Email us! halcombtriplets@hotmail.com
We are all home!
(July 28th, 2005)
Hello all! I can’t believe
it finally everyone is under one roof. Its was a long 4 weeks
until everyone came home but its all over and our sweet babies
are all together. Miss Abigail came home on the 16th after 17
days in the hospital and the boys came home last night after 29
days in lock up. It is so beautiful to see all our babies in the
same place. They hadn’t been together since birth and it’s
the sweetest thing to see them together again. Henry is so funny
and has to touch Abigail all the time. If I put them next to each
other he will roll toward her and stretch to touch her. Jack is
so chunky now compared to when he was born, he even past up Henry
in weight gain making Henry my littlest now. Abigail is by far
the biggest almost growing out of her preemie clothes already.
We did have quite a surprise
though… At birth the pathology lab took the babies placentas
to check them out and make sure that everything was ok (they do
this with every pregnancy) and ours told an interesting tale.
It seems as though my boys shared a placenta and a sac making
them identical. I am not to sure how we never knew this, every
ultrasound that we had seemed to show each baby in their own sac
making them fraternal but apparently that is not the case. The
neonatologist said that they boys will grow to look more like
each other as they gain weight and lengthen. Right now they look
different even having different complexions but he said that will
change.
Today is the first day and
I have to admit that I was pretty nervous to take care of three
babies but its really a lot easier than I had even imagined. The
babies are so good and really just need the basics right now;
sleep, food and love. I am trying to get them on an every 4 hour
eating schedule instead of every three since feeding three babies
every three hours is quite a task. Once they get on that 4 hour
schedule Adam and I can actually catch 2 ½ hours of sleep
before the next feed. That’s like a miracle. We haven’t
slept that much since Abigail came home, but I guess that’s
to be expected. Hopefully my babies keep their laid back personalities
and stay the sweet angels they are now. (Those of you with kids
stop laughing, I can hear you.)
I have attached pictures of
my wee three all together finally. My dad built me that magnificent
crib that they babies are laying in. They will be able to grow
into the crib as the mattress lowers as needed. I am so lucky
to have a dad that can build something like that for us. Without
that crib I have no idea what the babies would be sleeping in
because three cribs take up a lot of room.
It warms my heart beyond belief
to have them all home with me and doing so well. Not too bad for
babies born 7 weeks early. Thank you all for all your support
during this very trying time. Your prayers and love are greatly
appreciated. In a couple of months the babies will be ready to
make their debut and we would love to show them off to all of
you. I know that everyone is very eager to meet our miracles but
right now with them being so premature its best if they just grow
a bit bigger and just get used to being little babies. For the
first two years of a preemies life they are very susceptible to
dangerous infections and viruses, and we would hate to have them
end up back in the hospital. Thank you all for understanding that.
As always our thoughts are
with you all.
Love,
Adam, Tammie and the wee ones,
Jack, Abigail and Henry.
Update on the babies
(July 13th, 2005)
Can you believe it they are
almost two weeks old! I look at their sweet little faces and can’t
believe that they are already almost two weeks old. Everyday Adam
and I go and spend time with our wee three and everyday it’s
hard to leave them. They are the sweetest little things ever.
All three are showing different personalities. Sweet Jack is,
well, just that, sweet. He rarely cries and if he does it’s
for a good reason and is easily calmed. He is the most fragile
looking baby being the smallest but he sure is the strongest,
being a pro at everything he does. He was the first to lose his
umbilical cord, the first one stable enough to be held and the
first to get back to his birth weight. The nurses know that he
is the easiest to feed and the easiest to bathe. I hope he stays
this sweet always. Miss Abigail is my pretty momma. She is very
girly in everything she does. She burps softly and eats softly.
