Friday 30 March 2012

1 Week Old

Today the babies are a week old and I'm 1 week away from my c section. Hurrah! The main highlights of today were visits from some of the babies new aunties and uncle - (Favourite) Elaine, (Favourite) Jo-Man and (Favourite) Chris. Aunty Andrea came too but didn't even get time to see them!

The other highlight was mummy and daddy's first cuddle with Lex. Pictures below...

Mummy and Lex

Daddy and Lex
Lex



Thursday 29 March 2012

Six Days

Six days old today and they are coming along nicely. They are all off the lamps (for jaundice) so we can take pictures without the blue haze. So here in actual technicolour are...

Charlie
Charlie

Charlie is still on a ventilator (the green tube) but they are hoping to take him off soon.

Lex

Lex

Lex is off the ventilator and on sipap (the big clear tube). It just helps his lungs a bit.

Beth
Beth

Beth is only occasionally on sipap but mostly just doing the whole breathing thing by herself.

Matt had another cuddle with Beth today and rumour has it that if the two boys stay on sipap we can get our first cuddles with them in the next few days.

Apart from that there's been quite a few nappy changes and tiny hands gripping grown up fingers.  




Tuesday 27 March 2012

About those babies

Well they've been here quite a few days now and here's the news on each of them.

Charlie - the one who caused all the trouble! Because the placenta wasn't feeding him properly that's why they were all born. Charlie was very wriggly in the womb and is still a wriggle monkey in his incubator. He's been on and off the ventilator and is stronger than they expected him to be especially as he was only 2pound 1 when born.

Charlie


He has been causing some worry as he showed signs of having an infection and needed a blood and platelet transfusion yesterday. However he's rallied today and is looking a lot better. He's always kicking his feet so daddy is hoping for a footballer. He also has long fingers so maybe he'll be a goaly or a pianist.

Lex - lex was second to be born, the very same minute as Charlie. Apparently he was quite shouty about the whole thing. Lex seems more chilled than Charlie in general, a bit less wriggly but did manage to wee all over his daddy when he was getting his nappy changed.

Lex


Lex too has stressed out mummy and daddy by needing to have a chest tube because air was forming around his lung, stopping it from inflating properly. It seemed to do the trick though and looks like it might come out tomorrow.

Just like his identical twin he has lovely long fingers and a very handsome little face. We get to see glimpses of their faces around the tubes and I think we've created some lookers but then I am extremely biased.

Beth - born an entire minute later, Beth is determined to beat the boys at everything. She was first off the ventilator and today nearly gave mummy and daddy their first heart attack as they entered her room and saw the incubator was empty!!!

We were quickly reassured that she was doing so well she'd been moved out of the intensive care unit into the next level down. Phew!

We've been blessed with two cuddles each with Beth. She's very vocal as she settles down, sounding like a lost kitten, then blisses out and just flicks the occasional foot against our skin. Because she needs less intervention we can see her face properly now and again I'm biased but she's the cutest thing that ever was. Fact.
Beth and Daddy
Beth

We are settling into the new routine - for me that means lots of time spent pumping and for us both loving any time we get to interact with the babies - be it just having one grip on your finger, changing a nappy or having a proper cuddle.

When we told people we were having triplets so people said - rather you than me - too right! Are they crazy? We're so blessed it's almost overwhelming.




 

Sunday 25 March 2012

Day 2 Pictures

Hi
Just to update you the babies are doing really well, the boys Charlie and Alexander are currently on ventilation to help breathing but Elizabeth isonly on cpap and was able to come out and have some cuddle time with mummy and daddy.
Mummy has begun expressing milk for storage until the kids can take it in and mummy is doing really well, we just need a breast pump for home!
Mummy may be coming home tomorrow, will have to wait and see.
Grannies and an Aunty have been as well as surrogate Aunties so the babies know they are well loved









Friday 23 March 2012

There here!

Hi all. Just to let you know that we welcomed Charles George, Alexander Frederick and Elizabeth Eve at 11:07 today. They are all doing well. They weigh in at 2, 2:3 and 2:5 pounds. Mum is doing well in recovery :-)

Wednesday 21 March 2012

29 weeks all hands man the pumps!!

It was 29 weeks yesterday. Today we went for a scan and the little boy had hardly grown since the last scan so the consultant has admitted Claire straight away with a view to deliver on Friday. We just have to wait for three cots to be available. Babies should be fine but will be little so will stay in hospital to grow some more. We are both fine Claire has nice private en suite room with snacks :-)

Tuesday 13 March 2012

28 Weeks

28 weeks today. Survival rates are well over 90% and disability rates under 10% if they came today. All is good.

My strange pregnancy app tells me the babies should be around 2lb 2 1/2oz. They are 14.8 inches long and their veg de jour is the chinese cabbage.

I've just started the third trimester and the app tells me to start getting ready. Start? We've been sorting things for months now. We've had the front paving extending to take the new baby wagon (which we bought this weekend). We're getting part of the back garden done to help getting the giant buggy/tank out and about but also because I have this dream of small children rushing about on plastic cars.

Today we're getting the carpet on the stairs done and I will continue my new role - clothes sorter and washer woman. Our lovely friends have been donating cothes and blankets to the cause - and I am very keen to get it all sized, washed and put away. This is hampered by my getting teary at every cute outfit I pick up - and there are lots of them!

It is also hampered by my expanding form. Here I am - photo taken yesterday. As you can see they are growing well. It does mean that certain actions are becoming quite tricky - e.g. turning over in bed, getting up from the sofa and walking more than a few feet.

We're still aiming for 34 weeks so there's potentially another 6 weeks of growth to go. I may need a carer by then!

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Cabbage Patch Kids

We hit 27 weeks yesterday. Average survival rates at 27 weeks are over 90% and disability rates less than 15%. The babies are the size of cauliflowers now. Matt says they are the cabbage patch kids.

Today we had another scan. The babies are growing really well! Last time they were scanned was about 2 weeks ago.

Baby Girl - 2 pounds (gained 10oz)
Bigger baby boy - 2 pounds (gained 7oz)
Smaller baby boy - 1lb 12oz (gained 9oz)

So the girl has caught the bigger boy up and coming up fast from the rear is the smaller boy - who is doing great. Both the 2 pounders are within normal limits for single babies and the smaller boy is catching up well.

The consultant says we are doing really well and said that even if they came today 'They should be fine.'

Hurrah! We're still aiming for 34 weeks (about 24th April) but we'll see how it goes.

I'm getting bigger and bigger. I feel a bit like this...

Except the cakes are yummy gluten free, home made scones. The midwife said today that as I'm carrying 3 I'm pretty much the same as a woman at the end of a single pregnancy now - in symptoms. That'd explain my swollen trotter feet!

We're getting lots of work done on the house - extending the block paving at the front to make room for a 7 seater car, creating a patio at the back and getting the stairs recarpeted. Soon there will be no thick pile purple carpet anywhere in the house. I shall almost miss it. Almost.

Next week I have to drink the glucose drink of death (gestational diabetes test) and then we have another scan in two weeks. It's all go in triplet world!