Home Away From Home

Today (September 21) marks 31 weeks for Kristen and I; however, we're celebrating it in the hospital.  Before I type anything else, everything is okay with Kristen and the triplets.  First off, you'll notice that I'll be posting more updates on our blog since Kristen is having difficulty using the computer.  Let's face it though, I was always the ghost writer/editor of these posts anyway, sorry babe ;-)     

Hospital couch/bed conversions are more comfortable than I thought.

Well, back to the important stuff... after Kristen's Thursday appointment, the doctor wanted to keep her under 24-hour observation, which actually turned into a weekend observation.  All weekend, Kristen was observed and tested using various methods to make sure that both her health and the health of the babies was where they should all be.  Between blood tests, urine tests, sonograms, etc., Kristen and the triplets were constantly monitored all weekend.  The GBMC staff placed her in a labor and delivery room for the initial observation, but once the 24-hour observation turned into a weekend affair, the wonderful nurses hooked us up and moved Kristen to a nice corner room with a more comfortable bed, larger bathroom/shower, and a little better view.   

Yes, that's Kristen all the way in the far left corner.

Following a weekend of testing and observation, Kristen's doctor came into the room this morning and indicated that the protein levels in her urine had not reduced (a tell-tale sign of pre-eclampsia).  As a result, Kristen will need to stay at the hospital for the remainder of the pregnancy.  Now this may sound like an unpleasant ordeal, but Kristen and I had many conversations over the weekend and we both feel that this is the best course of action for both her and the triplets.  She has a bed with a built in recliner, there's a mini-fridge in the room, she's utilizing an anti-embolism (compression) machine which is alleviating some of the swelling in her legs and feet, there's grab bars around the toilet, and she doesn't have to travel upstairs to take a shower.

I try to (barely) fit in some snuggle time. 

In addition, she's receiving great care and continues to be monitored daily.  The best is to see the triplets move around during all of the sonograms we get to view.  The funniest thing happened during one of the sonograms.  Kristen informed the nurse tech that she was having some acute discomfort in a specific area on her belly and when the nurse placed the probe in that area, we could clearly see one of the babies punching Kristen from the inside!  These kids are already scrappy! And they want out!

So here we are, approximately 22 days until the scheduled C-section.  When chatting with the doctor, he always states that he wants the babies to "be in there" until the 34-week mark, but also follows it up with, "if she hasn't delivered by then."  So essentially we're on-call for the remainder of the pregnancy.  I'm happy though that Kristen is in great care at the hospital in case these little ones (or Kristen's body) decide to introduce the Hewitt Hat Trick into the world before their scheduled appearance.

If anyone wants to visit Kristen, just contact either myself or Kathy and one of us can give you details.       

Starting the Home Stretch (Pun Intended)

Another week, another milestone!  September 7th marked 29 weeks.  Well, the end of the week brought on another fire drill, but one with more reason for concern.  We don't want to give out all of the details, but I showed some signs of pre-eclampsia, most notably higher blood pressure on Sunday evening.  Thankfully, the boys and my body were fine since there were a few factors that would have made things difficult to say the least.  First, our doctor was out of the country on vacation. Although we understand why he doesn't inform his patients of vacation plans and the fact that he could still be contacted, it was an eye opener and our first, "Okay, what's plan B?" moment so far.  Well...shortly thereafter, we got to the "Okay, what's plan C?" moment when we found out the NICU at GBMC was "closed".  Yes, closed.  

Apparently the past few weeks have been extremely busy for them.  Add in the fact that they have such a great NICU that specializes in high risk births, we can see why there was no "vacancy". All night, the staff at L&D took great care of us and after five hours at the hospital, we got home (Buckeye game day!)  Phew, another false alarm, but we were glad that everything checked out for me and the babies.   

30 Weeks

September 14th marked 30 weeks!!!  We are officially in the home stretch, seriously... Between the body aches and swelling, I don't spend much time on my feet and/or moving around much.  As for size, I'm essentially measuring 50 weeks if this was a singleton pregnancy.  Tom is even trying to lose five pounds so we can weight the same, but I'm pretty sure he's kidding!  

As for the doctor's visit, we were told the babies weights and Baby A was 3lbs-5oz, Baby B was 3lbs-3oz, and Baby C was 2lbs-15oz.  The babies were moving all over the place, jockeying for positioning or simply roughhousing with each other.  We don't blame them, I'd get bored cramped in a small space too!  Anyway, it is normal for triplets to vary in size at birth, but due to the metric used to determine proper date/weight and the percentile ranking, our doctor has increased the frequency of office visits and testing so that the doctor can check on all three babies much more frequently.  I'll now be going to the doctor and receive various tests twice a week.  

We had to modify the Cesarean date and our new "birthday" is October 13th; however, Tom thinks it will happen earlier in October, say the 7th.  That just so happens to be the Rangers season opener at Chicago.  Maybe someone will score a hat trick on opening night...?  

At my first bi-weekly appointment, all the babies scored 8 out of 8 for their BPP (Bio Physical Profile). They also performed well for their NST (Non-Stress Test). When we returned to my doctors office to drop off the results, they had me do a quick urine test to check my protein levels because of my swelling. This test came back with higher levels, so they checked my blood pressure. Both were high which resulted in my admittance into Labor & Delivery for the weekend for observation. That didn't stop Tom and I from watching the Buckeyes game from the hospital!  Now we just have to wait until Monday (September 21) in order to see what the doctor's long term plan is for me and the triplets...

...Puck Drops In The 3rd Period...

We hit quite a few milestones these past few weeks!

First, on August 31st, we hit 28 weeks and I officially entered my 3rd trimester! The doctor and ultrasound tech said each triplet is looking good! My neck, back, and well everything, is so sore! I'm spending most of my time on the couch with my feet up to try to alleviate some pain and swelling.

I have stopped working my full-time job, so I'm relaxing and taking some time to rest and relax before the boys arrival. I have a couple real estate transactions that I am finishing up and will then be officially done with work for a while.

At our last doctor's appointment just as we were asking him about when we contemplate scheduling the Cesarean, he said that we actually had a choice that day, between October 13th or 14th.  It was an interesting feeling selecting the possible birth of the triplets.  We ended up selecting October 13th (which is at 34 weeks).  That is, unless the boys decide to come sooner, which is very much possible. Keep in mind though, if all is going well and I'm hanging in there, and the doctor said I can hold out up to 36 weeks, which would push the date to October 28th.   

A few weeks ago, we purchased a 2012 Honda Pilot, so everyone can stop asking when we are getting a minivan!  The car seats are ready to go in our new family car!!! With my parent's help, we are getting the final organization and decorating done. My hospital bag is packed along with things for the boys, and stuff for Tom of course. 

We had a little false alarm/L&D fire drill over the weekend. The boys and I were thoroughly checked out and I have some more time to cook. But now we know exactly where to go and what to do when the time is here!

And finally... Our saviors, Grandma and Grandpa Stantz have officially moved to Baltimore. We are so excited and grateful that they are able to be so close to help out!