouldn't have gone. I rested all day yesterday in preparation of going to the dinner. Once at the dinner, I sat down immediately and began drinking water to stay hydrated. Although I stayed seated and relaxed throughout the dinner, by the end I was contracting and cramping so bad I could hardly stand from the table. The pain and discomfort lasted all night and I didn't get much sleep at all. So now I am back on the sofa resting. I will try to use this experience as a reminder for the days ahead. I only have as many as 46 to go. But right now that feels like an eternity.

Back to the doc- 29 weeks

Another week gone by and the babies are still doing great! I went back to the doc today and of course it was raining and nasty outside! But I am leaving the house twice as early as I need to so I stay one step ahead of the rain and the Atlanta traffic. My cervix was the first thing they looked at and it is still very long and closed (3.6cm or 36mm). The doctor was so pleased by this. She says I must have a "bionic" cervix- lol. Then they checked the heartrates and all are perfect- still in the 150's or so. Next they measured the babies and came up with estimated weights. Sarah's estimated weight is 2lbs. 9ozs. Jake's estimated weight is 2 lbs. 14ozs. Luke's estimated weight was also 2lbs. 14ozs. So each of my babies are chugging on toward 3 lbs each which they'll probably reach in a few days! My blood pressure also was great- 120/72. Overall, the doc said the babies and I are doing outstanding. I like being an overachiever- lol! Starting next week (30 weeks) I will start going to the doc every Tuesday. Although it's a pain to drive all the way to Northside, I am glad they are watching me so close. I am having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions and sometimes I'm not sure if they are false labor contractions or real ones we should be worried about. At about 32 weeks or so, the doctor may have me come in twice a week. So for now all is well, we are just waiting. Only 7 weeks to go! My Mom asked me to post a new pic where I am holding my shirt tighter to see the belly better. So here are two pics. One is just regular and one is with me pulling my t-shirt tight over the belly. You can see it is not a perfectly round belly. I think the triplets make it odd shaped since there are 3 different sacs in there. But I still love my gigantic belly. Enjoy!

What a deal!!!

Yesterday I got an email from Motherhood Maternity letting me know they were having a great deal in their stores right now. The deal is if you spend $75 you get a free $50 gift card to restaurants.com. If you know anything about this store, they do not have a lot of sales and promotions. I, needing a few last minute maternity essentials, decided to check it out. Sure enough they were true to their word. I spent the money on maternity clothes and got my gift card. What a sweet deal?! I was so proud of myself for taking advantage of this. Go Kelly!!!

Wanted: To Borrow a Hot Tub

Does anyone have a hot tub that they want to let me borrow? Also, can you deliver it and set it up? If so, I'm home all day so you can just bring it right over. Oh, I wish I had some kind of giant tub to submerge myself in. My belly is getting so big and uncomfortable. At night, I often have lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions that make my belly painfully tight. The doctor said it is to be expected and there is not much I can do to relieve the discomfort. However, I have found that using pools and hot tubs (must be 95 degrees or less in temp) is very helpful for relief. Submerging my belly gives it weightlessness and takes a lot of the pressure off. I've tried using my own bath tub in the master bath but I just can't get all the way underwater. Since our neighborhood pools are now closed for winter, I'm pretty much out of options. I've thought of just spending the rest of my pregnancy in the Caribbean to take advantage of the warm water but somehow just can't Kurt on board. I wonder why?!?! Anyone have any other "real" suggestions? I'm desperate!

We did it- 28 weeks!

Another big milestone today- 28 weeks! I can't believe we have made it here! I am so thankful this pregnancy has been relatively complication free. I went to the OB yesterday and everything is just perfect. My blood pressure is great (118/82) and all my blood sugar readings have been just fine. The doctor could easily find the heart rates with a doppler. My weight is up just 9 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight. The doctor told me they "just couldn't be any happier with the way the pregnancy is progressing". This thrills me so much as the pregnancy is getting harder and harder on my body every day. My belly is so large and feels like it's stretched to its limits. Although I am up only 9 lbs. and still less than a weight I have been before even not pregnant, I feel like I must weigh 500 lbs. It's very difficult to sit up, to bend over, walk up a flight of stairs, take a deep breath, etc. And due to my intense hip pain, sleep has completely gone out the window! But I know this is only temporary. One way or another, in 8 weeks these babies will be living on the outside and my time as the walking baby hotel will be over. I'm sure there will be times I will miss being pregnant, but it is really hard to see that now. One thing I would do differently if I could do it over, is start working on the nursery earlier. Now that I am so large and uncomfortable, I cannot spend more than a few minutes working in there. There is still so much to be done and I'm afraid it just won't get done. I guess I was afraid to do stuff too early in case something happened to the pregnancy. But now I'm wishing I'd done more and not left so much until the end. Oh well, at least we have cribs and bedding in there so they have somewhere to sleep. Even if it's not decorated!