The babies got a great report! The last big measurement ultrasound was at 22 weeks, and they repeated the measurements today. Everyone had gained about a pound! Baby A was 2 pounds, Baby B was 1 pound 15 ounces, and Baby C was 2 pounds 2 ounces. This was phenomenal news! The babies are in the 50th percentile for growth...on a chart that is made for 1 baby at the same gestation! So for all three to be hanging around the 50th percentile line on the chart is just wonderful. They have told us that they will eventually drop down and even probably end up in the 10th percentile before this is all over. That's ok as long as they all three stay close together...whether its 50th or 10th. If one of the babies were to stop growing or differ too much from the others, it could lead to delivery of all three. So way to go girls!
Baby Girl A
Baby Girl B
Baby Girl C
The pictures are getting harder to snap. There's not a lot of room in there and they are getting bigger. Not to mention, these girls definitely like to show their personality and give Steve the Ultrasound Guy a hard time!
And as for Mommy...I got a semi-good report. My blood pressure is staying nice and low and I'm gaining weight steadily. The doctor measured my belly just for fun (they do this when you are pregnant with just one baby to make sure your growth is on track...at 26 weeks your belly should measure around 26 cm). I measured 39...and I'm only 26 weeks! I'm not too sure who this was supposed to be fun for exactly!
So, here is what triplets look like at 26 weeks...
The not-so-stellar part of the visit was the news that my cervix had made some changes. The changes were enough to concern my doctor and he brought me back the next day for a Fetal Fibronectin Test. This test checks for the presence of fetal fibronectin. Luckily, the test came back negative (best case scenario)! Had it come back positive, it would've meant that I was at an increased risk of going into labor within the next 2-3 weeks. Not good. They would've given me a steroid shot and monitored me for contractions. If I was having contractions, they likely would've checked me in for a nice long stay on hospital bed rest. Thankfully, the test was negative. However, it was a bit of a reality check and it landed me on "modified bed rest." Everything has been going so well (and we are so thankful for that), but this definitely made us realize just how much further I truly need to make it. And for Mommy, it definitely made me realize how much I left to do to get ready for their arrival.
"Modified bed rest" can mean lots of different things. For me, I'm pretty much a couch potato from here on out. My driving is limited mostly to just driving myself to doctors visits. I'm no longer allowed to pick up Madilin (which I really hadn't been doing too much of anyway) or heavy laundry baskets (darn!). No housework and no cooking sounds like a dream, except it still has to be done. I know Matt has a lot on his plate so it's been really hard for me to see this add to his chore list. I'm so thankful that he truly doesn't mind (and frequently reminds me to sit back down), but I still feel like I'm just being a slacker. I guess he'll cash in on quite a few golf rounds when this is all over!
Please keep us in your prayers. The first big milestone to hit is 28 weeks. At that point, things look really good for the girls. Of course, the longer the better! My doctor has told me they won't let me go past 36 weeks...so I'm praying to get as close to that as possible and bring all 3 little girls home with me at the same time!
