Well, there they are...in all their glory. My appointment with the perinatologist went well today. Development looks good and on track. All three hearts were beating strong and no abnormalities were seen. Two of the babies had a small accumulation of fluid in the ventricles of their brains called Choroid Plexus Cysts. This is apparently a normal variance and some fluid gets traps as the brain is developing. 99% of cases will resolve so no worries there, just something to watch for at the next appointment. It's pretty crazy to see thirty toes and thirty fingers!
A major reason that women carrying multiples go on bed rest depends on the length of their cervix. Mine will be measured every week because as soon as the measurement starts decreasing, then the doctor will order some sort of bedrest. Some pivotal weeks are approaching for me when this can typically happen so laying down for the better part of my day is top priority. The words of my peri today to describe my cervix were, "strong and long." My cervix was over 50 mm. Strangely enough, I like to hear that!
We did get a firm answer on the specs of the babies, so here they are. Drumroll please....
Baby A: 7 ounces. SHE gets the letter A because she is closest to my cervix. She is the top in the picture.
Baby B: 8 ounces. HE is breech on my right side and next highest in the uterus. He's second in the picture.
Baby C: 8 ounces. HE is transverse on my left side and laying sunny side up. He seems to be in the more comfortable position. :) We'll see how that plays out in his personality. That would make him last in the picture.
Two boys and a girl.....thank heavens for that girl! For some reason three boys all together just SCARED me. We are VERY VERY excited though and Clark is now deciding who will get the birthright.
Here's my ever-growing belly at almost 18 weeks. Compared to the last picture I have grown quite a bit! Two pounds a week is what I'm gaining and it's definitely starting to show!
I've found this great show on TLC called Making Room for Multiples. Most of the time it's twins but just today there were some triplets and the rest of the week will be quads. Whew! It's kind of nice to get a feel for how our lives will be. Basically crazy, chaotic, and incredible.
Clark wore a sympathy belly. More on that next time. :)
HOW EXCITING!!!!! LOVE the post, LOVE the belly shot, and especially LOVE the ultrasound pics!!! It's so hard to fathom that you've got THREE babies in there! I really can't tell you enough how excited we are for you guys. I don't even know where I'd begin to prepare for the craziness of three babies all at once! So I guess I'm really looking forward to seeing and hearing all about how it can be done! And I'm really excited to meet my new niece and nephews!! i think when we get to CA I'll have to start watching that TLC show too. Then I can get a feel for what's in store for you guys! WOW!!!!
ReplyDeleteJoSue, this is just AMAZING. Congratulations!! I've been following your blog for some time...sorry I've never commented, but please know that you are in our prayers for a long and healthy pregnancy, and if you ever need anything, we are not far down the road and would be more than happy to help out.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Leigh
yes! can i just say that my prediction was right! two boys and a girl, i could just feel it. :) i agree with you that girl mixes it up nicely. I wanted you guys to have some of each since you probably won't feel the need to have more for a little while. :) wonderful news that they all look healthy and you are "strong and long"! PLEASE post some pictures of Clark wearing that sympathy belly. And do they make one for triplet size? You should make sure he gets to try one of those on too.
ReplyDeleteYay for one girl! How exciting. Do you have any names picked out yet?
ReplyDeleteOh JoSue! You are such a trooper. Clark (DaBell) texted us to let us know you guys were expecting... triplets! This has been so much fun to read up on how things have been.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you knew this, but Garrett (and Clark) are part of a three-some package. Currently, we are living with Garrett's parents. I've been working on a picture project for Garrett's mom, and I have seen SO MANY photos of triplets, it is insane. Garrett's mom has loved sharing all the crazy stories that have come with three babies at one time. They came after six other kids, so her experience was a little different than yours has been (and then they adopted a girl after they came!). I know you have probably been offered advice like crazy, but if you ever need to talk to an experienced triplet mommy, I'm sure she would love to talk with you.
I wish you and Clark nothing but the best! Enjoy every single moment. We will keep you in our prayers that everything will go as well as it possibly can. Ah, to think: You've got three pieces of heaven with you! What a lucky gal. :)
congrats! We are so happy that everything is going well. That little girl is going to be spoiled :-) Love you guys!
ReplyDeleteSo here is my second post, as the first one, several days ago, is somewhere out in cyberspace!!
ReplyDeleteSo the ultra sound pictures you sent me for Mother's Day are on my frig and everyone that sees them OHS and AWES!! Cutest triplets in the world.
Love you guys and YES, that baby girl will be the apple of her daddy's eye. xoxoMOM
How exciting!! You have the cutest belly! PLEASE let me know if you need anything! Even if you want me to run to the store to get you some ice cream. Or pickles. Or chips. Or...
ReplyDeleteWonderful news! Like you, I feared that I would have 3 boys! They even told me at one time they tought it was 3 boys! Now it is time to start thinking of some names!! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteHooray! I'm excited for you and your healthy babies! I made the mistake of telling my dad, who is an OBGYN, that you were expecting triplets, and now whenever he sees me frustrated with Lily he says, "Well, at least you don't have three!" I'm going to come visit you when I get home! Yay!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found that show. I was going to tell you about it. TLC is awesome for expecting mothers. Congratulations on the girl and two boys. How fun to get the experience of each.
ReplyDeleteyea!!! I'm so excited for you guys. I'm glad you have at least one girl in the mix. There is way more cute girl clothes than boy. Don't get me wrong, I love my sweet boy, but it is hard to find clothes that don't have dumb things on them like "Dude" and "superstar" etc. And she'll have 2 brothers to protect her.
ReplyDeleteIs River still in the mix?
Awesome! This is so exciting. We're considering wearing sympathy bellies, too. All we'd have to do is quit running----and like magic a sympathy belly will appear.
ReplyDeleteClark, you might want to wait on deciding who gets the birthright. It might provide a lot of leverage later on in life. :)
ReplyDeleteYay, two boys and a girl! That is so exciting. Congratulations!! And you are the cutest pregnant woman ever. I can't believe there are THREE babies in there! Your tummy is just like this little cute basketball. I love it :)
ReplyDeleteJoSue, I saw this post on multiple birth freebies and thought you might want to check it out. It might be worth it to call the companies listed to make sure they're legit, but every single diaper will be a huge help!
ReplyDelete