21 week update

How far along: 21 weeks 6 days 

Weight gain/loss: Scale this week is reading 174-176 (37-39 lb gain) 

Symptoms: Congested/slight bloody nose as usual, swollen ankles after a lot of activity over the weekend, sciatica -- this was so bad I couldn't walk or move on Wednesday night and Thursday. I called my OB and she recommended I seek out a chiropractor who specializes in pregnant women. I went for an appointment Friday and after about a day and a half, no sciatica! I also got heartburn for the first time, especially when laying down -- luckily a few Tums helped. 
Maternity clothes: Placed yet another order through Motherhood Maternity. Ordered larger bras because my rib cage has now grown 6 inches and my bra extender is barely cutting it! 

Sleep: I'm waking up pretty much every night at 12:00, 3:00 and 5:00/6:00 to use the bathroom. It is getting harder to turn over and get out of bed. 

Best moment this week: Getting to see my friend Jentry get married! I was able to get a script for a wheelchair from my OB and had it delivered just in time for the wedding! My sister visited this weekend and we had a lovely "girl's day" with my mom on Sunday.

Miss Anything? Again, just being able-bodied! We've got 13 weeks until our goal, I pray every day to make it and I know staying pregnant is what our babies need to be born healthy. Some days it just gets hard carrying three!

Movement:  Babies are very active! They seem to be most active when I'm sitting in a reclined position. It does feel weird when I get a big body part pressing into my ribs. I love seeing & feeling them move around :) 

Food cravings: Pumpkin everything! Now that it feels like fall I've had a strong craving for pumpkin. Unfortunately, I crave sweets pretty much all the time! I could probably eat a full loaf of pumpkin bread! 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Eating too much at once, having heartburn. 

Belly measurement: Biggest part of the belly is now 42 inches

Gender: 3 Boys!!

Prayers: I pray every day for our babies (especially for the twins' fluid and Baby C's heart & brain). I also pray for my health and the ability to carry our babies to our goal date.

Labor signs: No

Stretch marks: No

Mood: Overall good, tired

Looking forward to: Our 22 week appointment on Tuesday. Getting the mini-nursery in order.
Other: I got a good laugh when the man delivering my wheelchair asked if I was 8 or 9 months. Happened again when Markus and I went to get lunch and the guy at the take out window asked if we were on the way to the the hospital to deliver. Oh boy! ;)

Markus and I on our way to the wedding ceremony - 21 week belly

20 week update

How far along: 20 weeks 4 days

Weight gain/loss: Weighed in at 170 at this week's appointment (33 lb gain)

Maternity clothes: My black sweatsuit came from Motherhood Maternity this week. It is now my favorite outfit -- so comfy! Realizing I will need to start wearing Markus' t-shirts to bed, I have only a few that are still loose. Received my maternity belt this week as well. It has been a lifesaver and makes such a difference when I'm walking/climbing stairs/standing. 

Sleep: No major changes here. Luckily most nights I'm able to sleep on my side all night!

Best moment this week: By far finding out that the twins' fluid is now stable and equal! Prayers answered! The MFM OB we saw said all of their growth was excellent and they received great growth "report cards." Baby A is 13 oz, Baby B is 11 oz and Baby C is 13 oz. My cervix is measuring at 3 cm, which the OB said at this point "it doesn't get any better than that". She was so positive and made us feel everything is going well. She commented that I'm doing a great job and to continue doing what I'm doing. I am so grateful that I have been able to rest and take care of my body and our babies during this pregnancy. 

Miss Anything? Not being congested and having nose bleeds (thankfully none nearly as scary as the ones I had a few weeks ago). I miss being able-bodied, but I know after our miracles are born I'll start to feel like myself again. I will likely never know what it's like to carry one baby, but I have to say carrying multiples is really hard work and hard on the body. In the latter part of my 20th week, I think I've also started developing pregnancy induced carpal tunnel in my hands. My hands feel bruised and the joints are stiff and painful. Oh yay :(

Movement: SO much action! The babies are moving like crazy now. Sometimes it's like huge pieces of popcorn are popping under my skin and I see something poking through my belly. The other day there was a head or a rear end sticking out and you could clearly feel it and see it protruding out. Markus has now felt the "popcorn" a few times, too :)  Interesting fact, we found out at our regular OB appointment that the babies form a triangle shape in my belly. 

