We had a re-check today and our Doctor told us everything is status quo and very similar to Friday, which is good. So, we are still just monitoring and will re-check again on Thursday.
After our appointment, we were able to have a little bit of normalcy and watched the Vikings beat the Falcons at TCF Bank Stadium. Our seats were in the sun, but Sara was a trooper and spent some time watching below deck on a chair in the shade. One of the vendors even gave her a free snow cone. :) Skol!
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Our Story
In the summer of 2014, we found out we were expecting. Throughout the beginning of the pregnancy, Sara was more ill and nauseous than she recalled from her previous two pregnancies. Since Sara would be turning 35 soon and entering the higher risk category, we were scheduled for an ultrasound at 12 weeks.
So, on August 12, 2014, we went in to the Hutchinson Medical Center for what we thought would be a quick, routine check of our baby. Initially, the ultrasound tech said "are you ready for this" and we immediately knew it was more than one. She told us she saw twins. About 30 seconds later, she said, "hold on, I think I see one more".
A few minutes later the shocker of a lifetime was confirmed by the doctor...We were pregnant with triplets!
We were then referred to the Minnesota Perinatal Institute in Minneapolis for follow up and consultation.
At our first appointment with them, they had another surprise in store for us. The babies were all identical girls! While exciting, this posed yet an even higher risk. All of the babies share the same placenta, which means very close monitoring every 2 weeks. The term for our pregnancy is spontaneous identical triplets. Which means, completely natural identical triplets without the use of any fertility drugs or treatments. We finished up our first appointment with a thorough ultrasound of each girl, including measurements, weights and fluid levels. All of the girls looked to be growing at the exact same rate with the same amount of fluid.
Our second appointment was a shorter, limited ultrasound a couple of weeks later. They checked mainly the fluid levels and umbilical cord insertions. Again, all of the girls were tracking well and the fluid levels looked really good.
On Tuesday, September 23, we went in for another detailed ultrasound. The ultrasound seemed to be going well and the measurements of each of the girls was about the same. Toward the end of the ultrasound, we took a break. After that break the Doctor came in and told us that Baby B looked to have less fluid around her and that she wasn't exhibiting the same function of emptying her bladder every 15 minutes like the other two girls. She said she consulted a colleague and they suspected the girls may have what is called twin to twin transfusion syndrome, where one baby takes more fluid from another, leaving one baby with more fluid and the other with much less.
Our Doctor indicated that we were to come back the next day to re-check the fluid levels and prepare for the possibility of a laparoscopic procedure to seal off some blood vessels to even out the fluid.
We went in the next day (Wednesday). The Doctor re-checked the fluid levels and they were roughly the same as the previous day. He said since our case is so rare, he was consulting some colleagues across the country for advice. He advised us that the best thing to do was to wait a couple more days to see if the levels had changed and then discuss again.
We then went in on Friday and re-checked again. Baby B's fluid level had dropped a little, but she was still moving around and being fairly active. The Doctor said it was best to wait a couple more days and re-check again. So, we are going in again tomorrow (Sunday) to re-check fluid levels.
Throughout this past week, we have had a wide range of emotions. At one point, we thought that if we were to lose one baby, we would lose them all. We thankfully found out that isn't the case. We also found out that any number of things could happen.
1) If things don't change much, we likely could ride this out for a while and keep monitoring for any major changes or "watershed" events.
2) It is very possible even likely, though, that we will need to do some sort of intervention.
3) There is also a possibility, be it a last option, that if the fluid level of Baby B continues to drop and the risk of doing the laparoscopic procedure is too high, we might be faced with doing a selective reduction and cutting her off so the other two girls aren't jeopardized further. We hope not to get to that point.
That is why we have started this blog. To keep you all updated on the status and progress of our triplet girls. We greatly appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we go through this process.
cw
So, on August 12, 2014, we went in to the Hutchinson Medical Center for what we thought would be a quick, routine check of our baby. Initially, the ultrasound tech said "are you ready for this" and we immediately knew it was more than one. She told us she saw twins. About 30 seconds later, she said, "hold on, I think I see one more".
A few minutes later the shocker of a lifetime was confirmed by the doctor...We were pregnant with triplets!
We were then referred to the Minnesota Perinatal Institute in Minneapolis for follow up and consultation.
At our first appointment with them, they had another surprise in store for us. The babies were all identical girls! While exciting, this posed yet an even higher risk. All of the babies share the same placenta, which means very close monitoring every 2 weeks. The term for our pregnancy is spontaneous identical triplets. Which means, completely natural identical triplets without the use of any fertility drugs or treatments. We finished up our first appointment with a thorough ultrasound of each girl, including measurements, weights and fluid levels. All of the girls looked to be growing at the exact same rate with the same amount of fluid.
Our second appointment was a shorter, limited ultrasound a couple of weeks later. They checked mainly the fluid levels and umbilical cord insertions. Again, all of the girls were tracking well and the fluid levels looked really good.
On Tuesday, September 23, we went in for another detailed ultrasound. The ultrasound seemed to be going well and the measurements of each of the girls was about the same. Toward the end of the ultrasound, we took a break. After that break the Doctor came in and told us that Baby B looked to have less fluid around her and that she wasn't exhibiting the same function of emptying her bladder every 15 minutes like the other two girls. She said she consulted a colleague and they suspected the girls may have what is called twin to twin transfusion syndrome, where one baby takes more fluid from another, leaving one baby with more fluid and the other with much less.
Our Doctor indicated that we were to come back the next day to re-check the fluid levels and prepare for the possibility of a laparoscopic procedure to seal off some blood vessels to even out the fluid.
We went in the next day (Wednesday). The Doctor re-checked the fluid levels and they were roughly the same as the previous day. He said since our case is so rare, he was consulting some colleagues across the country for advice. He advised us that the best thing to do was to wait a couple more days to see if the levels had changed and then discuss again.
We then went in on Friday and re-checked again. Baby B's fluid level had dropped a little, but she was still moving around and being fairly active. The Doctor said it was best to wait a couple more days and re-check again. So, we are going in again tomorrow (Sunday) to re-check fluid levels.
Throughout this past week, we have had a wide range of emotions. At one point, we thought that if we were to lose one baby, we would lose them all. We thankfully found out that isn't the case. We also found out that any number of things could happen.
1) If things don't change much, we likely could ride this out for a while and keep monitoring for any major changes or "watershed" events.
2) It is very possible even likely, though, that we will need to do some sort of intervention.
3) There is also a possibility, be it a last option, that if the fluid level of Baby B continues to drop and the risk of doing the laparoscopic procedure is too high, we might be faced with doing a selective reduction and cutting her off so the other two girls aren't jeopardized further. We hope not to get to that point.
That is why we have started this blog. To keep you all updated on the status and progress of our triplet girls. We greatly appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we go through this process.
cw
Friday, September 19, 2014
Starting a blog
Hello World! We are starting this blog to keep everyone updated on the happenings in our (growing) family!
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