TGal, how is your IVF friend?

[hlmr]

I keep checking this thread, thinking that those babies must have arrived by now, but amazingly no news means they are still growing bigger and stronger in the best place possible.

I hope that their Momma is okay though, but I am sure they are monitoring her closely!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/23/2010 4:39:00 PM
Author: hlmr
I keep checking this thread, thinking that those babies must have arrived by now, but amazingly no news means they are still growing bigger and stronger in the best place possible.

I hope that their Momma is okay though, but I am sure they are monitoring her closely!

ha, I tell you, I''m really beginning to wonder how much longer they can stay in there! They are 34 weeks tomorrow. I had high hopes for her, but even I will admit, I didn''t think she was going to make it this far. Not with her tiny body.

I visited her yesterday and saw her naked belly for the first time in a while. She''s big! She would have been such a small preggo with a singleton though, as she isn''t even grotesquely large with three. But for her frame, it''s definitely huge. I think her sister escaped stretch marks, but triplets are just too big to bear and her body is creaking under the weight.

She''s on three different drugs...procardia to stop the contractions, meds for her gestational diabetes (they aren''t taking any chances of her dealing with the issue by diet), and meds for her hyper/hypo thyroidism (and I put both on there because her two different doctors are saying two different things!). She has to check her blood sugar levels several times a day. She has a machine to also take her blood pressure with a machine several times a day. Her bedside looks like a hospital room.

She told me she hasn''t been able to sleep because she''s so uncomfortable. I told her to enjoy sleep while she can! She said that I need to be carrying triplets and let her know how I sleep. I joked that I didn''t need to carry triplets...I had one live one out of the womb and with even that I know that she should enjoy she should enjoy her sleep while she can!

Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts...something must be working here, because at this rate she''s going to go to 36 weeks or something! The docs will not schedule her for surgery as long as the babies seem to be doing fine...which makes me kind of nervous as then I think an emergency c-section is quite possible at this stage!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

WOW! That is just amazing!!! I can''t wait to hear how life changes when they come out, boy oh boy it must be getting crowded in there! She is really a trooper

 

[lili]

Wow, your friend is a real trooper.
I am so happy for her and her boys for staying put for this long.
It must be tough on her physically and mentally to be taking all those drugs.
Is the Dr still hoping for her to gestate her boys til 36 wks?

I wish the very best for her and the boys!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/25/2010 1:36:16 PM
Author: lili
Wow, your friend is a real trooper.
I am so happy for her and her boys for staying put for this long.
It must be tough on her physically and mentally to be taking all those drugs.
Is the Dr still hoping for her to gestate her boys til 36 wks?

I wish the very best for her and the boys!

Yes, the freak is actually wanting her to go that long. That''s nearly full term for even a singleton!

I won''t breathe easy until they are out...anything can happen, as we all know. And after they are out, the real madness begins. I keep telling her to ease up on her expectations and getting them on a "schedule" is not going to really happen at four months. The cribs haven''t been delivered yet, the room is stockpiled with boxes and nothing''s been organized. Fortunately, babies don''t need much to start with, but I''m nervous for her. She''s not hiring help. She and her mother are going to attempt to go at this alone for the first few months. Never mind that her mother also has 2 other new grandchildren to deal with.

It''s madness. I''ve volunteered to help, but I''ve let her know I can''t always be there, ESPECIALLY if her husband isn''t putting in his due. Why would I leave my husband/family to go help hers if her hubby slacks? I refuse to give him reason to think he can take a break from this.

I''ll update the thread when I can. I have a feeling it''s about to get WAY more interesting.

