Like Mother Like Fetus

(13w4d)

We had a quick US today.
I will be having these every 2 weeks for the next 6 weeks or so when they will most likely change me to every week.
Everything looks great.
No further word on the sex of the babies-- we may not know for sure until our next "full" ultrasound in four weeks when all of the measurements will be done.

But the babies were a-movin' and a-shakin'.
The superficial exams done on each of them (heartbeats and fluid) were all normal.
They are stacked like pancakes, one on top of the other.

Btw... we have nicknamed the babies.

We had all sorts of choices... Winkin, Blinkin and Nod... Larry, Moe and Curly... Mopsy, Flopsy and Cottontail... Huey, Dewey and Louey.But since the Perinatologists office always labels them A, B and C... we went with an unimaginative, yet convincingly practical choice.... Alpha, Bravo and Charlie.

So here is a shot of Alpha from today....

One thing many may not know about me... but of which my family will be VERY familiar... is that I was a thumbsucker. No, not the year-long phase many children go through. Oh no... I raised thumbsucking to an art form. Mom and Dad, after much cajoling and bribing failed, resorted to using some horrid tasting stuff that was painted on my thumb each night. My response? I just started sucking the other one. When they started painting both? I simply dealt with the nasty stuff and sucked right through it. Oh... and this wasn't when I was four... think more like seven years old when I quit. Yes, I was truly a master thumbsucker.

So I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise...



Sorry, Matt.... this one is definitely MY fault :-)

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

I have been woefully negligent in my posting.
Woefully.

And several of you have reminded me of that fact over the last few days :-)

Truth is... I have been a bit preoccupied with discovering whether or not three infant car seats will truly fit across the second row seat of my Volvo SUV (still unclear. Just not willing to give up my car without a fight! Meeting for a "fitting" with a local store on Thursday), unraveling what type of complicated stroller combination will allow me flexibility without having to tote a stroller around on the car hitch (that's just not how I roll...), attempting to determine whether or not the ancient Nephites might have had access to personal sets of scripture (a fact that one of my Gospel Doctrine class members felt was alluded to near the end of Jacob), researching whether or not a live-in au pair for a year would be a better option for us than a live-out nanny (I'll be needing some help... and as they say... "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"), and preparing Sunday's lesson, while still managing to eat every few hours (including at 3am) and make it to work on time.

(Yes, I am aware that was a terrible-no-good-very-bad-run-on-sentence. Luckily I am safely out of Mr. Goldsmith's reach. Ha!)

Not to mention... I think I got a bit overwhelmed once I started looking pregnant and EVERYONE knew. Not that I mind people know (ummm, it is becoming a little obvious). But after being asked for the 20th time last Sunday... "How are you feeling????" in that wonderful singsong voice we females use to indicate we know what we think might be an exciting secret... I was burnt out! I finally put them all out of their misery and announced it in the "Good News Minute".

As Jennifer sweetly mentioned, a belly picture is in order. Matt actually took one last week... and I failed miserably to post it. No worries... it doesn't look much different. I intend to be wearing this same "outfit" for all following belly pictures to make comparison easier. And if I was TRULY neurotic (which you are all well aware I am...) I would be holding signs indicating how far along I am in the picture. That feature will be added next (ooooo, waiting with baited breath, I'm sure). Now for the disclaimer: No, my bangs are not sticking straight off the left side of my face. Yes, I am aware that is what it looks like... but nope... that would be a shadow. I was having a bad hair day... but not THAT bad of a bad hair day.

13 WEEKS

10% Sad, 90% Relieved

(11w4d)
The fourth fetus had no heartbeat on the ultrasound today.

I feel a little sad to have lost another fetus, but it wasn't exactly shocking considering it has been behind for weeks now. In a way that some may not understand… I see this as a blessing.
A relief.
We can now focus on the three we have instead of constantly wondering what will happen to the twins and what complications they may cause for the other fetuses.

We have been praying to end up with the number of babies that I can safely carry.
And I believe this is our answer.

We have three thriving fetuses.
(as an aside, I keep wanting to call them "feti"... you know, like cacti...)

They are all measuring a few days ahead and their heartbeats are strong.
They all have nasal bones and normal nuchal translucency measurements(screening tests for Downs, Trisomy 18 and heart defects).
Blood work for screening will not be reliable in our situation (triplets and having just lost two other babies), so we are pleased that they all aced their first exam.

We are thrilled beyond measure.
And very, very grateful.

