New Blog

I’ve decided to start a blog. Warning: I am not a blogger. This is new to me. I am doing it because so many people want to know what is going on in our crazy triplet pregnancy and this seems to be the best way to get the word out without having to repeat it over and over. So, here goes:
We found out a month ago that we are expecting triplets. Needless to say, it was an earth shattering shock. The doctors took my first pregnancy test 17 days after conception and my HCG levels were really high (three times as high as they were with Lauren). We repeated the test two days later and the HCG numbers had tripled. So, immediately when I found out I was pregnant, I knew something weird was up. I actually thought for sure that I was pregnant with twins. However, the doctors said we would do an ultrasound at 7 weeks to see what was going on. Between those initial pregnancy tests and the 7 week ultrasound, I developed morning sickness and fatigue like I’ve never had before. We were actually at a friend’s wedding at Door County when it hit like a train wreck and I found myself throwing up almost 6 times on that first day. So, I was convinced at that point that we were indeed having twins.
We went in for our 7 week ultrasound expecting to be told there were twins and lo and behold there were three babies in there. When they started the ultrasound, I immediately saw two sacks (two placentas) and thought “Yep its twins”. Then, the doctor stopped talking, went quiet, and then looked at me and said, “I see two babies in one of those sacks”. He then pointed out to me that there were two in one of the sacks (the identical twins) and one in the other sack (the singleton). I barely remember the ultrasound because it was such a shock. I mostly remember bursting into tears. And I remember Grant sitting there stone-faced.
Am I sad that I am having triplets? Of course not. I have dreamed of a big family but figured I would have no more than two kids. So, why did I cry so much in the beginning? Because I was scared to death for the safety and health of these babies. We always hear horror stories of triplets being born severely premature and it was hard to get that out of my head. However, soon after that 7 week ultrasound, we started seeing specialists and they made me feel much better. They explained that because I carried Lauren full-term and actually had to be induced, that my chances of carrying triplets to 34 weeks is very good. 34 weeks is the modern day full term. If they make it to 34 weeks, it is as good as 37 weeks. Also, in this modern day, medicine has advanced so much that the outcomes are almost always good.
The BIGGEST concern for us is something called Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS), which occurs only in identical twins sharing a placenta. What happens is one of the twins essentially steals blood and amniotic fluid from the other twin, and it can be life threatening for both of them. TTTS occurs in 15-20% of these types of pregnancies. It can range from mild to severe, with severe cases occurring less than 10% of the time. Because of this concern, the doctors want me to have extensive ultrasounds every two weeks, then every week, and then maybe twice a week.
Today, we had our extensive 11 week ultrasound, where they measured the nuchal translucency to screen for chromosomal defects, serious heart defects, and TTTS. We received EXCELLENT news. All three babies looked perfect. Their risks for these defects is minimized and there are no signs of TTTS at this point. The longer we get into the pregnancy without signs of TTTS, the more our chances of getting a serious case is lowered. Once we get to 24 weeks, we can mostly breathe a sigh of relief. So, this will be something that will continue to be extensively monitored.
In the meantime, all I do is sleep all day and wake up to eat and hope that it doesn’t come back up. Thank god my work is so understanding of this whole thing. I am really hoping that this triple dose of morning sickness eases up soon so that I can have a couple of weeks of relief. The doctors tell me that I will for sure be on bedrest by 18-20 weeks since this is the standard of care. I am 11 weeks right now so this is not that far off. I would love to get just a few weeks of relief!! But, the important thing is that the babies are thriving. As long as I can get them out healthy, I can live with feeling like death during this long winter! But, March cannot come fast enough!
Kara