Thursday, February 17, 2011

Quick Update

The babies are doing great! Ashton and Keegan have moved to a crib and out of the isolettes...which means they can keep their body temp. where it is supposed to be. All the babies are back to 2 bottle feedings a day. Ashton I believe has it down pretty well for starters. The other two are close behind. This week we have been working on "breast feeding"...or just getting acquainted...all of us. They have all gained a little bit of weight this week and they are starting to get supplements mixed in with the breast milk to help them grow. This stuff contains extra calories and some nutrients such as iron, calcium, and other stuff.

We are planning to stay at the hospital tomorrow night so hopefully we can get some picture updates!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Whirlwind

What a week! I went into the hospital on Tuesday to stay and be monitored for my preeclampsia until the babies were born. We walked into the room I would stay in and it was BIG and nice. Almost like a hotel room but w/ medical stuff. They had told me I would have to put an IV in but not connect it to anything (this was one of my fears going into the hospital). There was a medical student helping the nurse and she was the one to insert my IV. Poor lady, I think she was very nervous. I thought this because her hands were shaking...alot! All I could do was look away and pray she got it the first time. She did awesome!

I had my first lunch of cafeteria quesadillas which weren't that bad. Then my parents came a brought me Taco Bell which was lunch number two. ( Now I am slowly adjusting to less daily meals). After a few hours my parents left a got up to go the the bathroom and looked down and I was bleeding a good amount.

"Keith.....I'm bleeding?!?"
"I will call the nurse!"
" You should probably call my parents too!"

At this moment Keith thought something was wrong w/ the babies. I thought labor was going to begin soon.

The nurse came to check it all out and call the doctor. They decided to put a catheter in.... most of the time in a c-section this happens when you are numb. However I got the joy of feeling everything. AND it was extra uncomfortable because the little balloon thing that holds it in...well Keegan thought this was a punching bag.

I began to have contractions pretty quickly after that and started to dilate pretty fast. I also got extremely hot (I was hot already and made the nurse turn down the thermostat as far as possible). I was sweating, Keegan was punching my catheter, the contractions were getting stronger each time...and I had to wait until all my liquid from the IV was in me and it was going so SLOW!! Keith did a great job of trying to keep me calm and he even fanned me for while I waited...which made a huge difference.

Soon I was off to the bright, steamy hot, sterile looking room with TONS of people in there. It was time for my spinal and I was soooo ready for it! I sat up on the bed and they said lean over and arch your back...uhhhh really? I have three babies in me I can't bend or arch anything. Needless to say they had trouble giving me my spinal and I got several "bee stings"...finally they got it and we were on our way.

Within minutes the babies were out crying and off to the NICU. As I was been sewn and glued up I got really tired and I was trying my hardest not to go to sleep.

The rest of the night was as big blur with nurses coming and going and things happening to me that I know I would be pretty embarrassed about if I wasn't numb, woozy, and tired.

A few things I have learned...

C-Sections are awesome however I never realized how long it would take to recover. I am still in a good amount of pain. I figure... a) I am a wuss b) No one talks about the recovery c) Since carrying triplets I was really stretched and it just has made it worse.

Breast pumping is really frustrating and a lot of work. You wouldn't think it would be but it is! I have to pump every three hours...that means I have to get up a lot in the middle of the night ( I know I will when the babies are here but why can't I get my sleep while I still can?) Also getting milk at first is a slow and long process of many days. And not having your babies with you makes it a lot harder. Apparently when you are with your babies your milk hormones start working...and when your not they are not. So its been kind of a slow and frustrating thing for me.

Being away from our babies is hard. Right now, honestly I don't feel like a mommy because I can't be with them a lot and can't really care for them. I told Keith the other day that I missed them in my belly. Then they were with me and I knew what they were doing...well sorta.

Anyways....I am sure I will learn a lot more every day! But that was kinda my take on the week.

1 week baby update

Presley
If you look closely at her wrist she is already accessorizing with Keith's wedding ring.
Keegan

Ashton


Woo! What a week! (This is Stephanie by the way) We have been trekking it to the hospital every day for a few hours to help w/ feedings and hold the babies as much as they will let us. Right now they have to stay in their "Condos" as much as possible to help the grow. But we try and get to do as much as they will let us right now.

The babies are doing great! All 3 of them have stopped losing the typical first week born weight and started gaining it back. It's funny how an ounce is such a big deal! Presley gained a little over an ounce in the last day and I felt like celebrating. She is still the littlest by a lot but she is tough. I tried to feed her some of a bottle today but it was really more like practicing. Her muscles aren't strong enough to suck and swallow and breath at the same time. She did have jaundice and they put this cool blue light under her to make it go away...it worked!
Keegan is squirmy! But I could of told you that when he was in my tummy. He always felt like he was swimming and kicking my bladder. Keegan is doing pretty good. He is also working on his bottle feedings and occasionally he forgets to breath...which is typical preemie behavior. He also has a...let's call it a birthmark on his left shoulder. The doctor gave me a very long scientific name for it but I will call it a birthmark. It looks like a rash...its a line of a few bumps.
Ashton is pretty laid back for the most part. He is are "fattest". His breathing has gotten a lot better but also forgets to breath sometimes. Today I fed him almost a whole bottle! He was very cooperative!

