20 weeks and when are the babies due??

Babies and I had our 20 week appointment on Friday, February 13. Despite the superstitious day, we had a great appointment!

It was our long appointment where the ultrasound tech did the detailed scan of each baby. We have confirmed 2 boys and a girl (not that there was a lot of doubt on that) and they all look completely normal and happy. Well, except for Baby Boy B – he is breech and his brother and sister are head down so we saw him get kicked in the head a lot. Consequently, I’m not sure he’s all that happy! We’re hoping that the womb trauma doesn’t increase B’s need for therapy later in life. :-) Baby Boy A was weighing in at 13 oz. and Baby Boy B and Baby Girl C were coming in around 12 oz. Those are really good weights for 20 weeks!

Here are some pics. Only Baby B's 3-d picture came out well...and there were not great profile pics of Baby C. So, you get to see her foot. :-)

Baby A

Baby B

Baby C

My check-up was good too. I had gained weight again & my blood pressure continues to be low. I am having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions though (and an occasional real contraction) so I think the time is quickly approaching where I’m going to need to cut back work hours and find other ways to slow down. I am now on the 2 week appointment cycle and will see the doctor again on February 26.

In other baby news, the nursery is painted & is currently home to three large boxes, i.e. the cribs. Anyone who has an electric screwdriver is free to come over any time and start construction!

My co-workers threw a wonderful shower for us this past week. We were overwhelmed and humbled by their thoughtfulness and generosity. And Joshua was beside himself when he got in the van on Monday and saw all the “presents for babies.” Everything is now in the dining room (or the downstairs triage as I’ve taken to calling it) in desperate need of organization but Joshua is having great fun going through everything two, three, four, five, six times. :-) Interestingly, aside from the balloon that somehow made it from the shower to the house, Haley couldn’t be less interested in the growing piles of presents for babies.

I’ve had a lot of people ask me when the babies are due. Answering this question is actually more difficult than it may sound, but let me give it a shot. A pregnancy is considered full term at 40 weeks. 40 weeks for these babies would be July 1. However, 99.9% of triplet pregnancies will deliver before 40 weeks and, actually 37% of of triplets will deliver before 32 weeks and 92% will deliver before 37 weeks (From the book, When you're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads by Dr. Barbara Luke). Thus, these babies will certainly be premature.

The next obvious question is, how premature? While there is no bright line, sustainable viability is usually thought to be around 27/28 weeks (April 1 or April 8). That is the first goal. However, our doctor told us that babies born after 32 weeks have a much, much better chance at normal development and usually have less serious complications. 32 weeks for us is May 6. That is the second goal. But, we clearly want the babies to have the best shot possible at normal development & want to reduce their time in the NICU so we’re shooting for past that date as well. (Of course being a couple of overachievers might have something to do with this!) The perinatologist told us at our first appointment that he would not let us go much past 35 weeks because at that point there is usually more they can do for the babies outside of the womb as opposed to inside.

So, our ultimate goal is 35 weeks with a birthday on or after May 27. For those of you who believe in praying specifically, there’s the date to keep in your prayers. And, for the record, we’re accepting all prayers, positive thoughts/energy/karma as can be spared.