26w6d triplet stats compared to stats 3w ago
Baby A: 2#5 oz, up from 1#8oz. She is 54% and head down
Baby B: 1#12oz, up from 1#3oz. She is 24% and head down
Baby C: 2#2oz up from 1#7oz. She is 46% and transverse
All the babies are healthy and measuring on par and above with a singleton baby at this age gestationally. Great weight gain. Doc says if Baby B continues to grow at this rate all will be well. He is not concerned that Baby B has any kind of growth restriction. Every baby and every pregnancy is different, big and small babies, so it would only make sense that in my trio there would be a variation in size.
My health is also great. I'm up 6lbs since my visit 3 weeks ago, which is about what the docs recommend. My total weight gain is about 40lbs. That is more than I've gained going full-term with my other 3 girls. But I'm carrying 3x the amount of baby and I just need to keep packing the pounds onto Abby, Bonnie, and Betsy! Blood pressure is awesome: 122/70
We also discussed vaginal birth. When I first started seeing him and there was concern for TTTS his main thought was whether the pregnancy would continue to be viable and really feeling like we needed to take baby steps. It's been about 10 weeks and everything has stayed stable. While we still have to take it week by week, but he says vaginal birth seems more plausible. But the babies must be big enough to be able to handle coming through the birth canal and possible extraction, little fragile babies would not do well with a vaginal birth.
Only Baby A needs to be head down for a vaginal birth and she is positioned properly. Doc says it's not common for a baby in a trio to flip. So I am feeling good about that. The other babies don't need to be head down and would really be silly to expect them to be. Once Baby A is born they could easily change their position.
My cervix is still doing well, measuring 4in long. He announced that this would be the last vaginal US because there is no evidence to support checking it any further. This doesn't mean I would not get vaginal exams, but they would now be with my OB and done the old fashioned way: checking for cervical softening, dilation, etc. It is not a small thing to regularly have a provider say they will or will not do a procedure due to the available evidence. Knowing that my providers won't just do something because is such a relief.
At the end of our appointment he brought up my last appointment with the other MFM doctor and asked if I had any questions or concerns. I felt that the hospital handled it well, what with an email, phone call, and a letter...I would say they covered their basis. He read my complaint and believed they were all valid complaints.
As for the personalities of the girls, there seems to be a trend. Girl A stays put, never shows her face. Baby B is little miss photogenic and moving around. Baby C seems to cooperate when she wants, Taylor thinks she will be our little stinker.
Unfortunately the US pictures were quite fuzzy, I wasn't totally impressed with the quality of the technician. She was very kind and sweet and got all the information necessary but everything, including what she got for the doc seemed a bit fuzzy. She may need to get her eyes checked, lol! I must say, every US I am intrigued by the spine. It seems so miraculous. I have become pretty good at being able to identify the kidneys, bladder, and stomach. To see the stomach empty and fill up is pretty cool. And watching the heart beat, wow. God is pretty amazing.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
The Triplets Have Names!
It appears that our three little girls now have names. This is a significant accomplishment for Taylor and I. With our older girls it always came down to the final few days and with Josie we changed her name on the paperwork after she was born. Taylor wanted to wait until their birthday to make a decision, that was more than I could handle. For some reason, with the triplets I wanted them to have an identity, other than A, B, and C, as early as possible. Tuesday night I was pretty sure we would have names selected. We had them narrowed down to 4, 3 of which we had been tossing around for weeks. Honestly, I was happy with any combination of the 4, Taylor thought because I couldn't narrow them down that I was just settling for anything. I was eventually able to prove him wrong.
So last night, after we put the girls to sleep and settled in for our Alias watching, I started discussing names. We settled on three! But every so often I would ask him to pause the show and I would ask, "so our girls' names are....?" He said yes and we resumed the show. I think we did this about 5 times before we finally decided! With names for the girls I felt like I was getting to know them in a whole new way. All the names of our older girls are family names. The names of the triplets are a combination of family names and names with which we like the meaning. One thing is for sure, all 6 of our girls have old lady names =)
The names have not been assigned to the babies, nor have they been assigned colors or blankets. I was willing to compromise with Taylor on that, having names was a big enough deal!
So without further ado, the unveiling of the names of the Birchman Triplet Girls:
*Abigail (My Father Rejoices. I also really like her story in the Bible) Louise (Protectress/Watchful)
*Betsy (Oath or Promise of God) Doris (Taylor's maternal Grandmother)
*Bonnie (Taylor's mom) Victoria (my maternal grandmother)
I shared the names with Evie and Lucy this afternoon. Evie did not approve but then she recommended fridgerator and garbage can. So her judgement doesn't carry much weight in the house.
Taylor says things can still change, I beg to differ. We will know for sure on their birthday!
