Our Triplets Journey

Every time I start a post I think "this will be a nice short one", but then I think about all of the conversations we have, questions we ask and all of things going on in day to day life, and they end up jumping around from one subject to another as my head empties itself onto the page.  32 weeks!!!! I have made it to my little goal of 32 weeks!! At the start of the pregnancy, we were told about how high risk a triplet pregnancy is, and I read early on that they are often born at 20something weeks. We had been warned not to Google anything, but James saw that 32 weeks was a very good and pretty standard time for them to be brought out. Off the back of this, I have had it in my head that they will be here at 32 weeks and there's very little chance we will go further. So I'm chuffed to bits about this, and today I got congratulated a lot again, and plans for the cesarean were made.   Movements, which is which? I have been struggling to figure out who is moving in my bel...

Exhaustion I've hit a wall. Gradually over the last couple of weeks, I have started to slow down, even more. I thought I was slow before, but this is another level. I've taken to napping most days if I can. I wake up stiff and sore but a few minutes of walking around helps with that, but an hour later I am absolutely exhausted and then just tired all day.  Walking upstairs is now a real chore and I usually need to sit for a minute when I get there. It's whole body exhaustion, my arms and legs go wobbly as well as the expected puffing and panting.  I am now at the stage where if I'm standing for more than 20-30 minutes, less sometimes, it wipes me out. Cooking dinner is something I still feel like I can do and want to do it so James doesn't have to, but I've not made it through completing a meal for a while now. I'm too exhausted and in a lot of pain so someone takes over. I even bring a stool in so I can sit while I am chopping, cooking and washing up, but t...

Yet another brilliant scan result. They all had something difficult to measure. Each time they measure the circumference of the head and belly, the length of the fima, they check to see a heartbeat, kidneys, and bladder, they measure the depth of fluid between the baby and the membrane, and they also show and measure the blood flow through the cord and the brain. Today's scan was at least 45 minutes and didn't manage a brain blood flow measurement in triplet B because he is now lying so low down.  The final measurement estimates are 3lb12, 3lb9, and 3lb13!!!! That's a LOT of baby weight I'm carrying!! Huge help from my visiting sister. My sister has been visiting from France and has been staying with us for a few days. She massively helped out with getting the babies bedroom ready and organising the garage. She has also taken over Jack duties, which Jack has absolutely loved because of all the attention. The babies room is looking amazing now, James finished it on Thurs...

We have made it to 30 weeks!!!!  I feel like we have reached a huge milestone today and hadn't really thought we would see it. From day one of knowing we are expecting triplets, we have been told how high risk the pregnancy is. I clung to the hope that all three babies would make it, until finally, probably around week 24, when i started to believe that they probably all would make it. I have also read about so many triplets born before 30 weeks, so it has sort of become the norm and expected in my brain that they will be born long before the 30 week milestone. Some as early as 22/23 weeks!! Followed by a long time in NICU.  But we are at 30 weeks now. A few more weeks cooking would be great though please babies. Let's get you nice and chunky before you are introduced to this crazy world.  I just wanted to put this little comment in as it was so lovely. When we tell people about the triplets we get all of the funny, sometimes hilarious reactions from people. Most are bril...

The tests came back positive for Gestational Diabetes, GD. My first thought was "oh god, not this as well". But then I remembered we have had absolutely no complications up to this point. It's just been me feeling rubbish, the babies have been a dream!  What does this mean? I had my first appointment this morning, and as usual, it was information overload!  I got the call on Wednesday morning to inform me about the diagnosis. I had had another terrible night's sleep with back pain, so it did feel like kick in the teeth at the time. She told me to expect a call from the diabetes clinic, which came on Thursday.  She talked me through what to expect and what it means. From what I understood, remember and have learned from today's appointment. GD isn't uncommon during pregnancy, and more common for multiples pregnancies due to not producing enough of the hormone insulin. A normal, non diabetic person produces insulin which takes control of sugar and glucose in you...

This blog is for links and articles I find interesting and would like as future references. I will add to this. https://tripletdad.blog/2019/05/26/training-triplets/ Honest blog from a father of triplets https://www.marksandspencer.com/c/style-and-living/how-to-cope-with-newborn-triplets How to get out and about, and organised. 

Another post about my aches and pains.  I have always struggled with my back when I am not doing regular exercise. It started at uni and I was waking up with the tightness in my back being so extreme I was finding it hard to breathe properly. I couldn't fill my lungs without the pain being extreme until I was up and about and moving around again.  I was basically told that my muscles go to sleep and seize up in my sleep. Excercise to strengthen the muscles will sort it.  So I started climbing.  It hasn't been a constant problem but I have always been active in one way or another and I know how to fix it when it does flare up a bit.  However this time, I don't know how to fix it. I can't walk far, I can't do pull ups any more,  I can't do pressups or planks. These have all been easy fixes for me. I also didn't know how to stretch. I've done lots of stretches for lower back and shoulders, but the pain is in my middle back all the way up the sides and acros...