It is with great joy that Alvin and I get to share our birth story presented by Laura of Crowned Photography.  Her birth photography/video package was so generously gifted to us by a group of talented photographers from across the country (some of whom I’ve never even met in person!)

During my c-section, I remember Alvin sitting next to my head (behind the sterile curtain).  As each baby was being lifted out, the doctors and nurses would tell him to get ready and then to stand up so he could see each girl being born.  He was so in awe that he could hardly describe to me what was going on and what they looked like.  All I remember is him saying that they had lots of hair and then saying, “they look like, um…. (long pause) so cute…”  He then sat back down with tears in his eyes and I lived the birth of my babies through him and the emotions he was experiencing.  It was such an amazing feeling to see his face and hear what he was saying as I heard the quiet little cries of each baby in the background.  He quickly went to be by the babies’ bed sides and hasn’t left them since.

This whole experience since finding out I was pregnant with spontaneous triplets has been so surreal.  Most days it feels like a dream but when I really stop to think about what an amazing miracle it is, I get choked up every time, and am often brought to tears.  We went from miscarrying one baby a year ago December 10th to having three beautiful baby girls to love and hold 11 months later on November 11th.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. -Ephesians 3:20

http://vimeo.com/crownedbirthphotography/triplets

Today marks 40 days since the girls were born.  They are still in the NICU with no discharge date in sight.  They are relatively healthy but are preemies, and therefore have typical preemie issues that are keeping them from being able to go home.  It’s not looking like we’ll be home for Christmas, but we’ll be together for our first Christmas as a family…. and that’s all that really matters.

Maternity/Gender Reveal photos in the beginning of the video were captured by Michelle Hebert Photography

I am once again reminded of this poem that was given to us after the miscarriage last year.  It has rained but my have we grown.

Hard to believe it’s already been 32 days since our girls were born.  It’s also hard to believe that I’ve been in the hospital 65 days and have only left 3 times for less than 2 hours a piece.  I spent Halloween and Thanksgiving here and am really hoping we won’t be spending Christmas or New Years here.  Just a couple days ago (December 10th) was the one year Anniversary of the day we found out our first baby no longer had a heartbeat at 12 weeks gestation.  What a difference a year makes!

The girls have been doing really well since Grace has gotten better.  She seems to have mostly caught up with her sisters.  The doctors and nurses joke about how if you’ve seen one of them you’ve seen them all because they’re so similar in all regards.  They often have similar temperatures and similar test results.  The last week or so we’ve really been trying to get them growing and eating.  The growing part is going great!!!  They are gaining about 30-60 grams per night each and are up to 4 lbs 14 oz for Lily, 4 lbs 14.1 oz for Anaia, and 4 lbs 12.3 oz for Grace.  The eating part has been going a little slow.  We’ve been working on breast feeding and bottle feeding and they seem to be starting to get it but they’re just so tired all the time and get worn out so fast.  Today they tested the girls for Anemia since they were put back on oxygen and discovered they’re all anemic.  That explains why they’re so tired.  The doctor started them on 10 days of epogen shots which should help their red blood cell count and give them some more energy but…. that means we’ll be here at least another 10 days which puts us right before Christmas.  In order to go home the girls have to:

1. Take all feeds by breast or bottle and be growing – they’re growing but still have a NG tube for feeding while they learn to suck/swallow/breathe
2. Keep normal temperatures while sleeping in an open crib – they’re already doing this
3. Have no episodes of apnea (temporarily stops breathing ) and bradycardia (slow heart rate) for 5 days – they do have some A’s and B’s but we’re told that it could be because they’re anemic.  Hopefully the Epogen shots help and they can pass this after their first few days of shots
4. For babies needing oxygen, pass a room air challenge which is being on room air for a few hours with no intervention.  It’s to make sure they would be okay at home if their oxygen ran out or they pulled it out in the middle of the night or something like that
5. Pass a car seat challenge to show they can sit in a car seat long enough to get home and go places without have any breathing or heart rate issues

It still seems like so many obstacles in our way of taking the girls home but we’ll get there… Hopefully soon.

I’m including a few more images from our birth photographer Crowned Photography.  These were taken at 3 weeks old when we were finally able to hold all 3 girls together.