So last night, after we put the girls to sleep and settled in for our Alias watching, I started discussing names. We settled on three! But every so often I would ask him to pause the show and I would ask, "so our girls' names are....?" He said yes and we resumed the show. I think we did this about 5 times before we finally decided! With names for the girls I felt like I was getting to know them in a whole new way. All the names of our older girls are family names. The names of the triplets are a combination of family names and names with which we like the meaning. One thing is for sure, all 6 of our girls have old lady names =)
The names have not been assigned to the babies, nor have they been assigned colors or blankets. I was willing to compromise with Taylor on that, having names was a big enough deal!
So without further ado, the unveiling of the names of the Birchman Triplet Girls:
*Abigail (My Father Rejoices. I also really like her story in the Bible) Louise (Protectress/Watchful)
*Betsy (Oath or Promise of God) Doris (Taylor's maternal Grandmother)
*Bonnie (Taylor's mom) Victoria (my maternal grandmother)
I shared the names with Evie and Lucy this afternoon. Evie did not approve but then she recommended fridgerator and garbage can. So her judgement doesn't carry much weight in the house.
Taylor says things can still change, I beg to differ. We will know for sure on their birthday!
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Compassion, Grace, and Perspective
This post is not intended to take a particular stance but to inform. I have been hesitant to post on this topic for a long time because it is a very hot issue. My OB encouraged me early on in the pregnancy to post about reduction just to inform people that it is a component, for many moms of higher multiples, during their pregnancy. For some it is merely a brief discussion with other moms of multiples, for others they have counseling, seek 1,2 and 3 opinions, and for some it may never come up. If you are interested, here is an article from the ACOG Ethics Committee on Multifetal Pregnancy Reduction
At two separate times in this pregnancy reduction became a part of our conversations, primarily between my husband and I. Fortunately, for us, it was just a conversation. There are so many layers to a pregnancy with multiples. Perhaps your sister, friend, or daughter is pregnant with multiples. There is so much that she and her partner must consider, experience, pray about, cry over, and hope for. And so much of it is hidden. Sometimes, from the outside, a decision seems like a no-brainer. But that's just it, you're on the outside.
Really, this post is more than just about reduction. It is about extending compassion, grace, understanding, and perspective to any mom, but given my circumstances, to moms of multiples, specifically. Having been pregnant with three children, and having 3 very different labor and birth experiences there isn't really anything that could have prepared me for triplets. Perhaps you have had 10 babies, or you are a provider and have attended hundreds of births, or maybe you breastfed your single baby til they were 4, or you swore you would never get milk from a donor, that you would or wouldn't do any myriad of things. And those experiences may make it easy for you to say what you would or wouldn't do if you were pregnant with multiples, particularly higher order ones. Carrying multiples is not easy: physically, emotionally, psychologically, and even spiritually. It is taxing. It is also a blessing. But it is still challenging. What a mom expecting and caring for multiples needs is support and compassion. Sometimes it's ok to say "that sounds really tough, you have my support." Or, "I hope you can find peace with the situation you are dealing with." And please keep in mind that all pregnancies and births are different and are even more so when multiples are in the mix. It is not so simple. I will end with my new little motto: a little compassion, grace, and perspective goes a long way.
At two separate times in this pregnancy reduction became a part of our conversations, primarily between my husband and I. Fortunately, for us, it was just a conversation. There are so many layers to a pregnancy with multiples. Perhaps your sister, friend, or daughter is pregnant with multiples. There is so much that she and her partner must consider, experience, pray about, cry over, and hope for. And so much of it is hidden. Sometimes, from the outside, a decision seems like a no-brainer. But that's just it, you're on the outside.
Really, this post is more than just about reduction. It is about extending compassion, grace, understanding, and perspective to any mom, but given my circumstances, to moms of multiples, specifically. Having been pregnant with three children, and having 3 very different labor and birth experiences there isn't really anything that could have prepared me for triplets. Perhaps you have had 10 babies, or you are a provider and have attended hundreds of births, or maybe you breastfed your single baby til they were 4, or you swore you would never get milk from a donor, that you would or wouldn't do any myriad of things. And those experiences may make it easy for you to say what you would or wouldn't do if you were pregnant with multiples, particularly higher order ones. Carrying multiples is not easy: physically, emotionally, psychologically, and even spiritually. It is taxing. It is also a blessing. But it is still challenging. What a mom expecting and caring for multiples needs is support and compassion. Sometimes it's ok to say "that sounds really tough, you have my support." Or, "I hope you can find peace with the situation you are dealing with." And please keep in mind that all pregnancies and births are different and are even more so when multiples are in the mix. It is not so simple. I will end with my new little motto: a little compassion, grace, and perspective goes a long way.
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