Here is a little update on the boys while it is fresh on my mind. First of all, I am happy to report that the babies look absolutely perfect!!! I had an ultrasound for 1 1/2 hours and then the Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist came in to talk to me about the ultrasound, reviewed the information gathered from the ultrasound and talked to me about a plan and the risks of having triplets. Drew is only a couple of days behind the Dalton and Samuel....way to go little Drew!!! I was SO relieved to hear that! In the past, Drew has been about one week behind the other two, and I have been really concerned about his growth. I think that it has been good that I have been making a conscious effort to eat a lot of protein. There were no signs or concerns of any birth defects or physical disabilities. Phew!!! The specialist, Dr. Esplin, talked to me about the kind of twins we have. They share a placenta, a chorion, but they each have their own amnion, meaning they each have their own sack. He checked the blood flow of each baby and each of them look great! He talked to me about a condition called twin to twin transfusion which is where one twin receives all the blood flow and oxygen from the placenta while the other gets barely any. It is a concern with the kind of twins we have but he thinks that we are in the clear with having to worry about that because of how far along I am and because the twins are each receiving the nutrients they need to grow and be healthy.
He told me to stay off my feet as much as possible and that I will most likely be on bedrest in 4-5 weeks and possibly hospital bedrest for a couple of weeks before the babies are born......Not fun, but I will willingly do whatever I need to in order to give these sweet boys the best chance of staying inside me as long as possible. Although we want to get to 35 weeks, he said that realistically I will deliver between 32-34 weeks which is still good. That means the last week of October-first two weeks of November. I have my next appointment in two weeks where they will check the bladder of the babies, making sure their bladders are functioning properly because that can be an indication of some different issues, they will also check the amniotic fluid and measure my cervix to make sure I am still good. In four weeks I will have another detailed appointment where they will check the growth of the boys like they did today. He also mentioned that sometime selective reduction is a concern. However, he was almost 100% positive that would not be an issue for us because the babies all look so good. He said we are pretty much beyond the time when selective reduction needs to be a consideration. I broke down crying when he started talking about that...I can't bare the thought. Dr. Esplin is 100% positive I will be having a C-section.
I feel so relieved that the boys are doing so well! The second I walked in the door (at home), I broke down crying, thanking Heavenly Father for blessing these boys with such good health, and asking Him to bless them to continue growing and being this healthy.
Although I am not a parent yet, I feel through this experience, I have caught a slight glimpse of the Love the Heavenly Father has for His children. How much he wants us to make right choices here on Earth, how much he wants us to be happy and how selfless you are as a parent. I will do ANYTHING for these boys. I am doing all I can to make sure they are as healthy as possible, and I hope and pray that they will be healthy when they are born so that they can come home and we can be together as a family. I keep imagining how much fun it will be to all be together for Christmas!!!
We have been so very blessed. It has been such a blessing to have the opportunity to be in St. George and in the hands of such wonderful competent doctors, to be so close to family and friends and to be so close to the hospital. As hard as it is to be away from the love of my life, it was a good decision to come here. Thanks to my Sweet Jacob for making me come.....I kicked and screamed a little at the thought of being away from him:) It is hard for him to not be here by my side at the doctors appointments. We both alway look forward to seeing our boys and getting an update on their progress. It's hard to not have Jacob here to feel the babies kick, punch and move around.
Jacob won't be out until the babies are born. Right now that seems like it is forever away. Especially since I can't really go anywhere or do much on my feet. I was hoping to go to the blessing of my sweet nephew, Matthew, this weekend in Salt Lake. That is now out of the question. I know that being off my feet and on bedrest (when that time comes) is only temporary and its for a good reason. When I am holding my precious boys, I know I will feel like I would have gone through everything a million times over, just to have them in my life.
Jacob and I truly feel so very blessed to have the opportunity to have these little boys. I can't imagine life being any other way. I know I will have days that are hard and all I can do is cry. I know I will have days where I feel completely overwhelmed. But I also know how much I already love these boys and how blessed I feel to be their mother. I know how much Heavenly Father is counting on me and Jacob to raise these boys to be faithful members of the church and representatives of the Gospel. I know this experience has already changed me for the better in so many ways and it will continue to change me as I (and we) strive to be the parents Heavenly Father wants us to be.
Jacob and I are so grateful for all of the love and support from family and friends. Each person has helped out in ways they will never know. We will be forever grateful for them.
It has definitely been an eventful year for the Jennings family! Getting accepted to dental school, finding out we are expecting triplets, moving to California and getting used to how much more expensive it is than Utah, Jacob starting dental school, coming back to Utah without Jacob and soon, delivering our three precious boys! Truly a year to remember!
Thanks for writing on my blog. It meant a lot to me. Reading this post reminds me so much of my experience. I know I have one less baby but the one placenta is the same complication that my twins had. But just to relieve you my boys at 20 weeks were already 2+ weeks apart in growth. I remember holding my breath every time they looked for the bladders. Luckily they always showed up. Our biggest problem was the amount of fluid around the babies and the size difference. I loved the team at MFM especially Esplin and Jackson. The NICU is also amazing. I know you will have a great out come. Bed rest will go by quickly and is well worth it. I was put on bed rest at 25 weeks, which bought us 5 weeks, it made a huge difference in my boys out come. My prayers are with you. Please stay in touch.
ReplyDeleteSarah! I'm excited I found your blog :) That's great news that you love the doctors here. AND more importantly that your boys are doing great so far. We always keep your family in our prayers and I am so excited for them to come! LOVE their names too :)
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