Merry Merry Christmas Update

Hi everyone, much has happened since our last update. Tanya has visited her OB twice and her perinatologist once. She's scheduled to see her peri again next week since Dr. Head's office is closed the week of December 24.

So, what's happened these past couple of weeks? Tanya is now 27 weeks along!! This is great because we absolutely have to get to 28. And, the real big milestone is 32 weeks. When we met with the NICU docs and staff a few weeks back, they were really interested in seeing the babies make it past 28 weeks and we're almost there.

Tanya is a bit uncomfortable and it's hard for her to sleep. Her belly is measuring 48 weeks which means she's eight weeks bigger than she was when Brenden was born in 2005. She's gained only 15 pounds according to her OB appointment just yesterday morning. And, about six of that is baby! Also, her blood pressure is fine and there are no issues with her routine tests run each week at the OB's office. She keeps two gallons of spring water by the bed at all times and our kitchen fridge is stocked with lots of protein drinks. She tries to have two to three of these protein drinks daily; the 350 calorie 13 g protein kind. I think they’re a bit thick but combined with bed rest, we have not had any problems with amniotic fluid levels since she started this routine. Tanya is amazingly strong.

All three babies are measuring over two pounds by ultrasound now and heart beats are great. Also, her peri's office was finally able to grab a picture of baby A's aortic arch and face which showed completely normal results. This allows Dr. Head to breathe a sigh of relief...those two items had eluded us for the past 27 weeks.

Many thanks to Jeff's mom Rosemary and Lisa Hill next door who have both gone with Tanya to her peri visits the past few weeks. Both got to see real time live-and-in-person ultrasounds on all three babies.

So, what's next? Tanya has to remain as inactive as possible and horizontal as the doctors put it. And, as we get closer to 28, 29, 30, etc. weeks, she will be monitored more and more closely. We're packing a bag soon just in case she needs to ride out any of the remaining weeks in the hospital but as of this post, there are absolutely no warning signs of this being necessary.

Keep checking back...more to come. As always, thanks very much for all of your thoughts and prayers.

Middle of December Update

Hi everyone, this week Tanya has made it to 25 weeks along as of Tuesday, December 11. And, her OB has measured her belly at 45 weeks! Wow! Blood pressure and weight are great; Tanya has gained 11 pounds so far. She's having a bit of a hard time sleeping and is getting uncomfortable but every day she says it's worth it.



On Thursday we visited Tanya's perinatologist who was amazed at how well the three babies are doing. All three have great amniotic fluid levels and all three of thier hearts look fine. Umbilicle cords are fine and each is measuing as follows: A - 1 pound, 14 oz; B - 1 pound, 12 oz; C - 1 pound, 9 oz! All of their structures look great too.



Tanya's perinatologist asked us to come back in one week so we don't have to wait over the Christmas break until we go back. So, we'll be back there on December 20 with more updates.



Tanya gave me permission to post this picutre I took of her on Thanksgiving day. This was at week 22 (remember now she's at 25 :) )



More to come...

Finally! Some Ultrasound Pictures

(Baby C) Head on the right facing down, can see right arm and hand too

(Baby B) Looking left, can clearly see nose and mouth

(Baby A) Looking up to the right, can clearly see head and nose

Hey Everyone, we don't have a scanner at home so I tried to take digital photos of the most recent ultrasound images of the triplets. They're not perfect but you can certainly see babies A, B, and C! Baby A is our little singleton; AKA - the fraternal twin. Babies B and C are our identical twins.

Jeff

23 Weeks and then some (PLUS AND OLD PIC FROM 2005)

Hi everyone --- yesterday we had a great visit at the perinatologist's office. First and foremost, all three of the triplets are doing great. All three have great heart beats and amniotic fluid levels are measuring right on track. We had such a good appointment, Tanya's peri has asked her to come back every two weeks. You'll remember just a couple of weeks ago we were seeing her every week and it moved to every 10 days...now, it's every 14.

We still need to get past the 24 week hump and that will be this coming Tuesday; December 4. After that, we really need to be shooting for week 28 (at January 1) and then 32 weeks on January 29. Tanya's getting a little more uncomfortable and she's measuring 40+ weeks now.
Tanya's doctors are encouraging as much bed rest as possible each day and she's keeping up with the protein drinks.

Also, we toured the NICU at the hospital yesterday. I (Jeff) had not yet received my flu shot so I had to gown up, wash my hands, wear gloves, and a mask! Tanya, as forward thinking as she is, has already had her flu shot so she walked right in. Nevertheless, we met with Dr. Farhi; he's the NICU doc who treated Brenden in December, 2005. It was nice to see a familiar face and he welcomed us for a quick tour. You see, Tanya will be delivering the triplets at the Johnston Willis campus of the CJW Medical center while two years ago, Brenden was born at the Chippenham campus of CJW. Luckily, the NICU docs and nurses rotate between the two campuses so we're completely comfortable with the superb level of care.

