March
 

March 2, 2004 (21w3d)
We went to a class for pregnant families who will be going through a cesarean birth. We toured the facilities that are available for families and patients.  We toured the NICU where our babies will probably be spending some time.  We can only hope they will not have a need to stay long. We saw the process of how a cesarean is performed and what kinds of procedures will be done as well.  It was very informative, we are planning on going to one other class specifically designed for multiples.  That will be next week sometime.

March 4, 2004  (21w5d)
Everything is still going well.  I have have felt them now.  It is a very weird feeling.  It almost feels like somebody lightly tapping their fingers on the inside of body.  I have only felt them on the topside of my uterus.  It is an amazing experience.  I am measuring 30 weeks pregnant.  I am having some pains in my lower pelvic area.  I was pretty concerned about them.  They felt like a bruised tailbone but only in the front.  The doctor said that is normal.   The nurse explained that the pain is coming from the mixture of progesterone and the weight of the babies signaling the pubic bone to begin to separate in order to prepare for the birth.  It is pretty painful at times, they said to take Tylenol and if it gets excruciating they will send me for physical therapy.  They said it will come and go but will only get worse.  I also had some leg cramps this past week.   They want me to increase magnesium, potassium and calcium.  My blood pressure was 130/80, which is still within the normal limits.  My next appointment is March 18, 2004. 

March 10, 2004  (22w4d)
We are headed to the class specifically designed for multiples at the hospital.  My mom is going with me as Chad is out of town in Austin for work. They let us tour the NICU and we saw a set of triplets that were born at 27 weeks.  They were one and half pounds each.  I guess that is motivation to stay on bed rest if the doctor says to.  They also gave us a lot of practical ideas on how to care for more than one baby at a time.  It was a vary interesting class, and I would highly recommend taking a similar class if you are expecting multiples.

March 14, 2004 - Baby Shower in Washington
We traveled to Washington to have our first baby shower with a lot of Chad's family,  few friends, and few member of my immediate family.  We received a lot of nice gifts to welcome the new members of our family when they make their first appearance.  Hopefully it will be awhile before they decide to show up!  The babies must have approved of all the fun and games, they kicked the entire time!

March 17, 2004 - Baby Shower at School
My second grade team at Oaklandon threw us a shower.  Some of the students wanted to know whose baby we were going to wash.  Many people came after a hectic day at school to celebrate the upcoming arrival of the triplets.  They made guesses as to when my last day of school would be, when I would deliver the babies, if Chad was going to faint during the birth, and when we would move into our house.  I am not supposed to read the cards until I go to the hospital.  We also received many great gifts from the staff.  These babies will sure be welcomed when they arrive.  My students watched my stomach move today when I was reading a story to them.  So much for the lesson I was trying to teach, they were more interested in watching my stomach jump!

March 18, 2004  (23w5d)
We had our doctor's appointment today.  My cervix is holding very well.  It has not made any changes since the last time.  My blood pressure was 113/62, which is about my normal, so they are very pleased.  I am measuring 34 weeks pregnant, but I don't feel like it yet.  The babies have moved really high this last week or two.  One of them is right under my ribcage and lets me know it quite often.  They are kicking, but not a hurting kick yet.  They are estimated to be growing healthy.  Baby A is 1.2 pounds.  Baby B is 1.6 pounds.  Baby C is 1.9 pounds.  I asked if they were concerned about the difference in weights of the babies.  The said no that at this point babies have different times in which they go through growth spurts.  So we will wait until the next ultrasound to keep an eye on things.  Baby A also had some urine in her urethra.   They will keep an eye on that to make sure that it is not stationary.  I am amazed that they can tell that from an ultrasound.  Things looked great, so they said that I would need to come back in 2 weeks, April 1st...  No foolin'

March 26, 2004  (24w6d) - Shower from my students!
My colleagues in collaboration with my room parents planned a large surprise shower from 3 classes.  They kept it a surprise for almost three weeks!  Although I knew something was up, I did not know what.  They collected small amounts of money from the students and purchased a bag full of goodies for each baby.  It was so nice and thoughtful.  I had some swelling yesterday, so I had to keep my feet up so that I could prevent any further swelling.  Here is a picture of me at the shower!  Then we all had cake to eat!

March was a busy month!