Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Prenatal Class

Edward and I knew it was essential that we take a prenatal class specially geared towards couples expecting multiples. Luckily, the Ottawa Hospital offers a three day course designed for us; although we skipped the first session because it dealt primarily with pregnancy health and labour & delivery, neither topic being all that relevant at this stage of my pregnancy knowing that I will deliver via c-section.

The second session was this past Sunday. Edward stayed home to look after Sprocket, and I sat in a reeeaaallly hot room for 6 hours with 8 other couples, all of whom were expecting fraternal twins. I was a little surprised that we were roughly all at the same stage (I thought we had left the class kinda late!), and that I was apparently the only person there over 30. I found the class to be very informative, in particular the presentation by the NICU (Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit) nurse. It was definitely sobering to see pictures of 24 week old babies (who apparently often survive, but with complications like Cerebral Palsy), and I think it understandably disturbed some of the couples present. While the risk of preterm labour and labour complications is higher with twins, ending up in the NICU is definitely seen as a worse-case (and reasonably unlikely) scenario. However, when expecting triplets, you know your babies will spend possibly months in the Unit before they are ready to come home, so I was prepared for the idea that this would be our reality.

The nurse was very candid, and obviously very experienced. She told us to expect a tremendous amount of stress, uncertainty and frustration at having a child(ren) in the NICU. She mentioned that the situation often brings out the worst in people, and noted there are social workers and spiritual councilors in the Unit daily. It was a very eye-opening - and for me, strangely reassuring - experience. When trying to cope with an unusual pregnancy, it's difficult to find others in your situation. It can be somewhat isolating and a little scary. I devoured several books on multiple pregnancies, but as twins are far more common than triplets, the books are still very much geared towards the larger demographic. The triplet references seem to be an afterthought, usually prefaced by an asterix. Knowing that the Civic NICU handled 9 triplet pregnancies over the past year makes me feel a lot more confident in their ability to help us, and to tailor their care to our needs.

Tonight, Edward and I will attend the final two hours of the course, which deals with breastfeeding multiples. Again, I was warned that it will be geared towards the twin parents, but I'm still hopeful that we'll pick up a few tricks. Expecting triplets means that I will not have a traditional "birth plan". There will be no soft music and labour tubs for us! I gave up this tiny element of control without a backwards glance. However, I am adamant to try breastfeeding. In fact, the NICU strongly encourages mothers to breastfeed and/or pump because it is obviously in the best interests of preemies to get as much breastmilk as possible - even one drop, according to the NICU nurse, is precious. They have lactation consultants on hand in the NICU to assist you if required, and they have tons of tricks to get the babies to the breast - even those too premature to have a suck reflex. Again, very confidence-inspiring. I'm very much looking forward to tonight's class!

18 Week Ultrasound

I'm a week late in posting about our milestone 18 week ultrasound - we've been dealing with a sick Sprocket since last Monday, and as all of you animal lovers know, it can be incredibly time consuming ($$$ consuming!) and emotionally draining to have a pet with unresolved medical issues.

In any case, this is most certainly a Good News post, so l'll focus on the babies!

We were pretty nervous going in to this ultrasound last Monday. We hadn't seen the little ones in 6 weeks, and although I could feel sporadic movement in my uterus, it was impossible to guess how many babies that movement represented. This was also our first ultrasound at the High Risk clinic at the Civic Hospital, and we were impressed by their technology and empathetic bed-side manner.

The tech started off by making sure all babies were present and accounted for - all three had very good heart-rates (145, 148 and 155), and all three measured and weighed within the normal range for their gestational age. The next step was to carefully examine each one to ensure all major physiological structures were intact and functioning (brain, kidneys, bladder, heart, etc). Of course, we were offered the opportunity to find out their genders too, but we declined. That being said, one of them flashed us unexpectedly and I got the distinct impression that Baby B is a girl! The tech didn't say too much while she was scanning - there was a lot of wiggling and flipping going on, so she had to concentrate to get the right angles for measurement. All in all, the ultrasound lasted a good hour and 15 minutes, so we knew she was being very thorough!

Waiting until Thursday to review the results with our OB was a little stressful. The tech didn't seem to overly focus on one particular baby, or body part, so we felt somewhat reassured that we would receive good news. Our OB was thrilled with the results, telling us that the Civic's best prenatal radiologist reviewed the scans and found the babies to be "perfect". He did note that one was a little smaller than the others, but still within the normal range so he was not yet concerned about its growth. In fact, its very rare to have non-identical multiples measuring the same - size discrepancy is to be expected.

He also made note of the length of my cervix. This is an important indicator of preterm labour risk, and although I'm technically within the norm, it is a little shorter than they would like to see at this stage of my pregnancy. Thus, the dreaded B word was mentioned, and I'm now on modified bedrest. This means that I'm allowed up and about, but I should be off my feet for most of the day, and no malls or extended shopping trips for me! I've already started a few lists for Edward, and bought some stuff on-line, so hopefully we'll get everything covered by the time we need to use the nursery.

Monday is our 20 week ultrasound (we're going every 2 weeks now), with another result session with the OB on Thursday, This time, my mother will accompany me to the scan because Edward is starting his new job (a lateral move within the organization) the same day. Hopefully, all the babies will cooperate, and Nana can have her first look at the latest additions to the family!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

How Two Became Three

8 weeks

10 weeks

When we drop the bombshell that we are expecting triplets, people often ask us how we coped with the news. I usually tell them that we are still in the process of answering that question. While we feel incredibly blessed, none one can deny that the life-altering prospect of three preemies (who will one day become 3 toddlers... and 3 teenagers) is jarring. Add the complexities and tribulations of a high-risk pregnancy, the underlying fear of babies born with significant medical problems, and the Great Unknown of parenting children who outnumber available parents, and the whole thing is more than a little overwhelming.

Luckily for us, we had some time to adjust to the concept of multiples... At our 4, 6 and 8 week ultrasounds, we were overjoyed to see two heartbeats blazing across the screen.

At our 10 week ultrasound, the sonographer had barely turned on the machine when she suddenly asked us "How many were there last time?" Immediately assuming we had lost one, we informed her that there had been two. She leapt out of her chair and ran for the doctor. The screen was parallel to my head, so I had to crane my neck to see it. But the moment I did, I saw as clear as day that there were three little heartbeats on the screen. Baby C had made its appearance, likely in an effort to secure a little more elbow room.

But now, the better question is are we ready for this?! The answer is absolutely not :) But then, who could be? Our mantra is One Day At a Time, and I suspect we'll continue clinging to those words after they make their appearance!

Welcome to our blog!

To be honest, Edward and I are luddites. We treat our cellphone with derision, are not on FaceBook and have no interest in the latest techno marvel. This is probably a good thing, considering that most of our money has been earmarked for our quest towards parenthood. That, and making our century home livable...

In the interest of achieving the latter goal, I became an ardent blog consumer, following the trials and tribulations of brave DIYers intent on saving and restoring their old homes. Those who painstakingly hand strip 100 year old window sashes and reglaze original windows, those who analyze the chemical compound of ancient mortar before repointing their stone foundations. Very inspirational, but not all that practical with our northern clime or budget.

But I always thought that if I started my own blog, it would be house related. However, our life has recently taken a dramatic turn, and people have been asking us for updates on The Pregnancy. It only seemed logical to start a blog with the prime objective of keeping everyone informed. We have been so touched by everyone's support and concern for us and the babies that we feel this is the least we can do.

So, a warm welcome to everyone who drifts by our tiny corner of the blogosphere!