Somethings have an unexpected way….

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My three beautiful ladies have arrived. All got here safe and sound approximately two weeks before expected and are the absolute apple of my eye!! I know most new mums who have other children can relate – the worry is always how will I be able to love them as much as my little boy. I shouldn’t have worried! It was immediate. Even in the incubator with tubes and masks they were beautiful and perfect. They were born at 32 weeks and very small so it’s been a slow progress over the last two weeks. Two of the girls will home this weekend, while one little girl is taking her time and will be home when she’s ready. 

My contractions started early. I started to feel Braxton Hicks for a few days. The were getting stronger and stronger. I knew my doctors appointment was only a day or two away so I waited to see. The last thing you want to do is land in too early to the hospital. The morning of my 32 week appointment I dropped my boy the crèche. Driving and lifting a 16 month I’m sure are on the ‘don’t do’ list!! By the time I got to the doctor I was having fairly strong contractions every 10 minutes but they were a bit all over the place. Still hadn’t said anything and sitting with doctor and my mother who were having a full conversation about very little. I waited patiently and then told him I was contracting and it wasn’t just Braxton Hicks. At which point he stood up and guided me to the door. ‘Right we will admit now and you will probably deliver this afternoon then.’ 

‘What?!’ My mother was not prepared!!!! She had broken her foot and cracked her ribs only two weeks previously – another story!!!

By 2pm I was dressing into the gown and socks. By 4pm I was in the delivery room getting prepped. By 5pm my girls were coming! 5.04pm Stella arrived, 5.05pm Francesca and then 5.06pm it’s a girl! Abigail arrived. 

All perfect!

I finally got see and touch them at midnight. Was such a long wait and I was aching to see them. It was a very strange experience being in a room without your baby but all three had to stay in ICU to get strong. So far they have been thriving. They get stronger every day and feeding is going well. 

This time I’m bottle feeding. As a mum of four under two I have to be practical. It wasn’t an easy decision but a necessary one. But I am flabbergasted at some nurses nerve! Less than 24 hours after delivery one of the ICU nurses approached me about how important it was and how I really should be giving my children a better chance. Now I’m a strong person but in that moment I was very vulnerable and she made me feel terrible. I was very hormonal and cried all day. They have no right to do that to someone when you’re seeing your girls in a very vulnerable state and not able to hold them. Myself and my doctor had discussed my options it was none of her business. Funny how many do ask you though. I have had a number of people approach me and ask. 

The same people also love to ask about conception. Eh none of your business!!! Do I ask you about your sex life?!

Anyway, so here we are! Soon we will all be home. The girls need to reach 35 weeks, gaining weight and feeding on bottles. I’m very proud of them as they soon graduate ICU and the real fun begins! 

Preeclampsia

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The word preeclampsia always described a condition I had never even considered happening to me.  It was something that others had and told their stories of horror. So when I heard to word uttered by my doctor yesterday I was not too thrilled.  Had another check up (now a weekly get together – ‘how are you?’ ‘fine’ ‘any questions’ ‘no’).  I am so used to hearing everything is great that I just thought this appointment would be the same.

‘Unfortunately we will have to send you down to the day ward for more checks.’  Sorry!  I have been up since 1.30am (pregnancy insomnia).  Do we really need to do this?  My poor mother’s mind started to race – anniversary weekend with her husband vs hospital with daughter.  Not great timing!

I, of course, like any other with an internet enabled phone started googling like mad.  It turned out i had every symptom ticked by the time we got to the day ward.  Funnily I didn’t panic or start to get nervous about the situation – I just knew i wasn’t ready to meet my triplets.  The bag hasn’t been packed, not one baby grow has been washed!  So apart from high blood pressure, protein in my urine, i started to believe i had nausea, blindness etc etc…..

The first thing they do in the day ward is check your blood pressure again – mine was normal.  The second is another urine sample – mine was normal.  Thirdly a blood test to confirm and yes mine was normal.  So after a day of hanging around the panic is over and i am back to having normal complaints.

Last Friday I managed to catch a documentary about having triplets.  Probably not advisable when pregnant with triplets but I couldn’t help it.  Once committed I had to watch to the end.  But it made me realise that I am blessed.  These girls had all sorts of problems to contend with and yes this is a high risk pregnancy.  I have had nothing serious happen and yesterday was only a blip.  The babies are flying, I’m still able to carry my son let alone walk and we are nearly there.

Dear body, now is not the time to fail me!

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Four weeks to go – yip skip!!!!

The triplets are doing amazing.  Had a check up a few days ago (now on weekly visits) and each one is growing at the same pace as a singleton.  So at nearly 30 weeks, each weighed approximately 3.5 pounds – incredible.  Based on this rough estimate I am now carrying a lot of baby, placenta, fluid etc etc!!!!!!!!