Dr. Farhi briefed us on how things will probably go depending on how long Tanya carries the triplets. He mentioned two to three teams of NICU folks will be in the delivery room based on gestational age of the triplets. And, he will be talking with Tanya's OB and perinatologist as necessary up to the delivery time.

So, here's a picture of Dr. Farhi, Tanya, and Brenden when Brenden was born in December, 2005. This weekend we'll scan in some ultrasound pictures of the triplets. Hope you have a great weekend! As always, thanks for all of your support.

Tanya, Brenden, and Jeff

Tanya's made it to 23 weeks!

Hi everyone --- quick update. Today Tanya visited her OB and all three heart beats were going strong. She's 23 weeks along today! Remember, our first milestone will be 24 weeks so we're almost there.

She's measuring 40 weeks. That means her body thinks and looks like she's 40 weeks along. She's resting a lot and drinking plenty of protein drinks.

More to come on Thursday of this week after the next visit with her perinatologist. Thanks for all of your support!

Tanya, Brenden, and Jeff

Surprise Surprise - We're at 22 Weeks!

Hi Everyone, we got a bit of a surprise yesterday when Tanya visited her OB. He told her --- you're 22 weeks pregnant on Tuesday (today)! And, he revised her due date from April 1 to March 26!

So, what's all this mean? We're further along than we thought and that's a great thing. Since Tanya is 22 weeks pregnant, she's even closer to our first goal --- making it to 24 weeks. 24 weeks is the earliest viable gestation time; clearly not what we want, but we absolutely have to get to 24. The next milestones will be 28 weeks, 30 weeks and finally 32 weeks. Getting to 32 weeks will be absolutely wonderful. All three babies have the best chance once we get to that point. And, NICU stays are shorter once at 32 weeks. Remember --- 32 weeks is still two months premature. So, we're hoping to make it even past that!

Now, let's talk about bed rest. Tanya is physically measuring 38 weeks. That means her body looks and feels like it's 38 weeks pregnant. This is due to the volume of babies she's carrying. So, bed rest will be coming soon --- probably later this month or early December. We will find out more when Tanya visits her OB again on November 26.

We visited with Tanya’s perinatologist today. As you can see the doctor appointments are coming back to back now. The peri sad all heart beats, baby bladders, amniotic fluid measurements, and growth measurements look great. Tanya goes back to the peri in 10 days for a routine visit.

That is all for now --- we cannot thank you enough for all of your thoughts and prayers. More to come!

20 Weeks and 2 Days - Great Dr. Appt Yesterday!

Hi Everyone, we visited Tanya's perinatologist yesterday and got a great report. All three of the triplets are progressing well and all are measuring within a few days of each other from a size perspective. Amniotic fluid levels are all in normal range and the babies are looking great.

So great that Tanya's perinatologist, Dr. Barbara Head, told her after next week, we will be moving to visits every 10 days v. once a week. This is great news!

Tanya's next visit to her perinatologist will be on Tuesday, November 20 and they will look again at all fluid levels, heart beats (they were all three fine yesterday), etc. Then, on or about November 30, the perinatologist will look again at all these items. Following that, on or about December 11, the perinatologist will perform more growth scans via ultrasound to make sure all babies are progressing as they shoud. So, this little snap shot of the next few appointments will help us keep track of what's coming next.

You can even tell Dr. Head is more optimistic than she was even a few weeks ago. As we were leaving her office, she was giving advise on triple decker strollers and car seats. :)

More to come...thanks for all of your support, thoughts, and prayers!

Tanya, Jeff and Brenden

19 Weeks and 3 days - all good so far

Hi everyone, thanks again for checking on us so often. Tanya's last appointment with her perinatologist on Monday of this week went very well. All three of the triplets are in plenty of amniotic fluid, all three had great blood flow in their umbilical cords, and all were measuring on track for this stage of the pregnancy. All heart beats looked normal too. So, we go back for our weekly perinatologist visit this coming Monday for the next ultrasound.

Tanya has been taken out of work and is resting at home. She spends her time making sure she's consuming enough protein and water each day plus resting. Doctors suggest she remain horizontal as much as possible.

Thanks to everyone who has already donated almost 1/2 a garage full of clothes and baby items. There are some more folks who have offered and we're synching up with you soon. Thanks also for all of your thoughts and prayers. More to come...

Whew!

Hi everyone, we've had a few more doctor visits since our last post. Everything is going well. There was a bit of a scare last Thursday with the level of amniotic fluid surrounding baby c but that appears to have subsided.

All three little guys are doing well. Tanya is now 18 weeks along and getting plenty of rest. Her doctors locally and around the country are recommending as much horizontal rest each day as possible. She has increased her daily dose of Boost or Ensure bottles to 3 or 4. We're buying stock in those companies as well as Huggies for future reference.

Since it's ideal to make it to 32 weeks when pregnant with triplets and Tanya is now at 18, it's critical that we do everything possible to keep those little guys in her belly. So drinking water as prescribed, protein drinks, getting lots of rest, not over exerting herself, etc. are all important. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we'll write more soon. Also, I promise we'll get a couple ultrasound photos scanned soon.

