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.