It goes without saying that as a normal female I generally will notice a couple of pounds up on the scales.  Usually you have the dreaded facing of music on a Monday morning and new focus for the week ahead.  This would include plenty of egg whites, leafy greens, bowls of porridge and a lot of exercise planned for the week – how far you get with this plan varies!  However, when the extra weight is due to pregnancy with triplets all you can do is celebrate knowing how much they are thriving, put your feet up and have an extra couple of chips.  I seem to have the celebrating down, the extra food – no problem but the feet up is not easy!  As you know, I have a beautiful 15 month old boy who still needs ‘Mama’ to pick him up, carry him and play.  For the last few weeks I have struggled along with some success but now I am stuck!  My back has gone on strike.  Sciatica pain – if you have ever had it you will never forget it.  The shooting pain travels down from your glute through the leg.  Oh my god it hurts!!!!!! So now I’m a bit of a hot mess – pelvis and back are generally required for daily life.

So this is where the breaking of the bank begins.  All hands on deck to bring me through to full term with triplets (34 weeks).  I have hired enough help to mind an army and will address the cash flow another day.  I have also discovered that anyone wishing to have children on their own must have a good support network in place.  It is true what they say – it takes a village to raise a child.  So I am very grateful for my village!  Offers of help have come from all angles and I feel very lucky to have it.

My little boy has been pretty good about the whole situation (lots of different minders) but recently has started acting out on frustration.  He is a good-natured boy who has a very contented personality.  I can tell that he is getting frustrated with me though.  I have been hit, bitten and head butted.  Now, I know this is very normal behavior for his age and thankfully he doesn’t act out with anyone else.  I have tried the ‘gentle gentle’, the taking of hand and saying ‘no!’ and now i am on to ignoring – I’m going to see if this works.  This morning was pretty bad….. I did the usually ‘will we say good morning to the babies’ and straight away he said ‘no’ and started head butting my stomach.  Of course, no harm was done to any of us but it was a very physical response and something I will need to be mindful of in the future.  I don’t think we give our kids enough credit for our perceptive they are.  Change is coming and as we all know – no one, especially children, like change.

Getting excited!

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So i know its been a while since my last post but there have been times that i just didn’t feel the urge to put down in words how it was all going.  When you start sounding like a broken record to yourself you know it is not the time to share your thoughts.  Sufficed to say i am glad another month has gone by and i am now only 6 weeks away from welcoming the triplets into this world!

Sleep – well who needs it.  I have learnt to manage on very little these days, and although i get tired, i am learning to pace myself a bit better.  I am generally awake by about 3.30am and up by about 6.30am.  The 6.30am start is more due to the fact that my little 15 month old is not too keen on a lie in.  I usually get a yelp from the other room or a ‘Mama’ which means rise and shine another day is here.  We have had a couple of weeks of sleeping through the night – those mothers who love to tell you about how long their little one sleeps – i don’t listen to anymore! But there has been the odd night where, even after the 5 minute wait to settle, i have had to go in. We recently had another sinus infection to contend with.  The poor fella was miserable – as you would if not able to breath properly.  So after the 5 minute wait in i went to a very upset little boy.  I lifted him up and cuddled him for a little while. It was still pitch black in his room so i couldn’t really see too much.  As i sat there sushing him and letting him know everything was all right i leant down to kiss his forehead.  To my joy i realised that i had just kissed a lump of snot.  So while sushing and cuddling i was also gagging and desperately trying to get the snot off my lips.  This is all in the name of love and truly only something a mother would go through!

Went to visit a mother quads last week – best tip ever – get colour coded feeding charts!!!  I’m off to google a feeding chart!

Triplets all weigh a whopping 1lb 5oz!

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Had my usual bi-weekly scan yesterday to check how the babies are doing. That’s the great part of a triplet pregnancy – every couple of weeks you get to check in and see how they are all doing. They are all exactly where a singleton would be at this stage and doing really well.

Unfortunately, I am now starting to feel the aches and pains of this pregnancy in a way I hadn’t considered! I had a very minor fall over the weekend while carrying my son. As a result, my pelvis is now acting up. Walking and sitting are not easy and the pain is leaving me very immobile. I know others have had pelvic issues in pregnancy but never crossed my mind what it actually meant. By Saturday evening I couldn’t walk – I was over at a friend’s house. When it was time to say goodbye I got up and the pain was horrific. It’s like you have been cut in two internally. Very sore and every step takes all will to get through. Got a bit of a fright as I had no idea how to get my son to bed (up a number of flights of stairs). Thankfully with a bit of assistance from a friend of mine, I was able to get him sorted. Carrying a little boy who weighs about 12kg is not easy anymore. As I am on my own this is a vulnerability that I need to address.   It’s funny, I’m a very independent person and have a strong will but on this occasion I need to get help.   My next step is to find someone to help at the weekends.

Seems my body is telling me to slow down. Doing the normal activity – park with son, food shop, errands etc are just too much. With only 10 weeks to go this isn’t the worst situation to be in. What would be way worse is if I do something that forces bed rest! Then I would be in serious trouble!

