Dave was off on his first day of Spring Break, so he took Alyssa to see his parents and shop around for minivans there. Amanda spent the evening at her first event for multiples - a baby clothes and equipment sale. When people asked what she was having, the 2 boys and a girl answer still got quite a reaction (even though most of the people there had twins). She was able to catch up with an old co-worker there who had twins. She was able to meet two other moms who had 2 boys and a girl triplets. One of the moms even had an older child, spaced about the same ages as Alyssa and our triplets. It was good to talk to them and have them scout for a triple stroller for us. But as the time wore on, Amanda wasn't feeling so well. She went home and immediately laid down. After drinking some water and resting for a while, the discomfort went away. But it was definitely a sign to take it easy and not do too much during probably her last weekend alone for a very long time!
Friday, March 31, 2006
18 Week Checkup and Multiples Sale
When we went in for our checkup today, they started as they always do with an ultrasound. They did a "full scan" this time, where they do several measurements on the babies. This is how they can track their individual growth and make sure they are growing appropriately. Everything checked out great. They were also 100% sure it's two boys and a girl. The doctor told Amanda to start laying down for an hour every night and counting contractions. That way she could establish a pattern of what was normal for her. If she had more than 4 or 5 an hour, they wanted her to call right away. In a multiples pregnancy, there is no waiting around to decide if you are in labor or not. It has to be stopped right away before it's too late. This seemed to so opposite of a singleton pregnancy, where you almost have to prove yourself that you are having contractions!
Dave was off on his first day of Spring Break, so he took Alyssa to see his parents and shop around for minivans there. Amanda spent the evening at her first event for multiples - a baby clothes and equipment sale. When people asked what she was having, the 2 boys and a girl answer still got quite a reaction (even though most of the people there had twins). She was able to catch up with an old co-worker there who had twins. She was able to meet two other moms who had 2 boys and a girl triplets. One of the moms even had an older child, spaced about the same ages as Alyssa and our triplets. It was good to talk to them and have them scout for a triple stroller for us. But as the time wore on, Amanda wasn't feeling so well. She went home and immediately laid down. After drinking some water and resting for a while, the discomfort went away. But it was definitely a sign to take it easy and not do too much during probably her last weekend alone for a very long time!
Dave was off on his first day of Spring Break, so he took Alyssa to see his parents and shop around for minivans there. Amanda spent the evening at her first event for multiples - a baby clothes and equipment sale. When people asked what she was having, the 2 boys and a girl answer still got quite a reaction (even though most of the people there had twins). She was able to catch up with an old co-worker there who had twins. She was able to meet two other moms who had 2 boys and a girl triplets. One of the moms even had an older child, spaced about the same ages as Alyssa and our triplets. It was good to talk to them and have them scout for a triple stroller for us. But as the time wore on, Amanda wasn't feeling so well. She went home and immediately laid down. After drinking some water and resting for a while, the discomfort went away. But it was definitely a sign to take it easy and not do too much during probably her last weekend alone for a very long time!
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Multiples Class and NICU Tour
We were looking forward to our multiples class and finally being with a group of people just like us - expecting multiples. When it came time to introduce ourselves, we were asked to go first. Our announcement of upcoming triplets brought gasps and wows from the group. So much for our hopes to feel "normal" for a few hours. Everyone else was expecting twins. It's only one more baby; come on!Anyway, the class was really good and we got some good tips, especially ideas on how one person could feed 3 babies at once. We also got a very helpful packet of info to take home, including free offers and discounts for those expecting multiples.
At the end of class we toured the hospital, including the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). This is where our babies will be taken care of, unless they are carried almost to term and can breathe well on their own. It had a very peaceful environment and was dimly lit and fairly quiet. It is a huge room full of what they call "pinwheel" bays. They have circles of 4 bays each (with a huge pinwheel on top), and one baby goes in each bay. Unfortunately, even with multiples, each baby has to be in its own bay. They said they try to keep siblings within eyesight of each other or within the same "pinwheel". We also learned that only 2 people per family are allowed in at a time. Due to tight security, one of the two people has to be a parent. Children under 14 aren't allowed at all (we were hoping Alyssa could meet her siblings sooner). They also don't allow any visitors from 7-8 am and pm, while the shift changes happen. It was really good for us to get some of our questions answered and to know what to expect a little more.
At the end of class we toured the hospital, including the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). This is where our babies will be taken care of, unless they are carried almost to term and can breathe well on their own. It had a very peaceful environment and was dimly lit and fairly quiet. It is a huge room full of what they call "pinwheel" bays. They have circles of 4 bays each (with a huge pinwheel on top), and one baby goes in each bay. Unfortunately, even with multiples, each baby has to be in its own bay. They said they try to keep siblings within eyesight of each other or within the same "pinwheel". We also learned that only 2 people per family are allowed in at a time. Due to tight security, one of the two people has to be a parent. Children under 14 aren't allowed at all (we were hoping Alyssa could meet her siblings sooner). They also don't allow any visitors from 7-8 am and pm, while the shift changes happen. It was really good for us to get some of our questions answered and to know what to expect a little more.
This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
It's A .......
With Alyssa, we decided to wait until she was born to find out if she was a boy or a girl. This time around, though, we didn't feel like we had the luxury of the element of surprise. We have too much planning to do before they get here! The day finally came when we got to find out today. Amanda had Dave so convinced that it was all girls, that we had 3 girl names picked out. (Amanda comes from a long line of all women!)
The ultrasound tech started with Baby A (on the bottom), and she was pretty sure that it was a girl. She was under Amanda's incision, though, so that made it tough to get a good look. Then she moved onto Baby B, up above her counterclockwise. Much to our surprise, it was a boy! Then she looked at Baby C (also above, her counterclockwise next to B) and he was a boy, too! It was fun and exciting to think about our family with 2 boys and 2 girls. We felt badly for the girl being underneath her brothers, but the ultrasound tech assured us that she was holding her own. But most importantly of all, the babies all looked healthy and were all doing well.
The ultrasound tech started with Baby A (on the bottom), and she was pretty sure that it was a girl. She was under Amanda's incision, though, so that made it tough to get a good look. Then she moved onto Baby B, up above her counterclockwise. Much to our surprise, it was a boy! Then she looked at Baby C (also above, her counterclockwise next to B) and he was a boy, too! It was fun and exciting to think about our family with 2 boys and 2 girls. We felt badly for the girl being underneath her brothers, but the ultrasound tech assured us that she was holding her own. But most importantly of all, the babies all looked healthy and were all doing well.
This was copied and edited from our previous website, on Babysites.
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