She is in love with her Daddy, and I think he is a bit smitten
too. If Daddy feeds her she sucks down a ton of food if a nurse
or I feed her she is more slow with it only proving she is Daddy’s
little princess. She is also pretty calm really only crying if
Adam leaves her side or if she is hungry, other than that she
is more than happy to just hang out. And Henry, oh my little old
man Henry. I give the child an old man name and he takes on an
old man personality. God I love him. He does everything at his
own pace, but if you are late ohh watch out, then comes the cranky
old man. He loves to look around being my most alert baby of the
three. His eyes are huge and he tries to see everything around
him, especially hair, he watches my hair when I feed him and his
eyes just get bigger if a piece of hair falls from behind my ears.
I bet he is the artist of the three, paying close attention to
detail.
I do have new estimates on
when the babies will be coming home. They are still estimates
not promises but it will give a better idea of how much longer
we have to take the trek to the hospital just to see our babies.
Abigail will come home as soon as she weighs 4lbs 8oz they say
probably Friday or a day close to then. So in less than a week
she should be home! We can’t wait. Right now they have moved
her into the newborn nursery to finish her growing. It’s
a different atmosphere in there than the nursery the boys are
in, a bit less parent/child oriented and more so nurse oriented.
No one can go in there but me or Adam and it’s not exactly
a calm quiet place like where the boys are. But soon she will
be here and all will be well. The boys are in a continuing care
nursery just trying to gain more weight. Henry is estimated to
come home in 2 and a half weeks and Jack in three, but it really
just depends on how fast they can get to 4lbs 8oz. The hospital
wants every baby to be that weight before discharge no matter
how stable they are. Which makes sense; it would be terrifying
to bring home a 3lb baby.
I have attached some newer
pictures of my sweethearts. They sure do change. I hope you all
enjoy. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Our thoughts
are with you all every day.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
I'm Home! (and baby pictures!)
Well its been a long road
but it is finally coming to an end and we can now just focus our
energies on our beautiful babies. We are so in love. Adam is quite
the proud Papa and is wonderful with the babies. He just loves
to do everything for them. Even the nurses are impressed at how
good he is. I think he is a fantastic father and I feel very lucky
to have him as the father to my babies.
I am finally home and it feels
wonderful and sad all at the same time. I am so glad to be out
of the hospital after almost 3 weeks but I miss my babies and
wish that I could be with them all the time. They really are doing
great. All off oxygen assistance and basically just feeding and
growing. They do all have jaundice but that is totally normal
for all babies and they just lay basking in a special light and
it will help them return to normal. Abigail is going to begin
bottle feeding this weekend and we hope that goes well. It would
feel so wonderful to feed her the normal way and not through a
tube. We have held all the babies now and it is fantastic. They
are so tiny and so beautiful its just amazing. I have attached
some first day pictures and as soon as we can I will send out
some newer ones. Adam and I keep forgetting our camera we get
so excited to see them that its not something we remember. I am
going to attempt to remember it tomorrow. They have changed so
much in just this couple of days. Henry and Jack look similar
and very much like their dad. Abigail looks like both of us resembling
me in her upper face and Adam in the lower. It seems like all
the babies have the same nose and I believe its Adams. So cute.
I hope you all enjoy our pictures. Please be forewarned that they
do look like they are hooked up to a lot of equipment but they
really doing well.
Take care all.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
e
The Halcomb Triplets
are here!
Jack, Abigail, and Henry have
arrived! On June 29th at 10:08pm, weighing 2lbs 15oz and 15.5"
long, Jack Aaron entered the world, just a tiny little fry. At
10:09 his sister Abigail Hannah followed him, weighing 4lbs 5oz,
at 17" long. Henry Daniel ended the parade at 10:11pm weighing
3lbs 9oz, at 17" long. All the babies are doing well. Jack
is showing everyone how to do it by never needing air assistance,
while Henry and Abby have needed some. Overall they're all really
healthy, cute as little buttons. It'll be touch and go the next
couple weeks, but they should come home between 2 and 4 weeks,
depending on how the babies are doing. It looks like Abby will
probably be the last one home, she may be the biggest of the brood,
but she's also the laziest. Mama and Dad couldn't be any happier,
we feel very blessed to have healthy triplets born into the world
at 33 weeks with no major medical problems. We got to hold Jack
today, only increasing our love for the triplets. We hope to hold
Henry tomorrow, and Abigail as soon as she becomes a little more
stable. All in all they've made very good progress for only being
24 hours old. We will update with pictures as soon as we can,
we can't wait to share our joy with you all. Thank you all for
your prayers and thoughts, they came in very handy towards the
end. We are now a complete family, and we look forward to starting
our new life together.
