Intro to our Triplet Pregnancy

Well, I thought it was about time I buckled down & really made an effort to chronicle this pregnancy. I know, I am way late in the process, right? Today we are 19 weeks 2 days. Honestly, I never thought I would make it this far especially when we found out we were having triplets. I thank God every day that the triplets have another day in my belly b/c that brings us 1 day closer to viability.

Let me start by what got us here. We had to get medical assistance to get pregnant after having tried for 2 years. We found a wonderful reproductive endocrinologist & 9 months after our 1st visit with him, we were in the middle of our 1st in-vitro cycle. As a result of the IVF, we got pregnant. My 1st HCG levels (pregnancy hormone measured for pregnancy) was 769 at 16 days past conception (DPC). This was well above normal range, even on the high side for twins so we were expecting to hear that we were pregnant w/ twins or possibly triplets since we had transferred 3 embryos back into my uterus. Only 3 days later, my HCG levels reached well above 2500. It was then that the reality of multiples first hit us.

We had our 1st ultrasound (u/s) at 6w 6d. As I laid there, Todd was looking at the screen. We immediately were told there were 2 heart beats & 2 fetuses. We both started to cry & were relieved to know that we were actually pregnant, really, really...pregnant! The nurse practitioner doing the u/s went ahead & was thoroughly checking my uterus for any bleeding when she looked at us and stammered, "Well, um, uh...I think there is a third one!" Todd started bawling, I started laughing hysterically.

Since then, we have had 7 u/s to check on the babies. Of the 7, 3 have been Level II u/s which means that the babies are measured in many different ways as are their organs. As of last Friday, the babies are in perfect condition, no abnormalities. PRAISE GOD! Unfortunately, that visit also showed that my cervix had shortened from around 3.5 to 2.4 cm. Normal is 3.5-4.0. Considering I was fine only 2 weeks earlier, this came as a bit of a shock. I was immediately admitted to St. Luke's Hospital for a cerclage the next morning.

Saturday at 7:40am, I was wheeled to the OR where a cerclage was placed in/around my cervix. Basically they stitch the cervix closed at its highest point & then a bit lower for reinforcement. This procedure is 90% effective in helping keep the babies where they need to be & help stave off preterm labor.

So, what are the repercussions? Well, I will be on bed rest the duration of the pregnancy. That means I am flat on my back except to go to the bathroom, take a shower, and to go visit my perinatologist which is also acting as my OB. Yep, loads of fun for the next 3 months! Our next visit is this Saturday morning so I am sure I will be updating everyone again.

IF you are interested in lending a helping hand, I would love any ideas on how to pass my time. I would also love any magazines that deal w/ pregnancy or ones such as US Weekly or People. Yeah, I'm really in to intelligent reading, hehe. If you would like to visit, please give me a call & let me know when. I also need help around the house for obvious reasons...I can't get out of bed! Poor Todd can't do it all on his own. So, if you have a minute to spare & can throw in a load of laundry or fix me lunch, we would appreciate any & all help.

We appreciate all the prayers you can spare!