Dr. Peri thinks all three are girls—80% chance that each is a girl, which means 50% chance we are having three girls (poor, poor Matt-- you can start sending sympathy cards now :-) ). If you can read ultrasounds (and really... who can?) you can tell why he thinks so in the picture of Fetus B...

Fetus A


Fetus B


Fetus C


Because of the location of the twins, I remain at increased risk of miscarriage for another week. I will stay “down” for another couple of days, but by next week I can go back to “normal” triplet pregnancy activity until 20 weeks when I will stop work and be on “increased rest”. We know that by losing the twins, we are at higher risk for preterm labor than normal triplet pregnancies, so I plan on taking it easy.

My asthma has worsened since the pregnancy began, so my medication has been increased and I have seen some improvement. I have been downplaying my symptoms for the last four weeks although Matt and multiple friends have mentioned my breathing wasn’t right. I have now had a change in focus. My goal is no longer to be on the lowest possible amount of medication (on the off chance that the medication may cause problems with babies). My focus now is to be breathing well so that the babies get all the oxygen they need, and to be on as much medication as needed to keep me out of the hospital. So I have started to become more aggressive and I am seeing results.

All right… back to daytime tv…

Too Much of a Lazy Thing

I am finding that being forced to sit on the couch or in the recliner reading novels, editing photos and watching tv/movies is in many ways very similar to being told to eat massive amounts of high calorie foods that you have spent years training yourself to avoid.

Both sound fabulous on the surface.
Both get old very, very quickly.

There are projects around the house that I very much want to complete prior to being put on “real” bedrest. These include (but oh, no… are not limited to) organization of the garage, installing new shelves, purging of the articles that have been stored in the room which will become the nursery, and the culling through and paring down of my pictures and keepsakes from childhood. And it can be frustrating to feel all right… and be stuck at home… but be unable to tackle any of these tasks. So instead I find myself making long lists of projects to be completed and purchases to be made.

For example, a few weeks ago I started digitalizing the pictures I have of my childhood. The process includes a lot of bending and lifting, both of which I am not to do for the next week or so. Before the babies come, I hope to complete keepsake books of my childhood, and one covering Mr. Sassy’s childhood. I also intend to complete books covering our marriage, including separate books for each of our major trips. Yes, I have massive amounts of work to complete. But I am well aware that if these projects are not completed before the babies arrive… it will be years before I will likely be able to work on them.

I am hoping to at least finish the book on our Africa trip that I have started, since all of the pictures are already digitalized and only need editing and organizing into the book. And if I get REALLY bored, I might even be able to finish the book on our Iceland and China trips.

One can always dream…

I did leave the house long enough today to buy a dozen K.rispy K.reme donuts.
And on Monday I intend to visit the local C.innabon to buy several cinnamon rolls…
But otherwise I have added back in several fruits and veggies a day. In many ways I am trying to follow Dr. Luke’s diet(a specialized diet for women having twins, triplets or quads)… but just getting extra calories in since I am behind.

I have been watching a steady diet of “J.on and K.ate plus 8” episodes, and documentaries. I watched an interesting two hour special on the assassination of MLK Jr which had many details of which I was previously not aware. I have also managed to fit in a few foreign language films… good for my german. I have not yet stooped to daytime court shows or soap operas. But then again… I suppose it is just a matter of time.

The best part of this weekend (besides, of course, that it is General Conference weekend which means 1) I wasn't scheduled to teach Gospel Doctrine so I didn't have to run around to find a substitute and 2) It is a pajama sunday anyway!)?

There is an IndyCar race tomorrow. :-)

And Then There Were... Four

The ultrasound this afternoon showed "just" four heartbeats.
Runt is no longer with us.

It isn't exactly a surprise, but feels like a small loss nonetheless.
A bittersweet loss as it appears that having "only" four fetuses may increase the chances of survival of the remaining babies.
The other twin is still behind, but is hanging in there.
The other three look "beautiful" per Dr. Peri. We are grateful for that!

Dr. Peri has put me on "increased rest" until my ultrasound next week which essentially means I will be on a steady diet of novels and daytime tv. As I remain 15-20 lb. behind the weight gain I should have for quads at this point... I will continue trying to shove as much food down as possible. I haven't totally given up on veggies, fruits and whole grains, but I try to add as many calories to it as possible. For example, I had a taco salad today and had beef, sour cream, guacamole added in addition to lots of cheese and then also ate the tortilla bowl. I can't seem to choke down more than a hamburger every few days, so I am having to be creative. I also added B.oost nutrition shakes not only to give me protein and calories, but also vitamins and minerals.