We love you all,
The Halcomb Five
33ish Week Baby
Update (June 28th, 2005)
Holy Moly we have 5-pounders.
Well, I should say A 5 pounder. This week's scan showed
quite a bit of growth for my little triplets. Baby A, Jack, is
3.7; Baby B, Abby, is 5.0; and Henry, Baby C, is 4.2 - All showing
marked growth, which is great. The Pari would like to leave them
baking for a couple weeks longer, but at this rate I'm going to
end up giving birth to toddlers. If you can imagine them getting
bigger then you know I'm getting huge. I've decided at this point
there's no longer a need for pictures, as the camera lens is no
longer wide enough. I look forward to the day when the babies
arrive, may it be sooner rather than later. We may have 4th of
July babies on our hands! I guess bed rest in the hospital is
good for one thing - growin' em big and fat.
I was finally moved to a different
room. No longer in my little broom closet, I have a room with
a view. Granted it's not of anything spectacular, but at least
I can see the sun. Adam's getting more and more excited as the
days go by. I think every night he goes to sleep thinking "is
this the night I'll get a call?" and every night I hope it
is, but every night it's not. Quite a change from two weeks ago
when I was just praying we would make it two more weeks, and now
I can't wait to get them out.
Well I promise to keep you
all informed of any changes. I promise a birth announcement IS
eminent, although it seems like it's never going to happen. Thank
you for your prayers and thoughts.
Love,
Adam, Tammie, and the Beefy
Trio
31 Week Baby Update
(June 20th, 2005)
Once again relayed over the
phone from the hospital:
All's looking well. We had
our second ultrasound growth scan with the Peri today to see how
the babies are progressing. It seems that I had babies A and B
mixed up on our last weights, so baby A was actually the smallest
measuring previously at 2lbs 11oz and is now 2lbs 14oz, and baby
B who was previously weighing in at 3lbs 2oz has gained over a
pound and now weighs 4lbs 3oz. Baby C who previously weighed 3lbs
6oz is now weighing 3lbs 13oz. So all the babies have grown in
size in the last week ensuring us that they're much healthier
than we thought they might have been. The plan is to keep them
growing as long as possible but the Peri doesn't think we'll make
it much longer than 32 weeks, which is Wednesday. I'm on two meds
now to stop the contractions: the Magnesium (which is always good
fun), and Procardia, which will lower my blood pressure which
seems to want to creep up as well. Overall we're all doing great,
been in the hospital for over a week and we didn't even think
we'd make it this far. Babies born after 32 weeks have a wonderful
chance, and some even breathe room air immediately. The date is
approaching closer and closer to when we'll actually be able to
meet the trio, and Adam and I are growing more and more excited
as the hours pass. We'll try to keep everyone updated as we go,
but as far as we know things look good, and that's the best that
can be expected. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers,
your support during this time is greatly appreciated. Possibly
our next update will be a Baby Announcement, so keep and eye out.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
31ish Week Baby Update
(June 13th, 2005)
As typed by my brother, taking
dictation from me over the phone:
As some of you may know we
are in the hospital. I started having contractions saturday afternoon
and they progressed steadily until I was having 13 and hour on
Sunday. My doctor decided to have me come in for an evaluation.
My cervix still looks good but he decided to admit me and start
me on Magnesium Sulfate. Magnesium is a highly effectivive first-line
drug, used to treat aggreessive pre-term labor and so far it's
done the trick.
The first day we were here
we had an ultrasound, and it seemd to alert that two of the babies
weren't growing big enough. Baby C (Henry) is growing great. He's
a full pound bigger than everyone else and he has all the space.
