Not So Fun-Day-Sunday

First, I just want to say we have been super blessed with wonderful supportive family and friends...our families have been able to rotate shifts here with us in Charleston just to help out at home and we are so lucky to have such thoughtful friends who send us flowers, bring us meals, send us food, send thoughtful cards, or just call/text/email to check in and see how things are going.  Thank you to everyone who has been thinking and praying for us:)  We really appreciate all your love and support:)

Now on to my long winded post...again!

The title of this post is slightly misleading...although it wasn't fun, the fact that we're still here in the hospital, I'm still pregnant, and everything is stable kind of counteracts all the crazy activity that went on around here yesterday.  First, I will tell you about yesterday...the crazy/not so good stuff, before I tell you about all the great things going on:)  I always want to hear bad news before good news so that the good news sounds really really good and you can walk away after reading this feeling reassured.

Sooo yesterday started off pretty normal...I was having contractions which isn't really that different from any other day.  On any given day, I probably feel about 15 hard contractions...although they are hard and really tight, they are not painful if that makes any sense.  I guess I didn't really realize how many I was having, because after about a half an hour on the contraction monitor (everyday I get strapped up the the monitor for an hour), one of the attending ObGyns came in and startled me from my daze (I can't move while I'm on the monitor so I usually sleep or read or something) and asked me if I was feeling all of those.  I kind of looked at him and was like what do you mean?!  He said I was having contractions every 6 minutes or so and that were measuring above 100...literally they were off the paper print out chart.  Like I said, they are definitely strong, but not painful because I'm able to sleep/rest while they are going on.  Although the contractions didn't feel any different than they have been, the increase in frequency was definite cause for concern.  It was about this time that I called Brian and told him to get down here...he got here so fast that his shorts were on backwards!! Haha!!  About 2 minutes later, a nurse came in with an IV and said they were going to treat me for mild dehydration first...I try to drink lots of water, but I know at night I don't because it's a Catch 22...If I don't drink enough it can cause contractions, but if I drink sufficient amounts, I have to get up and pee every hour and never feel rested but, if my bladder's really full, I'll have a contraction.  Anyway, that being said, I probably don't drink enough throughout the night so I've started to work on that.  Back to the drama...so the IV went in (after a few attempts...which is odd since I have crazy big veins - this is also why we thought I might have been kind of dehydrated) and while we were waiting on that, one of the other doctors came in and did some physical examination to see if the contractions were causing any cervical changes indicating delivery.  Luckily, the physical examination had good outcomes with everything remaining stable, as well as a negative fetal fibronectin test which tells us that I have less than a 2% chance of going into labor in the next two weeks.  This test is really only valid in singleton pregnancies, but they use it in multiples too simply because it's the best indicator of labor for single babies so they apply the same result to multiples simply because that particular test and multiple gestations haven't been studied enough to have any conclusive evidence.  Once all these tests were done, the attending called the head honcho ObGyn here and told him what was going on.  Pretty much what ever he says goes so that's what we did.  

*On a little side note, we are super lucky to be here in Charleston as we go through all of this.  The head honcho guy here is highly respected not only from his patients, but all of his peers always tell us how fabulous he is and how if he's not the #1 most knowledgeable guy IN THE WORLD about triplets, he's definitely in the top 3.  He does all kinds of research and conferences around the country and literally almost every single book you can buy about multiples has his name either on the cover or he's referenced...like I said, we're super lucky:)*

So the head honcho told them what to do and that was that.  I was immediately given a shot of terbutaline, followed by a change in medicine back to the indocin (the one that can affect their hearts and kidneys...but no need to worry, I'll only be on it for 72 hours), as well as steroid shots (they burn!!) to develop the babies lungs quicker in case anything happens.  Unfortunately, I had to get a booster of steroids today again but all of this craziness will all be worth it in the end!  After all the medicine was administered, I had been on the contraction monitor for about 4 hours.  At this point, they decided it was necessary to do a NST (non-stress test) on the babies to make sure they were responding well to the contractions and not under any stress.  Lately, I've been getting one of these every week and it's always a challenge because we have to get 3 different doppler sensors strapped around my belly and each one has to be picking up a different babies heart beat, as well as the contraction monitor.  Let me just tell you, Baby C is a stinker already...we can hear her moving around like crazy but we can never find her heart beat and when we think we find it, it turns out that it's usually Baby A or Baby B's that we're actually hearing.  After an hour and a half of positioning and repositioning the doppler sensors, 2 doctors, tons of ultrasounds, and 4 nurses, we finally got everything set up and in position.  At this point, I was told not to move and definitely not to tell them that I had to pee because it wasn't happening.  Luckily, they only needed to monitor them for 20 minutes to get a good idea as to how they were responding to the contractions.  As we expected, everything went fine and the babies look great!!  All in all, everything has now stabilized and things are looking good, but it does look like I've bought myself a ticket to stay in the hospital until I deliver (which I honestly don't mind...especially when things like this happen!)