Just waiting to see where this rollercoaster drops us off...

Taking One For The Team

(10w2d)
The first few days after our appt with Dr. Peri and our phone consult (90 minutes long!) with Dr. El.liott were overwhelming. I was drowning in stats... most of them not very favorable. It took me a few days, but I did come to realize that the answers we were looking for would not be found in the statistics. Partially because there is very little relevant data in regards to quints, and even less in terms of the situation with the twins and the effect they may have on the rest of the fetuses. The numbers cannot tell us what will happen in our particular case (especially as I am not known for following the averages...). Dr. El.liott was great and at least somewhat reassuring although the twins (in particular the fact they aren't doing well and their location) make this an unusual situation and even more high risk than a "normal" quint pregnancy. Well, of course. Not only can I not just get pregnant like others, or just have one or two fetuses like everyone else... no... I have to get pregnant with quints and even then I manage to come up with a complicating factor (i.e., the twins) that hasn't been dealt with in a quint pregnancy to term before. Fabulous.

I am calmer and more peaceful than last week. For reasons I won’t get into here, it became clear to me over the weekend how we should proceed...

Plan A: Move to Arizona in two months if still have the quintuplets
Plan B: Stay home and deliver triplets if we lose the twins
Plan C: Do another few IVF cycles or take a cruise around the world and forget the whole "having children" thing if this all goes to pot and I lose the entire litter.

Now we will just wait and see what is in store for us.

I finally gave in and went maternity clothes shopping today. None of my summer clothes fit, and it is already getting warm where we live. I bought a B.ella band to prolong the amount of time that I can stay in my jeans, and I bought several tops to wear with the few pair of nice pants I can still fit into for work (granted, with the top button undone…)

Dr. El.liott told me I should be eating 5,000 calories a day. I am already significantly behind the weight goals for a quint mom. I have much catching up to do. According to him, my ideal food is a Big Mac, a fudge sundae or a banana split. He considers all veggies to be “junk food” and “empty calories” and I should avoid them whenever possible in favor of high calorie foods. I know it sounds fabulous! Who wouldn’t want to eat as much fattening junk food as humanly possible every day? And although it is nice to be able to eat what I want when I want it… it is a serious shift in my diet and is difficult to get used to. And eating such food every day is not nearly as fun as it sounds. But as I told Dr. El.liott, I suppose I will sacrifice by eating a fudge sundae and “take one for the team.” :-)

I am waiting to hear when my next US will be (either late on Wednesday or sometime on Thursday).

I Have Some Good News And Some Bad News...

The last set of quints born in Las Vegas was in 1987.
The last set of quads born in Las Vegas was in 1997.

Which means there is no one currently practicing here that has delivered quints.

I called the office of Dr. E.lliott… known by some as the “Q.uad God”. He is the most experienced MD in the US in regards to treatment of women with high order multiples. His quints on average gestate nearly three weeks longer than the national average. I heard a rumor that he would consult with local Perinatologists for women who were unable to travel to Arizona. So I called and talked to one of his nurses. He will consult with my doctor, but will also do a phone consult with us to give us an idea of our odds, his recommendations, etc.

I tentatively set one up for Friday.

As an aside, my insurance agreed that if my Perinatologist says my case requires treatment and experience not available here, they will most likely pay for me to be treated in Arizona.

So armed with such information, we met with the Perinatologist this morning.
He will hereafter and forever more (or at least until I change his name) be known as Dr. Peri.

Dr. Peri was nice but also very straightforward... no sugar coating for sure.

The twins are monochorionic (25% miscarriage rate and risk of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome).
And are lying over my cervix.
Apparently this is significant b/c loss of the twins, increases the risk of losing the whole pregnancy (and as a reminder, the twins are not progressing normally).

He was very clear from the beginning that my “situation” is beyond the experience of those in our state. He strongly recommended that I speak with (or travel to meet with) a good friend of his who happens to be the US guru of high order multiple pregnancies. This MD has delivered close to 100 quads, and several sets of quints. You guessed it… Dr. E.lliott.

After the ultrasound, Dr. Peri called Dr. E.lliott and told him about me.

We have a phone consult with him tonight.

This pregnancy has just gotten even more complicated than expected.

But I am confident at least that I have great doctors on my side.
That has to count for something.

Will update tomorrow.