 

[Mara]

YIKES i can''t even imagine my body having to deal with 3 babies in it, 1 is hard enough and i am pretty robustly built! poor thing. and i imagine she can''t be getting much sleep at all, ugh!

it''s so wonderful that this is happening for them, but jeez talk about biting off a bit more than one can easily chew. it sounds like with their situation, 3 will be really pushing it. you are a saint for doing what you can but you are totally right in that they need to figure things out for themselves too. denial ain''t just a river in egypt!!!

here''s hoping they stay in another week or so and for her continued sanity.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/25/2010 2:55:44 PM
Author: Mara
YIKES i can''t even imagine my body having to deal with 3 babies in it, 1 is hard enough and i am pretty robustly built! poor thing. and i imagine she can''t be getting much sleep at all, ugh!

it''s so wonderful that this is happening for them, but jeez talk about biting off a bit more than one can easily chew. it sounds like with their situation, 3 will be really pushing it. you are a saint for doing what you can but you are totally right in that they need to figure things out for themselves too. denial ain''t just a river in egypt!!!

here''s hoping they stay in another week or so and for her continued sanity.

I know Mara...and wait until you have yours. Then you will REALLY respect those who have more than one. That''s why I think it''s great we have so many twins on PS...a great network of support.

But if twins tell you anything about multiples, I will say that it is the twin moms IRL who shudder the most when I tell them about my friend having triplets.

 

[qtiekiki]

What a trooper your friend is.
Good luck to her.

 

[snlee]

wow, that''s awesome news! glad to see your friend is still hanging in there! what a trooper! 34 weeks for triplets is seriously amazing!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 1/25/2010 3:43:11 PM
Author: TravelingGal
I will say that it is the twin moms IRL who shudder the most when I tell them about my friend having triplets.

Oh so so true. And I feel her pain. Literally. I was in so much pain in the weeks before my twins were born that I literally got maybe an hour of sleep a night. I resorted to taking tylenol pm almost every night to try and get some rest (with dr. approval of course).

I actually got better sleep after the babies were born believe it or not.

Her DH really needs to be a team with her though. That's the only way we made it through the early weeks relatively unscathed without help. And she's got one more than we did so she *really* needs the help. Twins someone can handle on their own but I have a feeling that triplets make that a different story.

Tell her to throw all ideas of anything out the window except merely surviving. If the kids are fed, changed, and relatively satisfied most of the time then she is a superstar. Those should be the only expectations she has!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/27/2010 2:11:50 AM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 1/25/2010 3:43:11 PM
Author: TravelingGal
I will say that it is the twin moms IRL who shudder the most when I tell them about my friend having triplets.

Oh so so true. And I feel her pain. Literally. I was in so much pain in the weeks before my twins were born that I literally got maybe an hour of sleep a night. I resorted to taking tylenol pm almost every night to try and get some rest (with dr. approval of course).

I actually got better sleep after the babies were born believe it or not.

Her DH really needs to be a team with her though. That''s the only way we made it through the early weeks relatively unscathed without help. And she''s got one more than we did so she *really* needs the help. Twins someone can handle on their own but I have a feeling that triplets make that a different story.

Tell her to throw all ideas of anything out the window except merely surviving. If the kids are fed, changed, and relatively satisfied most of the time then she is a superstar. Those should be the only expectations she has!

Thanks NF. I will let her know. Thanks for the good words.

Here is her update from her specialist today...in her own words...

She is 34 weeks today!
----

Just a quick update on the trips....

went to the perionatologist today and he thinks that baby a (one on the bottom) is close to 4 lbs. and baby b ( top on my right) is 4.5 lbs. and the baby c (top on my left) is about 4.7 lbs. these are just estimated guesses from measuring the head, leg and arm bones, and stomach.

the babies seem to be doing fine and he says he thinks i can hold them till 36 1/2 weeks! i really don''t know about that!
but it can be anytime from now and in 2 1/2 weeks....yikes!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Wow! I am so glad she''s made it as long as she has but...36 1/2 weeks?! Omg, by then she is going to be SO miserable. I can''t even imagine, I can barely sleep with one baby in there, three would just be impossible. I really hope her husband steps up to the plate, and that they arrive soon! She''s doing so great!

 

[neatfreak]

Any update yet TGal?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/1/2010 12:29:35 AM
Author: neatfreak
Any update yet TGal?

