5. Things have changed.

We had our 16 week scan this morning, and it took 3 hours and 20 minutes!!! We were sent all over the place, I will explain. 

We started out at the usual ultrasound department and had a similar scan to our 12 week scan. They ran the doppler over and showed us the 3 heartbeats, which was a relief in itself. I have felt a little bit of movement this last week, but very little over the last couple of days. One is definitely more active than the others from what I can feel. I have an acrobat on my left side! 

The sonographer measured their length, the circumference of the head, the circumference of the belly, the length of the femur (thigh bone) and the volume of liquid in each sack. She showed us their bladders, (one of which emptied while we were watching), the blood flow through each cord and their kidneys. The full bladder shows that they are all swallowing as they should. So, all looking good! We did ask if she could see the sex but she said she might struggle at this stage. 

They have grown a lot in 4 weeks, as has my belly!! I look about the size I was at 6 months with Jack already. At 12 weeks, Triplet A was 52.2mm, Triplet B was 56.6mm and Triplet C was 53.7mm long. Now, 4 weeks later, Triplet A is 120.1mm, Triplet B is 127.2mm and Triplet C is 119.7mm.

We were waiting to see the clinician and were called in to see the breastfeeding specialist, which we weren't expecting. She had twins and fed them to 1 year and was incredibly positive about it which was great. She told us how close her grown up boys are and what a special thing to be a part of. She said the first 6 months was really hard, but once they were sitting up, things got much easier. She emphasised the importance of organisation and routine, getting into a rhythm. She used the example of having two changing mats all set up for midnight changes. Both changed at once, then feed them and back down as quickly as possible. We will be seeing her again in a few weeks to talk about expressing colostrum and feeding tips. But for todays chat, it was nice to have someone so enthusiastic about feeding multiples.

When we saw the clinician, she said all looks great, but she emphasised their concern about the single placenta. She explained again what usually happens, with twins sharing a placenta, and sometimes a sac, but the third Triplet having their own placenta and sac. She told us that three sacs but one placenta is SO rare that they basically don't believe it. So we were sent for a second scan at the foetal medicine clinic to have a proper investigation. She told us the one placenta carries more risks than if there are two, so we needed to find out so we know how closely to be monitored from now. 

So off we trudged to the next scan. I was getting hungry by now, needing another wee and parking was running out. We waited a while to be seen but when we were, he got straight on with it. He showed us the placenta and where the cords connect, and the separation between each little wriggler. He told us that he needs to bring in a second doctor to confirm what he is seeing. 

I went for a wee and he met the doctor is the corridor and I overheard him say Monochorionic-Triamniotic to her. (The single placenta, triple sac).

When we were all back in the room I was asked to lie back down again so he could show her what he has found. There was lots of "yes's" and "mmmmmhmmmm's", then an "oh, there it is". He had been pretty convinced that there was just one placenta, but he said that they often lie right next to each other, and eventually fuse together. He had originally thought that it was indeed, one placenta, but as he was talking it through with the doctor, the little join became apparent. There ARE two placentas!! 

For me it was a mixed emotion. I liked the idea of them being so incredibly rare, the 1:100,000 pregnancies. But I'm also relieved that there are 2 placentas feeding the 3 babies. A lower risk of complications is a massive plus! But common as muck! The risk of twin to twin infections being passed along, and the nutrients not reaching one or two of them are both very much reduced now.

So now I think we have a Triamniotic Dichorionic pregnancy.  This will be confirmed for us in two weeks. I'm only guessing from what I have read and seen on this picture. 

This does mean that they might not be identical after all. I asked at which point we would find out, and the doctor said "at birth". It's looking like identical twins, plus one. 

We will find out more at our scan in two weeks. 

We did however ask for the gender, also, still to be confirmed, but they think we are having boys!! Wooohooooo, 4 little boys!! What an adventure! 

Now we only have 3 names to worry about, 6 including middle names. It also means I can keep all of Jack's clothes and start to accept boy clothes from friends and family. Time to start nesting! 

Speaking of nesting, James is also well into the flow of starting the nesting project. The garage last week was great, and this week he has been rained off, so he hopes to sort out our upstairs bathroom. It has some loose tiles which he will replace with a shower tray, and needs a new toilet. He also hopes to order our downstairs bathroom suite. I'm also gradually going through drawers and cupboards, organising and selling bits to create space and hopefully earn us a few pennies along the way. 

My feeding habits.

As you can probably imagine, I'm eating quite a lot. And drinking gallons! I get up and have a piece of toast with loads of peanut butter and a banana. An hour or so later I will have a bowl of cereal with fruit and full fat milk. A little while after I will have a satsuma. I tend to have my first lunch around 10.30. Some pasta or a sandwich while I'm at work. Ill have a second lunch around 12.30-1. Eggs on toast, soup or something like that. I will snack throughout the afternoon on nuts, apples, satsumas, biscuits, crisps, cheese & crackers, mince pies etc. Then an evening meal. I'll also have at least a glass of full fat milk and sometimes a smoothie or juice as well as a pint of water every couple of hours or more. I don't have an enormous appetite when I'm not pregnant, so my evening meal is probably still a small portion compared to many people, but it feels like I never stop eating! Oh, and it's not uncommon (if I go to bed after 8pm), to have another snack, usually cheese and crackers. 

According to the book "what to expect when you're expecting", during the second trimester of a singleton pregnancy, it says am extra 300-350 calories per day, this ups to 500 towards the end. However, with multiples, it suggests an extra 300 calories for each additional baby. That's 1100 on top of the female recommendation of 2000 per day. Phew! Just wait until I tell you what it says about calorie intake while breastfeeding multiples! 

Painful hips.

I went for a short walk on Friday with Jack and a friend. It was very slow going as we had to keep stopping to jump in puddles and climb up muddy bankings. At the end of the day my hips were really aching. The walk had probably only been 1/4 of a mile up the hill, and compared to the 3 miles I was walking a day with Jack right up to the end, barely a walk. However, it's the furthest I have been since being pregnant, simply because I haven't had the strength or energy. I had attempted a half mile walk on flat at around 9 weeks and nearly needed picking up! Since Friday evening the pain has got gradually worse while I'm walking and standing up from sitting on the floor. I asked the clinician about it and she thinks it might be muscular rather than my pelvis, which is a bit of a relief. I went to the gym last night, aerial hoop, and the exercise seemed to loosen it up a bit, so hopefully it will start to ease in the next few days. I really felt that my strength has disappeared since I last went, I have no stomach muscles and a lot of extra weight now, so it wasn't exactly a shock.