Food cravings: After watching the Food Network I really wanted a reuben sandwich. I know I can't have deli meat, so I was so excited when my mom and I went to Terra in Grand Rapids after my appointment and I got to have a reuben on gluten free bread. It was made with their own house made corned beef from a cut of grass fed beef, so that sounded OK to me! 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Eating too much at once.

Belly measurement: Biggest part of the belly is still 40.5 inches. At 20 weeks I'm measuring 33 weeks!! 

Gender: 3 Boys!!

Prayers: Baby C still has some fuzzy spots that appear to be some kind of cyst on his heart and in the brain, the OB is not concerned and commented these things are seen and typically go away. Praying this is the case and that we won't need to be concerned. Praying all babies' fluid continues to look stable!

Labor signs: No

Stretch marks: No

Mood: Overall good

Looking forward to: Seeing my sister next weekend!
Other: We found out from both OBs that our C-section will likely be scheduled right at 34 weeks on December 21! It's so nice to have a firm goal date in mind! We will try to schedule our regular OB to be the one who delivers the babies. It was also decided that to make our lives easier, we will just continue our care at the MFM OB office instead of also going to the regular OB. It becomes a lot of appointments, driving and coordinating, so we are glad this decision was made. 

20 week belly

The triplets!

We didn't get any photos of Baby A this time because he was hiding behind Baby B the whole time. 

19 week update

How far along: 19 weeks 6 days

Weight gain/loss: My home scale has been reading between 170-174 depending on the time of day - 33 to 37 lb gain!

Maternity clothes: Tried wearing some of my size small maternity pants this week and it was so uncomfortable :( Finally just ordered some black leggings and a black sweatsuit in size large from Motherhood Maternity, waiting for them to arrive! 

Sleep: Most nights I'm still able to sleep on my side all night. Only major issue is my hips getting sore. It is getting a little harder to turn over and get out of bed! 

Best moment this week: Finally saw the babies moving! More on that below... Also really enjoyed our Twins, Triplets & More class on Thursday night. This time we got to hear from and ask questions of a panel of twin & triplet parents. It was very helpful! 
My aunt Astrida came to visit me this week, which was so nice! We talked for several hours and enjoyed some tea & pastries. She brought some adorable baby outfits and a cute mom duck and three baby ducks bath toy ;) Leaving many of our friends behind in Chicago (and having friends and family who live far away), it's hard not having face-to-face time with them. It was a nice change having a visitor!

Miss Anything? Being able to go to the grocery store and peruse the aisles. Markus took me to the store earlier in the week and pushed me in a wheelchair with a basket attached. My days of strolling around big stores are over! As far as food, I'm still dreaming about that Jimmy John's sandwich and champagne or wine! Lastly, not being constantly congested! 

Movement: Was sitting in my lounge chair earlier in the week and finally felt that "popcorn" sensation women talk about. I could see parts of my belly moving like a piece of popcorn was popping under the skin. So cool! 

Food cravings: No real cravings this week. Finding it a little harder to meet my 3,500-4,000 calorie needs, I just haven't been as hungry as in the first trimester. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really.

Belly measurement: Biggest part of the belly is now 40.5 inches

Gender: 3 Boys!!

Prayers: No appointments this week, so still just being thankful for every day our babies stay in and grow. Praying for our twins and for their fluid levels to stay stable. 

Labor signs: No

Stretch marks: No. I do get itchy belly from time to time and ordered some Belli Elasticity Oil this week. I received a sample of it and it really helps, smells like lavender and has no toxic ingredients, so thought to order a full size. 

Mood: Overall good. Resting at home can make me antsy from time to time, but I know I'm doing what's best for these babies. I did have a random crying spell last night -- I think from the physical overwhelm and hormones!