NF, I spoke with her tonight, and she said her specialist was thinking of scheduling her for Feb 9 - which would put her at 36 weeks.

However, they also want her to stop taking procardia either tomorrow or Tuesday. So the contrax can start again which would lead her to possibly deliver this week. She is 35 weeks on Tuesday.

She''s hanging in there but is depressed from being on bedrest with no one but her mom to talk to. I haven''t been able to visit with all the illness going on in my house. She''s also, of course, scared of what really happens when the babies are out.

But all in all, her sense of humor is still intact and I know she''ll be fine. I just won''t stop being nervous until the triplets are out and everything is fine.

Thanks for asking!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

wow TGal, she is such a trooper. Glad the babies are getting big and healthy but I hope she can deliver soon as she must be so uncomfortable!

NF is totally right that for the beginning (actually I think more like the first two years...) with triplets it''s all about survival. So she should keep her expectations low

We had several friends with triplets and it is way harder than twins, and pretty much impossible for one person to handle infant triplets. Glad she has you to help, but her DH will really need to step up to the plate big time!!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/1/2010 8:30:19 AM
Author: Bella_mezzo
wow TGal, she is such a trooper. Glad the babies are getting big and healthy but I hope she can deliver soon as she must be so uncomfortable!

NF is totally right that for the beginning (actually I think more like the first two years...) with triplets it''s all about survival. So she should keep her expectations low

We had several friends with triplets and it is way harder than twins, and pretty much impossible for one person to handle infant triplets. Glad she has you to help, but her DH will really need to step up to the plate big time!!!

That''s the thing...her DH cannot. He goes to work at 3am and comes home at about 7 pm, 6 days a week. He has already volunteered to take care of the kids on Sunday and let her do whatever she needs to rest, but I think that''s being seriously optimistic...and won''t last all that long.

She wants to handle this with her mom only for the first few months. She initially thought she could do it herself as long as she had someone who could clean the house daily (she has weekly cleaners) and run all her errands for her. But hey, she''ll find out soon enough...it''s not really nice to tell a seriously pregnant woman she''s crazy, is it?

 

[neatfreak]

It might not be nice to call her crazy but it WOULD be nice to have a few nannies/night nurses already vetted and ready to go for her! If she can afford it I think she''ll want the help.

Then again if her mom really is there all the time she could certainly do it with just the two of them. She''ll be exhausted beyond belief but it could happen. I can handle the twins on my own and so could DH, even in the beginning, so if there are two people she could do it.

But I would want the help if I could afford it! It''s not like she''s going to be sitting eating bon bons and going out to lunch-she''s going to be working too!

 

[meresal]

Wow, I can't believe she has made it to 35 weeks! What incredible strength!

I hope that she continues to do well. Now that her mom is going to be with her, are you still going to be helping as much as you originally thought?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/1/2010 11:49:05 AM
Author: neatfreak
It might not be nice to call her crazy but it WOULD be nice to have a few nannies/night nurses already vetted and ready to go for her! If she can afford it I think she''ll want the help.

Then again if her mom really is there all the time she could certainly do it with just the two of them. She''ll be exhausted beyond belief but it could happen. I can handle the twins on my own and so could DH, even in the beginning, so if there are two people she could do it.

But I would want the help if I could afford it! It''s not like she''s going to be sitting eating bon bons and going out to lunch-she''s going to be working too!

She says she doesn''t want to deal with it right now. I had an account with care.com to find a new nanny and offered for her to use the account. This pregnancy is wearing her thin and she doesn''t want to deal with it. I just bite my lip because I don''t think it''s wise to tell a weary pregnancy woman that she''s about to feel waaaay worse.

Plus she thinks they should be saving money right now. His company doesn''t offer health insurance (long story...they used to but no longer) so they both are on her insurance, which she now has to pay 100% of the premiums because she hasn''t been able to work for months now.