The ultrasound tech that did the digital untrasound said that
there was a descrepency between A and B, and she wanted to have
my High Risk doctor go over the ultrasound and do another one
before she officially declared Intrauterine Growth Restriction.
Doctor Samadi came in today, did an ultrasound. Baby A, Jack,
is on the little side at 3lbs 2oz and he's showing some signs
of stress, but not significant to warrant taking him out of the
womb just yet. Baby B, Abigail, is 2lbs 11oz, she's a wee little
sprite but she's not showing any signs of stress. Baby C, Henry,
is a fat fatty at officially 3lbs 6oz and he has taken over the
whole entire womb and he's squishing his brother and sister, which
is why we're here in the first place.
The plan of attack is the
wait and see approach. I'll continue to be on the Magnesium Sulfate
probably through tomorrow (yipee) and I'm receiving steroid shots
to further the babies development. If the contractions are under
control with the Magnesium then they'll slowly take me off of
it and put me back on the Procardia as it works, if it doesn't
work then we go back to the Magnesium. The Magnesium's pretty
brutal, not something I recommend for parties, but it's doing
it's job and right now that's all we need. My High Risk doctor
thinks that we can get to 33 weeks but it would be a miricle to
make it to 34. My OB would be extatic if we just made it to 32
weeks. So it looks like we have babies on the way in a matter
of weeks. I'll be in the hospital for the duration and I'll try
to keep people updated either through Andy or Adam. Let's hope
for 4th of July babies, keep these suckers cookin'. Hope all is
well with everyone.
Love,
Adam and Tammie.
28 Week Baby Update
(May 23rd, 2005)
Here we are only two days
away from hitting a huge milestone, 28 weeks. I can’t believe
it. It seems as though we are now well on our way to becoming
parents to three healthy little stinkers.
We saw the Perinatologist
today and he had great news for us. The babies are all measuring
about 2 ½ pounds which is right on target with a singletons
growth for this gestational age, and they all look great. I was
amazed today looking at the ultrasound monitor at how big my babies
are getting. Baby A is all the way down butt first and seems to
be happy as a little clam right there. Baby B, the feisty one
for sure, is on my right head up and is facing my back or her
brothers but not up making it very tricky to get her measurements.
She is my little instigator. The boys are relatively calm until
she kicks or punches them, I think it makes her laugh to get them
all riled up in there. Oh what am I in for when she arrives? Baby
C is in a similar position as Baby B only on my left side. His
head is also in my lungs, only he is face up showing off his new
skill of eating his hands. Baby A showed us that he can now swallow
his amniotic fluid and look oh so cute doing it. Swallowing is
a good sign it shows that they are learning to breathe. Baby C’s
fondness for his hands shows us that they will begin to learn
to suck and swallow, a crucial task that is last to develop and
can keep babies in the NICU if not developed enough to feed properly.
My Peri has very high hopes
for us. He measured my cervix which is still hanging on, due much
in part to the cerclage (stitch) I had placed back in early March.
He doesn’t think that the contractions that I have been having
are doing too much and that we should be able to go to 36 weeks.
That would be fantastic. At 36 weeks we would most likely be able
to take our trio home with us and not have to worry about time
in the NICU. I would be as big as a barn and more uncomfortable
than even imaginable but whatever it takes to get three healthy
babies. The Doctors on my team don’t always see eye to eye
as one is more focused on the babies’ welfare and the other
is focusing on mine so we will see how this plays out in the end.
As we stand now just getting as far as we can for the babies health
is all our main concern.
I have attached our latest
ultrasounds. The first one is of Baby C and his little fist, the
one below that is Baby B spine up showing how difficult she wanted
to be. Oh no did my Dad get his wish and I have a mini-me in here???
The second is Baby A first with his mouth open and bottom with
his mouth closed showing off his swallowing. The middle picture
is Baby C’s foot which was perfectly planted in my side.