But today is a good day! I am blessed to have an incredibly supportive mother. My little boy isn’t sleeping too well at the moment (think its teeth). As a result I’m not sleeping at all! So off he went yesterday on a mini holiday with his Grandparents. Meanwhile, I got a great night’s sleep and have another night to look forward to. Sleep makes everything feel better!

Another week gone!

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Another week is flying by and soon I will be on the 10 week countdown. Although this is important, for me, getting past 24 weeks will be a milestone I will definitely celebrate. This is the week when babies born after are safe – not out of the woods but safe to deliver. Every week after that is just to hold on to them and make sure they get nice and plump for the outside world. I’m not at 24 weeks yet (only inching towards 23 weeks!) but feel it is only around the corner and an easier goal to visualise than delivery date.

It also happens to coincide with my birthday. Another big date in the diary! Hard to believe I’ll be 39! Yikes!!! I have already set myself the challenge of looking fabulous at 40. Seems like I have spent the last few birthdays either trying to get pregnant, pregnant or exhausted with a new born. So by 40 I will be a mum of 4 and inching towards wobbler stage with my little ones. Life will have well and truly moved into a new chapter for me. Something I am extremely excited about.

My poor little boy is teething this week so our world has been turned upside down.  Sleepless nights are part of the course.  He’s unlucky and tends to get very congested when teething.  Hopefully they will come soon and he will be back to his normal cheery self.  In the meantime, the mattress is at an angle, tissues are at hand and plenty of doses of calpol are helping us get through it.

His words are coming on leaps and bounds.  He has a multitude of words to express himself but also has his own language which he uses to tell all his news.  The latest addition to his vocabulary is ‘No!’ along with a very clear swipe away to indicate the absolute meaning of the word.  So negotiations with a 13 month old have now started to take a new direction.

Edging closer to D day!

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Now 22 weeks and getting so excited. Not a thing has been done in the house to prepare for my three new delights but all will be ready by the time 34 weeks comes along. (I hope!)
Had another check up on Tuesday and everything is going great. They now each measure approximately 16 ounces. Of course, this doesn’t mean much to me but the delight on my doctors face gave me great comfort. He reckons the triplets are all progressing really well.
Still suffering with tiredness but finishing work very soon so that should help. Went to yoga last night and feeling it today in my pelvis. I’m just really stiff this pregnancy – think I might try some one on one yoga and see if I can get some good stretches incorporated into my programme. Triplet pregnancy is completely different to carrying a single baby. The aches and pains are very tough. I’m just not able to do the exercise I did when carrying my son. Even though the end was most definitely a waddle, I was out walking every day to keep moving. The lesson learnt is how much I value my fitness and being able to exercise.
It will be challenge when I next step foot into the gym to loose all the weight and get fit again. But I think that I will relish the challenge (and the head space from 4 little ones).
So roll on the next 12 weeks and please be fast! I want to meet all my ones!

I have a walker!!!

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So my delicious, cleaver boy has started taking his first steps. What an honour it is to be there when they so this! I feel so lucky to have seen it as I know some mums don’t. 

At the moment it’s a bit like a game and he plays ‘ready, steady, go’ before collapsing into your arms or bumping to the ground. Such fun – he knows this is something amazing and his face lights up!  Short video below taken last night. Excuse the ill fitted clothing!!! Poor child is growing so fast!!! Heading out this evening to pick up some bits!!!

Week 20 of triplet pregnancy

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This week my new nanny started and I feel a bit lost! I get such a kick out of spending time with my son and the fact I can’t at the moment is breaking my heart! I have another 13/14 weeks to go and it can’t go fast enough. I am really looking forward to being able to play chase, get down on the ground and play with his toys, carry him upstairs without running out of breadth! It’s the simple things in life!

However, despite how I feel about it – she is the Mary Poppins of modern day and I am blessed! She is a lovely girl and I know we will all get on great. My son seems to have taken a shine to her already – so I have no doubt that this will be very successful. When you have to sacrifice time with your son so that you can rest it is reassuring to know he is in safe hands.

But children are amazing at expressing themselves and this morning I noticed a lot of whining. He only does this with me – which made me realise that actually this is his way of expressing his annoyance at the lack of time we are spending together. This, I am sure, is a talent that will only perfect even more over time. As he gets older I have no doubt that this is one habit he won’t grow out of.
Had a wonderful moment yesterday when he walked for the first time – oh what a joy! It’s such a monumental step in a child’s progression and to be honoured with the first time he did it is such a gift. At 13 months this is still quite young so don’t expect any marathons to be run anytime soon.
Had a doctor’s appointment this week and all is going great. They babies are each measuring well and they estimate the weight at nearly a pound per baby – which is wonderful! Still struggling with ferocious tiredness and would love a burst of energy but that is minor when I think about the miracle of my three little ones. We discussed the due date again and now he is saying it will definitely be before 34 weeks. I’m happy to have a date in mind now and hopefully it will fly in. Have another 4-6 weeks in work and then I’m off with my feet firmly in the air. I generally like to keep busy but at the moment a couch and some pillows under my feet sounds like a lovely idea!