Thursday, August 30, 2012

Of Swingers and Spies

I'm hesitant to write this post because we still are not sure what we are facing. So if I go missing in the next day or so, please assume the worst - either I've been abducted or I've been initiated.

Mike and I have compared notes regarding our new neighborhood and have concluded 2 possible explanations: we either have moved into an enclave of swingers or we unknowingly have infiltrated a hive of espionage. These are the only 2 possible theories for why we never see anyone outside OR if we happen to cross paths with a neighbor, he or she quickly looks away and scurries inside.

Case in point: I have seen the neighbor to our right exactly 1 time in the month we've lived here; I have NEVER seen our neighbor to our left. The one time I saw our neighbor to the right, I happened to walk outside as she emerged from her garage. She walked to the end of her driveway to retrieve her trash can when she saw me. Her eyes widened in surprise and she hurriedly looked away. She grabbed her trash can and ran ... literally, ran ... to her backyard.

Second case: we have put Addie in her wagon and have walked around our neighborhood at least twice. On one occasion, we didn't see a single person outside even though it was a gorgeous evening. The second walk yielded 2 possible people with whom to talk. One was a man who was sweeping out his garage. I said something to him about how I liked the princess castle in his garage. He looked up long enough to make eye contact with me, and then promptly returned to sweeping. During the 2nd encounter, I complemented a woman on how well-behaved her dog was. She must have thought I was mocking her because she huffily explained that her dog was merely excited. I assured her I was impressed with how the dog wasn't running all around like my dog would do. She then huffed (really, that's the only way she knew how to talk) that of course her dog was behaving; he was a on leash. She then strolled away.

So we have concluded that somehow we managed to pick the one neighborhood in Jax that has something to hide. And logically, it must be that either they are all swingers or they all are spies.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Butt-head and the Kickers - (26 wk round-up)

Here is an unofficial composite ultrasound of the triplets at 26 weeks:


You probably can't tell from the illustration but Ryleigh's butt happens to be right at my solar plexus - this explains a lot of the discomfort I've been feeling at the top of my uterus. Supposedly, the ripping sensation I've been feeling up there are the muscles tearing as they try to adapt to the bulging baby that has wedged herself near my ribs. She also has the entire top of the uterus to herself so we were able to see her bowlegs stretched the length of the womb.

McKenna is in a jack-knife position with her butt right above Ryleigh's head. In fact, in several of the ultrasound pics of Ryleigh, you can clearly see a buttocks hovering just above her face. Poor Ryleigh. Although, as Mike pointed out, at least she's not being smothered by Josiah's posterior. McKenna by far is located the farthest south in my uterus, sometimes right on top of the cervix.

Josiah still is a proud boy. I didn't make the illustration gender-specific in order to keep it PG, but the ultrasound tech had quite a few giggles at Josiah's expense. He is the most active of the three kiddoes, and he specializes in kicks to the gut.

McKenna weighs 1 lb., 13 oz
Josiah is 1 lb., 12 oz
Ryleigh is 1 lb., 11 oz

Sunday, August 26, 2012

26 Weeks - You look so cute, oh wait ...

Covered Up

 You look so good, I wouldn't even know you're pregnant with triplets. Are you sure you're at 26 weeks?

Uncovered

Oh my God! Did you swallow a baby whale? Please, cover that thing up!

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Doctoring by guess and theories

I believe today should be recorded in some almanac as the day a doctor finally admitted a truth we patients have long suspected: much of what drs. do is merely based on theories and contradictory studies. Today's admission came after she admitted that there are not enough studies on triplet births to really know what helps or hurts triplet pregnancies. Some studies indicate that lots of rest is beneficial while others seem to indicate there is no known benefit from enforced bedrest. This would explain the variety of opinions I've received from my various health care providers.

* My ob/gyn in Richmond said I should expect to gain 40 lbs. She also said the idea that I should gain lots of weight to make room for the babies is a myth and that there's no correlation between my size and the size of the babies.

* One of the perinatologists in Richmond said I should gain 55-60 lbs, and I need to fatten up early in the pregnancy so the babies will have a better chance at having good birth weights.

* One perinatologist in Richmond told me to do whatever I want (within reason) but to stop an activity if I begin to cramp. He didn't believe in prescribed bedrest or house arrest unless there were indications that the patient needed it. The other 2 perinatologists I saw prescribed half bedrest (meaning 6 hrs a day) starting around week 20 and full bedrest starting around week 24.

* My ob/gyn in Jacksonville echoed the idea that I should do what I feel like doing until I begin to hurt or cramp. She said I should aim to rest 2 hrs a day. She did say the reason many drs prescribe increased rest is because a few studies have shown that when a patient stands for long periods of time, the blood flow to her uterus begins to decrease - which can lead to pre-term labor. She also warned that I will most definitely be on bedrest at some point but she doesn't know when.

So since I feel great, haven't experienced any cramping, still have good blood pressure, etc., I think I'm going to forego the restrictions Mike and my family have placed on me. I'm gonna start jumping on trampolines, riding my bicycle, skiing on the local river and skipping wherever I go... at least until I start cramping or a baby falls out.