Thank you all for your continued
support and love. Adam and I appreciate everything you all do
for us, weather it’s a silent prayer, dinners cooked for
us or the company of good friends and family, it is all appreciated
more than you know. I can not wait to be able to be more social
again once the babies get here; it will be so nice to see all
your shining faces again. Please take care.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
26 Week Baby Update
(May 16th, 2005)
Whew! We have made it to 26
weeks so far. These past couples of weeks have been really challenging
but so far so good and that’s all that counts. :-)
The babies are doing great.
I can feel them get stronger every day. Baby A has been smooshed
down as far as he could possibly go without falling out by his
brother Baby C. Baby C is nice and stretched out with his feet
on Baby A and his head in my ribs. Baby B is as far over to the
right side as she can get. She is the most active so far, with
a one two punch that surely is the envy of boxers around the world.
I can really see them moving around now just by looking at my
stomach. Its amazing. I am really enjoying feeling them move around
and watching the action. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity
(no I don’t ever want to be pregnant with triplets again)
and I feel very lucky to have it.
Well as I already mentioned
we have had some hiccups. I started not feeling very well on Friday
night. I monitored using my HUAM (Home Uterine Activity Monitor)
and it didn’t really pick up much as far as contractions.
So I attempted to go to bed. At about 2am I knew something wasn’t
right and got poor Adam up to go to Labor and Delivery. As soon
as we got there the nurses hooked me up to their monitor, and
low and behold I was contracting every 6 minutes. Kinda scary.
I was quickly given meds to stop the contractions and an IV to
try and re-hydrate my body. Dehydration alone can start contractions
so we were hoping that was all this was. It all worked like a
charm and we were thankfully allowed to go home.
It happened again on Sunday
night. I tried to get in enough water to stop the contractions
and I was still taking the meds the hospital started me on, and
still nothing worked. So again at 2am I took Adam out of his warm
bed to sit down in the Labor and Delivery department. I was put
on the monitor and by that time, thankfully, my contractions had
slowed down to just a bit of irritability. My doctor wanted to
make sure we really were in the clear and ordered a culture for
fFN. fFN stands for Fetal Fibronectin and it will only be found
if labor is imminent with in a two week period. My culture came
back negative. That was the best news we ever could have heard.
Having that negative test means that there is only a 1% chance
of me going into true unstoppable labor in the next two weeks.
Other things can still happen that cant be predicted such as my
water breaking, but we don’t need to borrow trouble at this
point.
So it looks as though I am
in the clear until about the 28 week mark. At 28 weeks a preemie
has an 80% chance of survival, at 30 weeks there is a 90% chance
of survival with minimal health repercussions and at 32 weeks
the chances of long term medical repercussions is decreased to
almost none. We obviously want to get to 32 weeks or more, and
very well could, it just may be a long bumpy road to get there.
We are very lucky and thankful that at this point I am not hospitalized.
80% of triplet pregnancies require hospitalization at or after
24 weeks, so we are very lucky. Our luck may change at any point
in this pregnancy and if that happens then its for the best. My
OB is not going to admit me before he needs too.
Thank you all for your continued
support and prayers. We greatly appreciate it. I have another
full ultrasound at my Perinatologist’s (high risk doctor)
on the 23rd. I will update you all again at that time and send
out new ultrasound pictures. You all are more than welcome to
check out our website to stay updated as well. If I do end up
hospitalized I will have Adam or someone send everyone updates.
Of course you will all be notified when our three make their entrance
into the world, may that be many weeks away.
You all are in our thoughts
daily. I hope you are able to get out and enjoy the summer as
it approaches. Many hugs to you all.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
Baby
name announcement! (April
25th, 2005)
We've decided to fill you
all in on them names we've chosen for our babies!
Jack Aaron
Henry Daniel
Abigail Hannah
We can't wait to welcome them
into the world! (well, maybe we can wait just a little while...)
Love,
Adam and Tammie
23
Week Baby Update (April
25th, 2005)
Hello all, I am sorry this
update seems so overdue. (Can I just blame it all on Adam?)