I think it''s good of her to be so cost conscious, but I really don''t think it''s fair. In the scheme of things, it''s what she''s going to really need and the cost won''t break the bank, but I guess since everything they have been buying for the triplets has been 3 times the cost. Her husband is very generous with his friends (and her too, don''t get me wrong) so I feel like maybe not buying a couple of bottles of Hennessey XO or whatever a week could easily pay for the help. But she''s a very down to earth girl and is trying to save their pennies, I suppose. I just think it''s on the wrong thing. But we''ll see. At the most, we have 9 days left before we see what life will triplets outside the womb is going to be like.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/1/2010 11:50:53 AM
Author: meresal
Wow, I can''t believe she has made it to 35 weeks! What incredible strength!

I hope that she continues to do well. Now that her mom is going to be with her, are you still going to be helping as much as you originally thought?

Meresal, my kid was sick for the last few days, and now I''m scared. I don''t know if I have it in me to do any more sleepless nights! But yes, my offer still stands to help her out, a couple of nights a week. Even if it''s not an all nighter, I figure at least letting her relax from about 7-2am will be huge (I remember sleeping 4 hours straight felt like heaven in those early days). I go to bed on average at about 1am these days since I read, so it won''t be too far a stretch for me.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Wow TGAL-you are a great friend!!! That''s rough that her DH can''t help more. Isn''t her mom already overwhelmed helping with her sister''s twins? That is a hella lot of grandbabies in 2 months time

She might change her mind re hiring some help after the triplets are here, but I think you''re right now''s not the best time to push her

She''ll figure it out soon enough.

Hope Amelia feels better soon!!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Hi gals, the delivery has been scheduled for one week from today - 2.9.10. She is no longer taking the drugs to fend off contractions, so let''s hope she makes it that long!

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 2/2/2010 11:18:33 AM
Author: TravelingGal
Hi gals, the delivery has been scheduled for one week from today - 2.9.10. She is no longer taking the drugs to fend off contractions, so let''s hope she makes it that long!

Sending all kinds of dust her way! Sleep dust until the babies get here, smooth labor dust, healthy/happy babies dust, STTN at 3 weeks dust

 

[meresal]

Tons of dust to her and those little ones.

You are a great friend and she will be so lucky to have you around after her babies arrive!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

TGal - I finally read this entire thread only yesterday and want to wish your friend the best of luck. Ah, triplets! Wow!

 

[hlmr]

Date: 2/2/2010 11:18:33 AM
Author: TravelingGal
Hi gals, the delivery has been scheduled for one week from today - 2.9.10. She is no longer taking the drugs to fend off contractions, so let''s hope she makes it that long!

Both the end and the beginning are in sight! She must be so ready to have those boys out, yet so scared of what lies ahead. It is great that her Mom will be there by her side to help her with the triplets. I''ll bet she will be appreciating and accepting your offer of help too, TGal!! It''s great to have a friend that knows exactly what to do.

Thanks for the update! I hope she and her boys have a safe delivery, and I look forward to hearing of their arrival!!

 

[TravelingGal]

About to score big on Superbowl Sunday...she''s heading into delivery within the hour.

 

[Mara]

wow TG ... is it natural labor since she was supposed to be induced on the 9th?

i gotta say that as the mom of *one* 1 week old... i honestly don''t know how we could do it with 3. i really hope that your friend gets assistance if she needs it, and she is very lucky to have wonderful friends such as yourself to help out. but..wow.

best of luck to her in labor and delivery and beyond!!

 

[curlygirl]

Date: 2/7/2010 7:16:30 PM
Author: TravelingGal
About to score big on Superbowl Sunday...she''s heading into delivery within the hour.

OMG, so exciting! Since I couldn''t care less about the Super Bowl, I''ll be checking here for updates on this situation instead. Sending all my positive thoughts her way. Hope it all goes smoothly.

 

[TravelingGal]

I probably won''t hear anything for awhile, so don''t hold your breath for a few hours...watch a little Super Bowl.

Mara, it''s a scheduled c-section, so no need to induce!