They are 1 week today and have already improved so much!






Thursday, February 10, 2011

DAY 2

Well today was our 2nd full day at St. David's Round Rock. Steph is doing really well; she has been up walking around quite a bit today, and she was able to sleep a good 8 hours last night. I am really proud of her, and I am really looking forward to that first time when she gets to hold the babies.

I need to say a few quick things about our hospital stay. The nursing staff is absolutely fantastic. Steph's nurse on Tuesday, Laura, was awesome; she took the time to explain everything she was doing and was there with us in that moment when we realized we were having the babies. Our doctor, Dr. Irvin, was great too! She actually prayed for us before she took Stephanie back for surgery; she will never know how much that meant to us. Finally, the NICU nurses are just simply the best. These are the gentle souls that are caring for our babies. They explain everything they are doing for our babies, and just watching them work we know our babies are receiving the best possible care.
Now for an update on the babies:

Presley is doing really well! Despite her weight, she has been breathing on her own since she was born. She actually has a very powerful set of lungs. . . . we heard her crying very loudly today. She is in an isolette now to help her grow and has a feeding tube. Here is a picture of her from today


Keegan will be moving into an isolette by the end of the day. He still has a nasal canula but will be off of it soon. Here he is just relaxing



Ashton had his CPAP removed and now has a nasal canula, but he has already been reduced to 2 liters. It was really cool to finally be able to see his facial features with the canula removed. Here is his handsome face


Stay tuned for some posts from Steph!!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Meet the babies

This is Presley Ann. . . . .spending some time in her isolette!

This is Ashton Taylor. . . . . . he is needing some help with his breathing right now but is improving rapidly.

This is Keegan Lynn. . . . . . . just relaxin and taking it all in!



SURPRISE!. . They're here!

Steph was admitted to the hospital yesterday (Tuesday, Feb. 8) at around 11:00 a.m. The expectation was that she would be on strict bed rest and would be monitored over the next few days for signs of preeclampsia. Around 4:30 p.m., Steph started having signs of labor (she said the babies must have known they were finally in the hospital and it was safe to make an arrival). At about 6:00 p.m. the decision was made to have the babies. From there it was all a blur. . . . . . Steph was prepped for OR and there were lots of people scurrying around. The nurse took Steph back to do a spinal block. I put on my daddy scrubbs and . . . . . . waited. The longest 30 minutes of my life. When I finally got to go into the OR, things happened very quickly. Lots of people in the room (pretty amazing how many hands were caring for Steph and the babies in that room).

Presley came out first at 7:12 p.m. (2 lbs., 12 oz. and 15 in.). Keegan followed also at 7:12 p.m. (4 lbs., 6 oz. and 16 in.). Ashton was last at 7:13 p.m. (4 lbs., 9 oz. and 17 in.). We got to see them briefly, but then they were whisked away to the NICU. What followed was the longest 3 1/2 hours of my life. It seemed like forever before we got to see the babies again. They had to stabalize them before any of us could go back. Currently, they are doing great. Even though Presley was the smallest, she was breathing on her own, and one of the NICU nurses said she actually tried to suck on her hand. Keegan and Ashton both had to have a little help with their breathing, but otherwise doing good.

Steph did awesome!! She was very tired last night, but she is up this morning at 4:30 a.m. Hopefully, I will get to take her down to the NICU soon.

That's it for now! Pictures coming soon!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Crazy week...but almost to week 33

I had 3 doctors appts this week, along with power outages, snow, ice, and the cold. My protein and blood pressure are still creeping up...but slowly. Which because it is creeping slowly I get to be monitored from home and not living in the hospital. Which means at this point I get to fill up pee jars and bring them to the lab.

Tuesday we had our appt w/ the high risk doctor and they do a sonogram where they measure the fluid in the sack, their breathing, and their movement. Well Presley was in a deep sleep or something because she was not moving. The lady had to keep pushing on my belly (which was not fun) and making me roll over on my side and back. Finally after like 30 minutes she moved. It was kinda scary but I just keep thinking all the other times she moved quicker...maybe she is just getting too crowded.


Last night in the middle of no where I had a lot of trouble breathing...not sure why but it really hasn't gone away. The doctor listened to them and said they were clear so.. I guess these babies are getting sooo big they are rearranging my organs even more.


We had some friends over for our Bible Study Wednesday and 2 of the other girls are preggo as well....but they are only blessed with one each. This is a picture of all of us and just to warn you I look like the marshmellow guy from Ghostbusters.







Left is Denise expecting a beautiful girl. She is about 20 weeks

Middle - me at 32 weeks

Right is Lydia expecting a handsom boy. She is about 27 weeks.











After I give birth my body will look like this again.... right???? ----->