Laura of Crowned Photography asked me to place my hand on the outside head on my side (Anaia) and Alvin to place his hand on the head on the other end (Lily).  After a minute, Alvin moved his hand to Grace’s head in the middle and said he didn’t want her to feel left out.  Awwww… he’s so sweet

After the girls were all laying together for a couple minutes, Grace (middle) and Anaia (right) held hands.  Precious is all I can say.

I apologize for the lack of updates since the birth of our identical triplet girls on Monday, November 11th.  I also apologize for the iphone picture update.  I’ve been (of course) taking a lot of pictures with my DSLR but realized when trying to upload them that I don’t have a card reader at the hospital  So… a collage of iphone photos will have to do for now.

Laura of Crowned Photography will be returning to the hospital this week to capture images of Alvin and I holding our beautiful baby girls so expect a better update with better images soon.

With c-sections, Laura normally returns to the hospital 48 hours after the birth to take pictures of the parents holding their baby.  48 usually gives the mom a chance to recover a bit and be more aware for the session.  Having 3 preemie babies and a preeclamptic mama to photograph has proved to be a bit challenging so we haven’t been able to have our follow up session yet.  First, I was on magnesium for 24 hours after the birth to prevent seizures caused by my high blood pressure and magnesium makes you feel pretty icky.  While on magnesium I had to be monitored every hour.  I was also VERY swollen.  I had gained 10 lbs a week the last 3 weeks of the pregnancy and most of that was water weight.  My legs felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each and my skin was so stretched out that anything touching it felt like razor blades.  I was warned by my doctor that my swelling would likely get worse before it got better and she was right.  By the time I was getting to the NICU more, Grace and Lily had been placed under photo therapy lights for Jaundice.  They had to lay under the  blue photo therapy lights with as much skin as possible exposed for several days… so again we postponed the photos.  The day they came off photo therapy, Grace got sick.  She had some signs of having NEC, a gastrointestinal disease that affects premature infants. It can be very serious and fatal so they immediately stopped her feedings and inserted a tube down her throat to the stomach to remove air and fluid from the stomach and intestine.  They performed x-rays, blood draws, urine samples, and did a spinal tap just in case it was meningitis.   It was terrible for us to see our tiny 2-3 lb daughter going through all of that.  That night she was diagnosed with NEC and started on antibiotics.  Because some of her symptoms were those of other infections, they also put her on isolation just in case she had something that could spread to her sisters.  We had to wear a sterile gown and gloves to touch or hold her (photo of Alvin above right suited up before her care time).  They caught it early and were successful in treating it.  She couldn’t eat for 7 days to give her bowels a chance to rest and recover.  She is now done with the antibiotics and back up to full feeds.  Her face is now chubbier than her sisters because of the IV feedings.

As for Alvin and I and the day to day, we are busy… and tired… but it’s so worth it.  Our NICU days are jam packed.  The girls are on 3 hour feeding and care schedules and each girls’ care time lasts 30 minutes.  So… that means we’re caring for babies for an hour and a half and then have an hour and a half before the next round starts again. In addition to care times I’m pumping milk every 2 hours, there are the doctor’s rounds, physical therapy, lactation nurses coming by to work with me, and somewhere in there we need to find time to eat and sleep.  Because our schedule is so tight and it’s flu season, we’re not welcoming visitors in the NICU.  We’ve received cards, prayers, snacks, baby blankets, hand knitted baby items and we are so appreciative.

Yesterday we woke up thinking we still had a couple weeks before we would meet our baby girls but once again God had a different plan.  My morning blood work results came back and all signs were pointing to my preeclampsia worsening.  The doctors decided that the benefit of keeping the babies in a few more days did not outweigh the risks of me suffering a stroke or seizure.  Around 10:30 am the decision was made to deliver via c-section that afternoon.  The girls are beautiful and healthy.  I’m still recovering and being monitored closely until my blood pressure goes down but I’ve been able to see the girls a couple times.  Alvin “Dad” has hardly left their sides… already protective of his little girls.

All photo credit goes to Laura of Crowned Photography.  Best birth photographer in Denver!