Let's move onward to the good news/random news!!!

• We had a growth ultrasound done last Monday which showed that all 3 babies weigh in between 2 and 2.4 pounds which is great!  They are in the 40-50th percentile for singleton pregnancies which is awesome for triplets at this gestation.  This is generally the point though that multiples start to deviate a little from single pregnancies simply because the space starts getting super limited...it's like a fishbowl effect.
• The babies look really good for their gestational age.  They are practicing their breathing in there by inhaling amniotic fluid and their heart rates are responding well to their movements...just like adults, we want to see the babies' heart rates increase by 10 beats per minute for about 10 seconds which they all seem to be doing.  It just makes me so happy to see little miracles like this happening and it blows my mind that it's all in this giant belly of mine!
• We're 27 weeks 4 days today (Monday) and there's no doubt in my mind that we'll make it to Thursday and get to 28 weeks which is a huge milestone as far as the babies' lung development goes.
• I'm huge...I gained 8 pounds in a week and have gained about 45 pounds total.  I know some people gain this much with one baby, but I managed to do it before I even his my 3rd trimester when the weight really starts to pack on.  This is what the doctors want though and what studies have shown is the best for the babies:)  That what I tell myself when I have to drink 2 boosts/ensures a day (which I will never drink after this!!!).
• Eating has become a chore...I have to do it but I just don't have room in my squished stomach nor do I feel hungry to eat everything I need to eat.  I have to remind myself to eat some meals simply because I'm not hungry.  
• I don't fit in most of my maternity clothes anymore so my mom had to go out and buy me extra large maternity clothes just to fit over my belly.  
• Every time I leave the room people say the funniest things... for instance one lady yelled at us and said I better hurry up and get back inside because I was about to pop...she could just tell!  I get all kinds of strange looks when I get wheeled outside to the park/garden area and just sit there with Brian (or whoever will take me for that matter) like nothing is going on.  In fact, one nurse today said I should probably just go to labor and delivery, but I told her that we're not ready for that yet.  I told 2 of my doctors about all the stares and comments I get when I go outside and they told me to make something up....something like "I'm part of an experiment...we're trying to see how long I can stay pregnant.  Currently I'm 45 weeks and we're aiming for 50."  I think that's what I'm going to say next time just to see what they say!  I'll let you know...
• I'm getting kind of tired of hospital food...it's good but limited so food from the outside world is fantastic.
• I'm getting kind of tired in general...I know...I know...apparently this it nothing compared to what I will go through when the babies arrive but let me tell you, sleep in the hospital is hard to come by.  I have medicine delivered throughout the night, I have to pee all the time, things get going early around here, and when I'm not eating or hooked up to the monitor, the janitors come in to clean, room service comes and knocks on my door to pick up used trays, my sheets have to get changed, and of course, there's always the welcomed visit from friends, doctors, and family.  
• It's funny when I read the "What to Expect When You're Pregnant" stuff on my phone for the 28th week of pregnancy for a single pregnancy...it says my uterus should be about 3 inches above my pressure cooker belly button... mine is literally in my ribs.  It also says I should have gained about 17-24 pounds...clearly I blew that out of the water.  
• The babies use my bladder as a trampoline and I'm pretty sure they are having a boxing match in there constantly...it wiggles my whole belly!
• I don't have any stretch marks!!
• I really miss sleeping on my stomach
• I've been in the hospital for 6 weeks this upcoming Friday.
• We're still just taking week by week at this point...their rate of survival is now at about 90% which is good but still not ideal.  The longer they stay in there the better so I'll just continue to be a human incubator.
• I can't make heads or tails of the ultrasounds anymore.  Every time I see them, I just see a cluster of arms, legs and heads and I can't tell which one belongs to who.  Oh well!
• I can't breathe...I get winded from doing just about everything.
• My ab muscles are useless...I can't get up from laying down without using the rails on the side of the bed.
• I no longer have a belly button...it popped out about a month ago really.
• I'm in serious nesting mood but can't do anything at home!  We're so glad our parents have been able to help out and set up some of the baby stuff!
• I finally got to see Vida!!  Brian's dad brought her to the garden outside and I was so excited and happy I got teary eyed:)

That's all I can really think of right now...sorry for the novel but it's good for me to get it all out there to look back over later!  Hope you all enjoyed it and maybe learned a little something!

Nice day outside.

Brian made our 3 year anniversary special by dressing up, bringing me roses, and bringing me dinner!

27 weeks pregnant