Thanks for all of your support..

16 Weeks 5 days (Measuring 27 weeks)

Hi everyone, Tanya's DR (OB) appointment was today and she just got out of the office with a wonderful update. She's 16 weeks, 5 days along. Her body is treating the pregnancy as if she were 27 weeks. Remember the goal is to get go longer than 32 weeks gestation with triplets. At 16 weeks, 5 days, she's just over 1/2 way there. Since her body responds as if she were 27 weeks, her doctor is asking her to start taking it easy while at home. All three of the triplets are doing great and very active. The twins have moved to a spot just above her belly button and the single has moved right below them. All are facing her back at the moment and have great heart beats. Tanya's next appointment is with her perinatologist on October 25. This is the doctor who takes a close look at each of the triplets with a fancier ultrasound machine. Her doctor visits will become more frequent as we get further into October. Her OB now will see her every two weeks and we suspect her perinatologist will order the same when Tanya visits her on October 25. More to come. Thanks…

16 Weeks, 2 Days

Hi everyone -- quick update. Tanya is 16 weeks, 2 days along as of today. The triplets were extremely active yesterday while we were at work. They jumped around all day and could be felt several times each hour. We'll be scanning the most recent ultra sound pictures and posting them on this site by this weekend. All is going great so far and Tanya is heeding advice from her doctor and resting as much as possible, drinking almost one gallon of water each day, taking in tons of protein, etc. etc. More to come soon --- there are a couple doctor appts. next week. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

All looks great - Friday appointment!

Hi everyone, we visited with Tanya's perinatologist on Friday morning. The ultrasound machine they have is very detailed. Stay tuned for some images from that day; we'll try to post them on this site soon.

All three babies measured on target and they're all doing great. The doctor told Tanya to take it easy as much as possible. The more rest and also good eating habits she has now, the more likely all three babies will stay in longer.

On Sunday, October 7, Tanya will be 15 weeks pregnant! We're on our way! :)

Fantastic Update!

I just got a call from Tanya. She’s headed into the office from a quick visit with her OB. I couldn’t make this one but will be with her later this week when she sees her perinatologist. Ok..here’s the update:

Tanya’s progressing as if she were 23 weeks but she’s really only 14 weeks, two days. This is normal for a triplet pregnancy. It means her body responds to her pregnancy as if she was 23 weeks due to the volume of babies.

All three are doing very well and were observed on the OB's ultrasound. All are tracking as expected and there is no sign of any issue. Tanya has lost another two pounds but her OB advised this is normal and actually preferred. Not gaining weight puts less stress on her baby organs early in the pregnancy.

The ultrasound showed a very calm and laid back singleton (the fraternal twin) and two hyper active identical twins! The twins have always been super active when we've seen them. It's hilarious.

Next appointment with Tanya's peri is this Friday. It will include a much more in-depth look by ultrasound. More to come.

Wow! Three boys is still sinking in :)

It's Thursday night and Tanya is doing well. She's feeling well and drinking lots of water. Right now she's reading a book about expecting multiples and watching "My name is Earl" at the same time. We think the news about having three boys is super exciting. Can you imagine having four boys, including Brenden, all less than three years old? It's going to be awesome, crazy, amazing all at the same time.

Our next appointments are about one week from now. Tanya's perinatologist will take another look via ultrasound on October 5 which is Friday. She'll be almost 15 weeks at that time. We'll be hoping for re-assuring news that all is well.

Keeping these three guys healthy in the belly and remaining in there past 32 weeks is the ultimate goal. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers; we'll post more soon.

The Results are In

Hi Everyone, Tanya just got a phone call from the geneticist at Drexel confirming with 100 percent confidence the chromosomal test came back perfect. Also, we're having three boys! :)

Our Trip to Philly --- Good News

On September 17 we visited with a maternal and infant health specialist physician at Drexel University in Philadelphia. We also met with a genetic counselor. The physician, Dr. Ronald Wapner, performed what is called a CVS test which will help us understand the chromosomal make-up of the three babies.

On September 19, we received the initial results from the CVS test and with a 95 percent level of confidence, there is no sign of chromosomal abnormalities in any of the three babies! We are so happy to hear this news. And, we expect confirmation of this with 100 percent level of confidence on or about September 26 in addition to learning the gender of all three babies!

More to come..

We're having a baby - make that three :)

On August 23, we went to Tanya's doctor to have all the pregnancy stuff confirmed. Much to our surprise her doctor found not one, not two, but three little babies!

Look at this ultrasound taken the next day by Tanya's perinatologist showing babies "A, B, and C!"

Tanya is pregnant with two identical twins supported by one placenta. This is called a monochorionic diamniotic pregnancy. She is also pregnant with a singleton supported by it's own placenta and amniotic sac. Together, the three babies make up her triplet pregnancy.The twins are at significant risk becuase they share one placenta. And, overall, a triplett pregnancy is risky because it's typical that pregnancies like this gestate less than the normal 40 weeks.Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we'll keep you up to date often.