We appreciate everyone’s love and support.  Because the babies are preemies and have fragile immune systems, a simple bug could mean life or death for them.  I’m also still in a fragile state.  For this reason we will try to post updates and pictures often but will not be having visitors.

31 days in the hospital.  31 weeks 2 days pregnant with identical triplet girls.  I haven’t been very good at posting updates the last couple weeks.  It’s been quite the physical and emotional roller coaster.  Everything had been pretty steady and stable up until October 30th.  On the 30th we had a growth scan ultrasound.  We hadn’t had one since we were admitted on the 9th so we were excited to see how the girls had grown in those 3 weeks.

On October 9th:

A – 1 lb 14.2 oz 20%

B – 1 lb 10.2 oz 9%

C – 1 lb 10.8 oz 10%

Three weeks later on October 30th:

A – 2 lbs 14.2 oz 24%

B – 2 lbs 6 oz 8%

C – 2lbs 9 oz 12%

They all grew proportionately and had each gained about a pound.  The doctors were very happy with their growth and so were we!  Later that day we got some test results back on my body and how it’s handling the pregnancy at this point and the news was not great.  I had become preeclamptic so they needed to started monitoring me very closely on a daily basis.  I started getting blood thinner shots twice a day which prevent blood clots and leave nice large bruises anywhere I get them.  I got a second round of 2 steroid shots 24 hours apart to help with the baby’s lung development. I think I had my blood drawn at least 5 times in that next 24 hours.  They did multiple urine samples including one retrieved via catheter to ensure it was sterile (ouch!).  I almost was put on fluid restriction but instead they decided to just monitor everything going in and everything coming out (phew).  I gained about 20 lbs of water weight and am very swollen everywhere.  My legs are the worst but there’s also fluid building up in my lower belly, arms, hands and face.  The babies had been doing so well and all of a sudden I felt like my body was failing me.

Since then it’s been hour by hour and day by day.  As soon as it seems like things are stable and we could still make it weeks longer, something changes and we’re back to hour by hour, day by day.  We trust that these babies will make their debut in God’s time.   Thank you all so, so much for your continued prayers.  I will do my best to keep everyone updated.  If things change quickly, Facebook might be a faster/easier way for me to post updates so check there too!

https://www.facebook.com/terynrobinsonphotography

29 weeks today!!!  15 days in the hospital and counting.  They haven’t done growth scans of the babies since we were admitted two weeks ago so we’re not sure how they’re measuring now.  The next growth scan will be next week.  As you might remember from my last post, Baby C had intermittent absence of diastolic flow in the umbilical cord (AEDF).  When the baby’s heart beats, it pushes the blood through the cord.  Normally, in between beats, blood continues to flow forward but slowly.  Baby C’s flow has been between intermittently absent and absent.  When it’s intermittent it’s continuing to move forward between some heartbeats but between others the flow is absent or stops.  Other days it’s absent between every beat.  If between beats, the blood starts to flow backwards slowly, that means it’s become reverse flow and the babies would need to be delivered.  Since the last update Baby A has also been showing some absence here and there but it’s very random and most days her flow is normal.  Today Baby C had very few absences and A didn’t have any  They also do non stress tests (NST) twice a day.  All the babies have been doing great on those which is really good.

Because things can change quickly, I will not be leaving the hospital with babies still in my belly.  They’ll continue to monitor 3 times a day and I’ve pretty much moved in.  I have even started referring to the hospital as home… lol!  Alvin has moved in with me.  He stays with me every night even (though I’ve let him know he can go home some nights if he wants).  He’s so sweet!!  The doctors and nurses are doing a great job of making me feel as comfortable as possible.  The hospital has a fancy tea time on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons (picture above).  Although my blood pressure has been slowly creeping up the whole pregnancy I’m still testing negative for preeclampsia.  I also passed the 3 hours glucose test last week so no gestational diabetes!

Maternity clothes? I am pretty much wearing sweat pants and maternity tank tops in the hospital.  It’s all about comfort at this point.

Stretch marks? Some small ones on each of my sides and hips.  Some days they are more visible than others but still not bad at all.