All is well with me, the babes,
our new abode, Adam and the kitties. We have more or less settled
into our new home and are now just patiently awaiting the arrival
of our trio. The babies’ room is pretty empty as we are waiting
for Grandpa Dan to finish their crib (a special, made with love,
triplet crib). We are hoping the other necessities to fill the
room will be delivered magically by triplet fairies. We have already
seen such fairies at work with Fara providing us with hand me
downs from her son, our old neighbor Linda giving us preemie clothing,
my friends from work (Thank you Rosemarie and Latanya!!) giving
us diapers and girls from my mom’s work giving bags of old
baby boy clothing and children’s books. Your help is greatly
appreciated; we would be lost without you all. I know that some
of you have been asking when my baby shower will be, but my doctors
have made it very clear that a baby shower is out of the question.
I am on very strict bedrest and unfortunately that doesn’t
include any fun at all. Big mean doctors looking out for my and
the babies best interest, humph.
Now for the info you really
want to hear. I had another Peri (High Risk Doctor) appointment
today. It had been a month since our last Peri appointment so
I was very anxious for it. Grandma Sharon (Adam’s mom) got
to go this time and see her little grandbabies for the first time.
I am so glad she is able to be a part of this amazing journey.
The babies are getting bigger all measuring over a pound now,
which is a wonderful weight for this stage in the pregnancy. My
cervix is holding its own, not giving in any to the pressure of
the babies which made Dr. Samadi really happy. I have had quite
a few incidents now with contractions but as of right now the
plan is to keep me here at home, monitoring with my HUAM (Home
Uterine Activity Monitor) and taking a Tocolytic (anti-contraction
med) as needed. If this plan is no longer effective I will be
hospitalized and put on a Magnesium Sulfate drip (a very powerful
tocolytic), but it is my OB’s every intention to keep me
out of there as long as possible. At 32 weeks gestation my OB
said that we will stop all medical intervention to prolong the
pregnancy and just let nature take its course. A 32 week gestational
period for triplets is very good. They will be little, yes, but
most likely very healthy. And that is a wonderful relief for us.
I am getting HUGE, it amazes
me everyday how much larger my stomach can get overnight. I have
people ask me now all the time if I am ready to pop any day, when
I reply that I am only 5 months along people’s mouths fly
open. Its actually quite comical, sometimes I elaborate…
sometimes I don’t. So I have attached a picture as proof
of my transformation into a house.
People come up with the most
interesting questions when they find out that I have triplets
in here. I would say that one of the funniest remarks I have had
so far was, “how did you get them all in there?” As
if I had shoved beans through my bellybutton and they became babies
over night. I had another lady (why is it always the women?) ask
me if I tried to get pregnant with three, because that is something
I had control over. Um no people these babies were not made from
magic beans nor did I set a specific number to become fertilized,
all of that was out of our/my control.
We did get some ultrasound
pictures from this appointment, but unfortunately they are very
hard to make out. I will ask my brother to update the website
with them, but I am not able to attach them to the e-mail at this
time. I have my next appointment with the Peri on the 23rd of
May but I do have OB appointments sooner. I will update you all
as we go.
Our love and good thoughts
to you all, we keep you all in our thoughts everyday.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
19
Week Baby Update (March
25th, 2005)
Hello all, it’s that
time again for an update on me and the babes. It has been another
interesting week. We had two appointments, one on Thursday with
my OB and another on Friday with my Perinatologist. Both appointments
went well. The babies are doing great. They are all spreading
out in there and growing big and strong. Baby A and Baby B weigh
about 9oz and Baby C is measuring about 10oz. Those weights are
great for this point in the pregnancy which is really good news.
Our Peri went through and measured each baby’s body parts
and organs to make sure all looked good and it does. He checked
each one for markers of Downs Syndrome and Spina Bifida and none
of our babies had any. Thank God. He did mention that I have some
very active babies in there. Baby B is jumping on Baby A’s
head which makes Baby A kick momma. Baby C and Baby B play footsies
with each other and that was caught on one of the ultrasound pictures.
Phenomenal. I am so in love. I can’t wait to meet my trio.