Looking forward to: My 20 week appointment on Tuesday. Praying all is well...

19 week belly

(cut another few inches off my hair, feels much lighter!)

18 week update

How far along: 18 weeks 5 days 

Weight gain/loss: Weighing in at 163 at this week's appointment - roughly 26 pounds gained

Maternity clothes: I honestly spend most of my time in sweats/comfy clothes. I feel like at this point I don't know how big I'll be toward the end, so I'm holding off on buying anything else. I day dream about walking around in cute maternity outfits and thought maternity style would be higher on my list, but comfort is absolutely number one. Yesterday we went to the DMV to get new licenses, it was nice to put on a normal outfit and spend some time on my make up.

Sleep: For the last few days in a row I've been able to sleep on my side all night! Yay! I slept sitting up from 5-8 am last night, but otherwise have slept until about 7-7:30 on my side without too much hip pain. Still taking naps on most days. I've taken two early morning naps in a reclining chair in the family room and that seems to be quite comfortable! 

Best moment this week: We got our family car (a Ford Edge) this week, which was exciting! I also learned a few new things in our Baby Care and Twins, Triplets & More classes. I'd usually say my appointment, but this week it seemed to cause me a bit more stress. However, it was absolutely still a gift to see our babies on the ultrasound. 

Miss Anything? My body is definitely signaling me to slow down even more. However, sitting around all day is hard for me. I want to go on walks and do things around the house, I just have to be mindful of how I'm feeling and when it's too much. When I climb the stairs it is now helping if I stop halfway, otherwise my pulse beats so loudly in my head it feels like it will explode. 

Movement: After talking with the OB at my appointment, it seems most of what I'm feeling is my uterus stretching. It happens at least once a day, but there are times it has been coming on after too much standing/walking.

Food cravings: I hate to admit this as someone who eats fairly healthfully, but McDonald's crispy chicken sandwiches are the only thing I've been craving lately. I had two this week! On a healthier note, I also can't get enough organic gala apples -- I'm usually eating two per day. Again, I am trying to really focus on my protein intake. There are recommendations out there to drink several Ensure or Boost protein shakes per day to prevent/lessen twin to twin transfusion. I tried the Ensure vanilla shakes and they are terrible! The ingredients in Ensure and Boost are pretty awful as well, so I've been making my own protein shakes with whey protein powder from Whole Foods (had my parents pick up some more when they were in Chicago!). I'd like to get some organic versions of Ensure/Boost, so I may order some I saw at Whole Foods on Amazon. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Just getting full too fast or going too long without eating! I also haven't really craved coffee lately, so I think I'm going to give it up for the rest of the pregnancy unless I feel like I absolutely need my 8 oz! I was a bit scared to drink it after the nose bleeds last week (luckily I only had one mild one this week, vaseline, saline spray and drinking lots of orange juice seem to help!)

Belly measurement: Biggest part of the belly is now 40 inches!

Gender: 3 Boys!!

Appointment Update & Prayers: After I had my 18 week ultrasound done (they just took heart rates, measured my cervix and assessed amniotic fluid for each baby), the tech brought in the MFM OB to take a further look. After she watched the twins movement and fluid for a while, she pointed out that the measurements of fluid can vary based on the baby's position and the way the tech takes the measurement. She ended up changing the tech's initial measurement of 2 to 3.5 for Baby B -- it was around 7 for Baby A. There are several markers that go into a Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome diagnosis, with fluid only being one, and so far she is not concerned. She acknowledged that I appeared worried when she started talking about it and assured me that at this time there is no diagnosis and she will continue to watch the twins closely. If necessary, we'll go to weekly monitoring. I am doing my best not to worry about Twin to Twin Transfusion. It's not easy. I pray we will not have to encounter Twin to Twin and that the differences in the twins' fluid will remain stable and no other signs will arise. 

Labor signs: No

Stretch marks: No

Mood: Overall good. A little worried this week, but feeling better each day after the appointment. 

Looking forward to: My 20 week appointment. I just want to know how the little guys are doing! 

18 week bump