Sleep? The first night in the hospital was pretty rough.  We weren’t expecting to be admitted so my mind was going all night and the hospital pillows are not very comfortable.  Since then I got sheets from home and my pillows and I’ve been sleeping pretty good for being in the hospital.  The nurses do their last check and monitoring around 10pm each night and then come in at 6am each morning.  I get up to pee about 3-5 times a night at this point.   I’m still pretty tired most days so I try to nap in between doctors and nurses coming in and meals.

Best moment this week?  Alvin got to feel the girls really moving a couple days ago.  They are getting really strong and their movements are getting bigger.  It was so exciting for me to get to share that with him.  I feel them all the time but whenever I grab him, they usually calm down.  Hopefully he’ll have that calming affect on them once they’re born.  I can often times tell which baby I’m feeling at this point too.

Miss anything?  I miss Buster, our chihuahua, the most being in the hospital… and my bed.  I still miss Jimmy Johns italian subs and deli sandwiches in general.

Movement? I’ve been feeling and seeing some pretty big kicks, punches, elbows… I’m really not sure what they’re doing in there but I’m feeling them and so is Daddy

Food cravings? Not really any cravings still

Genders? Identical girls

Symptoms? My swelling has gotten better since I’ve been in the hospital but my feet still start to puff up if I sit up or walk around too much.  The doctors are encouraging me to get up and walk around as much as I can to avoid getting blood clots but it’s pretty uncomfortable.  I’ve been having a lot of pain in my hips and pubic area when I stand and my belly gets really tight and heavy.  They got me a walker to use and a belly binder to help support the weight when I’m up.  I get short of breath pretty quick even just talking.  Sometimes even laying in bed and not doing anything at all.

Wedding ring on or off? Off.  I can no longer fit any rings on my hands.

Happy or moody?  Pretty happy.  We’re really getting excited to see what our girls look like and what their personalities are like.  The doctors and nurses have been great and spoil me as much as they can.  I’m going to miss them when it’s time to go.

Weight gain? Last they checked a few days ago I was up 54.5 lbs.  The first weight gain goal was to hit 35 lbs by 20 weeks.  I hit 35 lbs at 21 weeks.  Next goal was 54 lbs at week 28 and that’s right about where I was.  From here on out total weight gain goal is 58-75 lbs.

Looking forward to?  Meeting our sweet baby girls.  Still praying it will be another 3-6 weeks before we do though

On Wednesday of this past week, Alvin & I made our way to the hospital for one of our regular ultrasounds that are done every two weeks.  I was 26 weeks and 6 days pregnant.  All the babies looked good but when they got to doing measurements and estimating the size of each baby, the doctor became a bit concerned.  All babies had grown and gained about 4-5 oz. in the past 2 weeks but they all dropped in their percentiles and the two smaller ones were now in the 9th and 10th percentiles in size.  Typically anything under the 10th percentile is considered Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR).  The size alone was nothing to panic over because they are triplets and a lot of times measure a bit smaller than one baby would but this caused the doctor to examine the blood flow in each baby’s umbilical cord to make sure there weren’t any problems causing growth restrictions.  After all, all 3 baby’s umbilical cords are pulling oxygen and nutrients from one placenta.

Baby A, estimated to be about 1 lb 14.2 oz and in the 20th percentile, had perfect blood flow.  Baby B, estimated to be about 1 lb 10.2 oz and in the 9th percentile, also had perfect blood flow.  Baby C, estimated to be about 1 lb 10.8 oz and in the 10th percentile, had intermittent absence of diastolic flow in the umbilical cord (AEDF).  When the baby’s heart beats, it pushes the blood through the cord.  Normally, in between beats, blood continues to flow forward but slowly.  Baby C’s flow is continuing to move forward between some heartbeats but between others the flow is absent or stops.  If between beats, the blood starts to flow backwards slowly, that means it’s become reverse flow and the babies would need to be delivered.