As you might remember from
the last update I was waiting to get the preventative stitch in
my cervix called a cerclage to help strengthen and hold together
my cervix. I had that procedure done on March 11th and all went
very well. It looks to be that we were just in the nick of time;
today at my appointment my cervix has begun to show signs of stress.
It’s not easy for a cervix to hold up very well under such
weight so quickly and my persistent contractions aren’t making
things any easier. However I should be ok because of the cerclage.
My OB has placed me under a home health care watch service. They
will come to our house and set me up with a device called a HUAM
(Home Uterine Activity Monitor) to constantly keep an eye on my
contractions. If at any time I have too many contractions their
nurses will call me and give me instructions on what to do, either
take a medication or go to the Hospital. My Peri has given me
a prescription for progesterone shots; this has been shown to
significantly reduce the occurrence of preterm labor. It will
be an uphill battle from this point on but a well worth it battle.
We are hoping I can make it to at least 28 weeks which is severely
premature, and the latest being about 35 weeks. That puts us at
about the beginning of June to the middle of July. Any time in
June or past is considered bonus time for triplets because they
are so hard on the body to carry. But I have the best care a gal
could get, I am on strict bed rest, and every precaution is being
taken, so luck is on my side.
Thank you all for your prayers
and good thoughts, they are greatly appreciated. We hope this
Easter weekend finds you happy and healthy. Our thoughts are with
you all. The website should be updated soon with today’s
ultrasound pictures, I hope you enjoy them.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
17
Week Baby Update (March
10th, 2005)
Hi everyone! Its time again
for another update. This one is a doosy but I promise that all
is well.
I have to admit that this
week has already been a trying one. I went to my OB yesterday
and it seemed as though I was contracting. Not good anytime before
we are ready but really not good at 17 weeks. So my OB decided
to start me on a medication that can stop any contractions. Well
later on last night my contractions were getting a bit stronger.
I was sent to the ER by my OB, and put on IV fluids (5 bags!)
and I was given another med to help relax my uterus. I had a reaction
to the med (of course) and it caused a very dangerous drop in
my blood pressure. Fun fun fun. Well they continued to monitor
me and keep me very well hydrated and my OB showed up at 8am.
He said that he wanted me to see my Perinatologist (the high risk
doctor). So I was sent right over to his office and spoke with
him. He does not think that these contractions are anything to
worry about just yet. I have no other signs of labor approaching.
Whew! So his plan is to have a preventative stitch placed in my
cervix on Friday to hopefully ward off any problems later on.
This procedure is done under general anesthetic and I should be
home later on that night. (See how nicely e-mail hides the terror
in my voice.) He stopped the meds that I was given yesterday and
said that he didn’t see any need to take meds just yet. I
am on strict bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy which should
help with any pressure problems as these babes get bigger.
But this isn’t what you
all wanted to hear, you all wanna know who is in there! Well we
thought we might know Baby A’s sex yesterday but we now know
all of them. Baby A is a boy, Baby B is a girl and Baby C is a
boy! We will soon be the proud parents of two sons and a daughter!
We are so very happy, as we would have been with any sexes. We
cant wait for the months to go by so that we can meet our trio.
(Remind me that I said that in the middle of sleep deprivation
and spit up.) I would attach pictures, but with the commotion
of this week I haven’t been able to get the ultrasound picture
to my brother to scan. I only got one picture, its all their little
heads in a row like three peas in a pod. I will have my brother
post it on our website as soon as I can.
I am going to go back to taking
it easy. Please keep the babes in your thoughts, especially on
Friday. I will keep everyone updated as I can. Thank you all for
your positive thoughts during our trying times. We really appreciate
your support.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
15
Week Baby Update (February
24th, 2005)
Today was our first appointment
with the Perinatologist, or High Risk Doctor, and I am really
glad we have added him to the team. He is a wonderful man full
of kindness and a wealth of knowledge. And he knows just how to
calm a frantic woman pregnant with triplets (not that I know first
had or anything of course). He did a thorough check of the babies
little home and so far everything looks wonderful. Everything
is where it’s supposed to be, holding strong like its supposed
to be and growing like I never would have imagined. The babies
are now hanging out in a row around my belly button. It is a pretty
significant change from before when the babies where much lower
and in a ‘V’ shape with Baby A at the bottom and B to
the right with C next to him/her on the left. It seems as though
they all wanted to be closer to each other as well, the living
space is significantly losing room making them snuggle up close
to each other now. They will all be very close friends when all
is said and done.
