24 Weeks Pregnant with Triplets!

At our first ultrasound, the Dr. told us that it looked like we were pregnant with twins, but the embryo was small and would probably be reabsorbed.  At our next ultrasound, the Dr. told us that there were definitely two heartbeats and it looked like one of the embryos had split, so there were three babies, but not to worry because one was small and would probably be reabsorbed.  At our third ultrasound, the Dr. confirmed that we were in fact pregnant with triplets!  Everyone has been asking what our reaction was and honestly, we were shocked, but ecstatic! 

The Dr. was concerned though because he couldn't see a membrane between the identical twins and this could mean that their cords could become tangled causing life-long problems for the babies or death.  I cried every night worrying that our babies would never make it into this world.  I did the worst thing you can do when a Dr. gives you a diagnosis and went on the internet to educate myself about mono-amniotic mono-chorionic twins.  The statistics did not appear to lean in our favor and we still had to wait three weeks before we could get in to see a perinatologist, a Dr. that specializes in high-risk pregnancies.  

In the meantime, we had traveled upstate to see my family and shared the news that we were expecting, not one, not two, but three babies!  We gave my mom, dad, sister and brother each a carefully selected children's book and on the inside wrote a message to each of them.  For example, "Dear Grandpa/Grandma- Please read this to me when I arrive in July/August."  My mom was the first to understand what was going on and she jumped for joy that she was finally going to be a grandmother! My dad, sister and brother were extremely excited that our family would be growing as well.

Finally in January, the day arrived and we attended our appt. with our new Dr.   The first thing the ultrasound technician said was "Wow, look at that beautiful membrane between the twins!"  We were so relieved the hear that there was in fact a membrane separating the girls which greatly reduced our risk of miscarriage.  But the Dr. was concerned that one of the girls appeared to be much smaller than the other two babies.  In order to find out if there was something genetically abnormal with the babies, we opted to have a CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling).  The Dr. inserted a needle that appeared to be about a foot long into my abdomen near each of the placentas and took a sampling of cells to be sent to the lab to be tested for genetic issues. The procedure itself was surprisingly not too painful, but caused cramping in my uterus once the needle got close to the placenta.  The Dr. walked the samples down to the lab and sent us on our way, indicating that he would call us as soon as he knew the results.

Damian and I were traveling home for my cousin's wedding that day and although it was a long drive (6 hours) and I cried for a long portion of the trip, I was happy to be home with my family.  After attending the wedding and arriving at the reception, we did our best to have a great time and keep our mind off of what else was happening in our life.  Since we were at a wedding reception, my phone was in my coat and I never checked it until we left the wedding.  I had three missed calls from New Haven, CT.  I listened to the message and it was our Dr. asking that I return his call.  I couldn't believe that they had rushed the results of our tests in order to give us peace of mind.

I was extremely nervous to hear what the Dr. had to say.  When he answered he said that he had been calling all day and asked why I hadn't called him back.  He told me that all of the preliminary test results were normal and asked if I wanted to know the sex of the babies.  Of course I did!  He told me that the babies that were sharing a sac are identical twin girls and the baby in a sac of their own was a boy! I couldn't wait to share the news with Damian.  But I had to wait because he remained at the wedding reception while I went home.  

When Damian finally arrived home to my parent's house I was able to share the wonderful news that genetically everything looked great with the babies and we would be having a son and two daughters!  Afterwards, we were able to share the news with our parents who had been keeping our pregnancy a secret due to the fact that we weren't sure how everything would end up.  I also shared the news with my grandparents and shortly afterwards we told Damian's family, my family and our friends!  We feel overwhelmed with the love and support that we have received from everyone during this very special time in our lives.  


Since learning the sex of the babies and making our announcement to the world, we have attended several more Dr. appointments to keep track of the babies' progress, had more in-depth genetic testing completed (which came back normal) and I have recently been placed on bed rest.  Although lying on the couch all day without contact from the outside world is boring and sometimes exhausting, I know that it is what is best for the babies and I will do whatever is necessary to give them the best chance of arriving safely into this world.  We will attend our next Dr. appointment tomorrow.


Belly Progression: Weeks 10-24

12 weeks!

14 weeks!

15 weeks!

16 weeks!

17 weeks!

18 weeks!

19 weeks!

20 weeks!

21 weeks!

22 weeks!

23 weeks!

24 weeks!