They brought me to Labor & Delivery and I was admitted for monitoring.  They gave me two Betamethasone (steroid) shots 24 hours apart as a precaution.  The steroid shots help the baby’s lungs to develop faster in case they end up needing to deliver early.  I am now 27 weeks 2 days pregnant and have been in the hospital 3 nights.  They’ve been doing dopplers to monitor each baby’s cord flow daily.  Baby C’s status remains the same which is stable.  All 3 babies including C are doing great on their non stress tests (NST) which are performed twice daily.  That’s great news for all the babies but especially C because it shows that she’s doing fine in there.  She’s moving, practice breathing, and her heart rate is going up and down just like it should depending on how active she is.  One nurse said the babies are performing as well as they would expect 32 week babies to at only 27 weeks.  We’re still waiting to hear if I’ll be going home or if I’ll be here until we deliver the babies.  From what most of the doctors and nurses are saying, it sounds like they’ll want to be cautious and keep a close eye on C and they’re basically telling us to get comfortable because we might be here a while.

All of the doctors and nurses have been so nice and accommodating and are making us feel right at home (as much as a hospital can feel like home).  Alvin stays with me every night and does his best not the leave me at all.   If he has to leave, he makes sure I’m not alone.  All of the doctors and nurses love him and keep talking about what a great dad he’ll be  We got to take a tour of the NICU yesterday and get a lot of questions answered about what to expect and how a family with 3 babies will be accommodated.  That was good and made us feel very comfortable moving forward.

I’ll post an update if anything changes but for now babies are stable and still cooking and I’m staying put.

Thank you for all the prayers!!  God is in control and taking good care of us

Maternity clothes? Yes and some of them are too small

Stretch marks? Some small ones on each side and hip

Sleep? Sleep is continuing to get more uncomfortable but is not bad most nights.  My belly is feeling much heavier so rolling over is challenging.  The number of pillows I’m using varies each night.   I know this is going to  continue get much worse so I’m just thankful I’m actually sleeping still

Best moment this week?  Getting showered with love at my baby shower.  We had such an outpouring of love and support  and it was so much fun to see all the adorable girl clothing… of course in sets of 3

Miss anything? Still Jimmy Johns italian subs and deli sandwiches in general.  I’m also now missing being able to put on pants and lotion on my legs.  It’s getting harder and harder to bend over or even sit up straight.

Movement? I’ve been feeling and seeing some pretty big kicks, punches, elbows… I’m really not sure what they’re doing in there but I’m feeling them and so is Daddy

Food cravings? Not much still.  I’m still not that hungry usually so I’m forcing myself to eat every couple hours.  I guess I’m craving water because I’m thirsty all the time

Genders? We found out at 18 weeks that they’re identical girls!!  The doctors had  guessed girls at 16 and 17 weeks but couldn’t say for sure.  At 18 weeks they confirmed and at 20 weeks, 22 weeks and 24 weeks.. still girls.  I think Alvin is still hoping that by some miracle, there’s a boy in there haha.  The truth is we just want them to arrive happy and healthy.

Symptoms? Brushing my teeth still makes me want to throw up.  I’ve been having more swelling so I’m trying to stay off my feet as much as possible and avoid sodium whenever I can.   I’m still pretty tired and trying to listen to my body and nap when I get really sleepy. I still get short of breath easily and my belly button is officially an outie.

Wedding ring on or off? Off.  I can no longer fit any rings on my hands.  They get pretty puffy most days

Happy or moody?  Pretty happy.  We’re really getting excited to see what our girls look like and what their personalities are like.

Weight gain? 52 lbs.  The first weight goal was to hit 35 lbs by 20 weeks.  I hit 35 lbs at 21 weeks.  Next goal is 54 lbs at week 28 and I’m almost there.

Looking forward to?  Making it through these next 10 weeks (God willing) and getting to meet our sweet baby girls

So much has happened since our gender reveal update at 18 weeks.  We rented out our house that we just bought a year ago.  We had garage sales, sold most of our furniture and a lot of belongings, put the rest of our belongings in storage, and moved in with my in-laws in Elbert, CO (near Colorado Springs).  It’s a beautiful ranch style home in the country complete with a barn and horses.  We are staying in their walk-out basement and have a mini-kitchen so I can eat throughout the day without having to go up and down the stairs.  We are starting to get settled in and prepare for the arrival of our babies (which will hopefully be in about 13 weeks).