Now last time some of you
might remember that my little Baby C looked a bit, um, unique;
well he still does. I talked to the doctor about it (again not
like I was freaking out or anything…) and he has assured
me that at this point from what he can tell the babies all look
perfect. It just so happens that Baby C is in the prime location
for the ultrasound waves to penetrate his thin skin giving him
his, uh, interesting appearance. Baby A again is my photogenic
beauty and has decided to show us what a perfect little baby profile
should look like. (I say he looks like momma.) Baby B is demonstrating
how close they really are in his pose which is why it’s a
little hard to make out what in the world he is actually doing.
He also is copying his siblings lead with the no skin thing. (Baby
B’s head is facing to the right.)
I hope this update finds you
all well. I hope none of you have had any damage from the recent
California storms, and that you all are able to stay dry. Take
care everyone. We will be in touch with all of you soon. Miss
you all.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
Babies
are growing! (February
10th, 2005)
We had our thirteen week appointment
this morning. All went well. The doctor was really wonderful and
gave us some encouraging words. All looks good with me at this
point, and he made me an appointment with a Perinatologist on
the 23rd. A Peri is a doctor that specializes in High Risk pregnancies.
The doctor he made the appointment with is supposed to be really
great. I look forward to seeing him.
And then we had the best part
of our appointment… the ultrasound! It was wonderful to see
the babies. They are getting a lot bigger in there! Grandma Linda
(my mom) was able to be in the ultrasound room with us and the
babies knew it. They showed off their new skills for Grandma.
They did flip flops, and kicked around and waved. The doctor was
able to get some really good shots. We saw ones hand up close,
all 5 fingers were totally obvious. It was so adorable. Then he
went in for close ups of their little faces. Those are the pictures
I have attached. Baby A’s picture is the best, Baby B looks
a bit squished in his little home already but the doctor told
us not to worry, and Baby C looks… well you will see. A face
a mother and father love!
All in all it was a wonderful
appointment. Adam and I have grown to love these babies so much
already. I can not imagine being pregnant with anything less,
(remind me later when I am too big to walk that I said that, LOL)
and we can not wait to be able to meet these tiny little creatures.
Hope this e-mail finds you
all well.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
The
Babies... (January
12th, 2005)
Hey everyone, here
are the ultrasound pictures we got on Friday. It’s hard to
see that those really are babies in there but they sure are. There
are three separate sacs and each has a fuzzy white bean looking
thing in it, those beans are the babies. Baby A is a space hog
and he has the biggest sac, Baby C is the smallest looking one
to the right, he has the smallest sac but all the babies themselves
are measuring the same size. If you ask me I think that Baby A
is a boy and Babies B and C are girls, but Auntie Blythe thinks
that Babies A and B are boys and Baby C is a girl. We will know
hopefully for sure in about 10 more weeks.
Hope everyone is having a
good day.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
Well...
(December
27th, 2004)
Well as some of you may already
know Adam and I are expecting. But what you all are waiting for
is to see how many we are expecting. Well today we found out…
We are having triplets!
We had an ultrasound today
at the hospital while checking on a small bleed. All is well it
seems as though Baby A got a bit restless and thought he would
go check out things. But he has been grounded by us, his parents,
and will be staying put for the next 7ish months. His little bunk
mates look great as well. All three (O my GOD Three!!!) have wonderful
little heartbeats and are in separate sacks, which is good and
means that they will be fraternal triplets not identical.
We will keep you all updated
as we know more. We are just hoping and praying now for an uneventful
pregnancy, and easy birth.
Love,
Adam and Tammie