Our last ultrasound was at 20 weeks.  This was a big one because they did a full anatomy scan of each baby to check for any abnormalities.  They looked at parts of their brains, their internal organs, their umbilical cords, legs, arms, hands, feet, and measured the circumference of their heads and bellies.  We pray for these babies daily and at 20 weeks, they all look normal in their development!!!  At this point their sizes vary some.  Baby A was guessed to be about 12 oz., Baby B 9 oz., and Baby C 11 oz.. The doctor believes that Baby B is smaller because she has a smaller portion of the placenta.  She is at risk of being considered a restricted growth baby so they’ll be watching her closely.  So far she’s still developing nicely so they don’t seem too concerned.  They once again measured the fluid in each babies amniotic sac and still no signs of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome TTTS (or in our case triplet to triplet). No signs of pre-term labor either.

This is the last ultrasound we have where you can see all 3 babies at the same time.  This was at 16 weeks. You can see the heads of Baby B and C.  Baby A’s chest is visible.

We got some pretty cute and funny ultrasound images at 20 weeks.  The first one below is of Baby C.  It’s from above and you can see her legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles.  Such a lady already!  The second is a profile image of Baby B.  The third image is of Baby B.  It’s a side view of it’s ribs, leg and foot.  The fourth and last one had us all laughing.  It’s Baby B’s bottom sitting right on Baby C’s head!  Baby A is always harder to see and not as clear on ultrasound images because she’s the lowest and farthest back so no pictures of her here.

Maternity clothes? Yes and some of them are getting snug

Stretch marks? None yet

Sleep? Sleep is continuing to get more uncomfortable but is not bad most nights.  When I lay on either side too long my hips and legs ache and it’s getting difficult to roll over.  As far as number of pillows go, I think I’m up to one body pillow, one snoogle (pregnancy body pillow), one memory foam pillow and one small travel pillow that I sleep with.  If my feet are really swollen I also put a pillow or 2 under my legs.  I know this is going to get much worse so I’m just thankful I’m actually sleeping still

Best moment this week?  Feeling more settled in our new home and getting to work on my registry and see all the precious things there are for girls.  It has really been getting me excited!

Miss anything? Still Jimmy Johns italian subs and deli sandwiches in general.  I’m also now missing being able to put on pants and lotion on my legs.  It’s getting harder and harder to bend over or even sit up straight.

Movement? Off and on still.  Some days I feel them more and other days I don’t feel them much at all.  I get so excited when I do feel them or see my belly move.

Food cravings? Not much still.  My appetite is off and on.  Some meals I barely want to eat at all and other meals I can eat quite a bit.  I would say my biggest craving the past month has been for fruit.  Oranges specifically at this point.

Genders? We found out at 18 weeks that they’re girls!!  The doctors had  guessed girls at 16 and 17 weeks but couldn’t say for sure.  At 18 weeks they confirmed and at 20 weeks, still girls.  I think Alvin is still hoping that by some miracle, one is a boy haha.  The truth is we just want them to arrive happy and healthy.

Symptoms? Brushing my teeth still makes me want to throw up.  I’ve been having more swelling so I’m trying to stay off my feet as much as possible and avoid sodium whenever I can.  Now that I’m past 20 weeks I shouldn’t be on my feet more than 30 mins at a time.  I’m still pretty tired and trying to listen to my body and nap when I get really sleepy. I still get short of breath easily and my belly button started popping out a few weeks ago.

Wedding ring on or off? Off.  I wear a pearl ring that Alvin bought be when we lost our first baby.  It’s a little bigger than my wedding ring because I normally wear it on my right hand.  Even that is getting tight some days.

Happy or moody?  Both.  I can cry at the drop of a hat these days.  The move was rather stressful and brought on tears a couple times but other times tears come when Alvin rubs my belly and talks to the girls or does something really sweet for me.  Now that we’re moved and getting settled in we can really start planning for the arrival of the babies.   I’m so thankful to have family that is willing to and actually excited to help us through the next year.

Weight gain? 35 lbs.  The goal was to hit 35 lbs by 20 weeks.  I hit 35 lbs at 21 weeks.  Next goal is 54 lbs at week 28.

Looking forward to? Hitting my first gestational goal of 24 weeks.  24 weeks is when the doctors consider triplets viable meaning they could survive outside the womb (usually with a lot of medical assistance).