Roller Coaster Risks
This post isn't a fun one. Every week, from the moment we found out we were not only pregnant but with triplets there has been a roller coaster ride of emotions that come with hearing the risks of carrying triplets. I'll run down a few of the risks thus far, I'm sure I may have to revisit this topic in the next 14 weeks.
I have two sets of doctors, my OBGYN's and my High Risk Doctors. I see both of them every two weeks (alternating weeks). Every week I have an appointment, so it does ease some anxiety with asking any questions and getting a second opinion from the week before. (I will ask the same damn question every week, just to see what the doctors will say compared to what I've already been told).
It's great, seeing and hearing the heart beats. Since there are three babies, the doctors can't just use the doppler machine to rate the heart beats, so every week there's an ultrasound. I get so much joy in seeing them!!! Aside from being high risk because of my age (37), it was determined early on that there was one placenta. "Unusual," says the doctor. The babies are sharing ... I wasn't sure if I needed to take additional prenatal vitamins, with carrying three babies, but the High Risk Doctors did say I needed to take an iron supplement to help with producing blood for myself and the babies. They told us about something else called Twin to Twin Syndrome, or in our case Triplet to Triplet Syndrome (TTS). This is when fluids are transferred back and forth from baby to baby and one ends up getting more than they should while the other isn't getting enough. There's no known cause of why or how this happens and it could ultimately end up being fatal. Lucky for us and with the help of modern technology, the ultra sounds help measure the fluids around the babies and if this were to start happening, there are some procedures that can help slow this.
When we were told we were having triplets at week 12, the doctors said, each baby was in it's own sack. We were told at week 14 that the membrane between baby B and C was thin to non existent. Meaning, Baby A was in her own sack, but babies B and C were in the same sack. At week 16, another set of doctors & technicians "confirmed" this. Now we were told, the concern was of babies B and C getting tangled in each others cord, which again could result in a negative. So for two weeks, this became an added worry I'd been trying not to consume myself with. You'll be happy to know (as I was) that today at 18 weeks, the technician could see the membrane between babies B & C, so it appears everyone does infact have their own sack. On the other side of that, though, I always like it when a doctor comes in to check the work of the technician, which didn't happen today.
Week 16 and 18, I was lucky enough to get a vaginal probe, (YIPPIE) to check my cervix. All looked good and even with the added pressure test, the ol' cervix held up. All this means is bed rest isn't around the corner and for me to keep taking it easy. With triplets, some times the cervix and body for that matter will get tricked into thinking it's further along than it actually is. So I'll be watched pretty close to make sure the weight doesn't start any preterm labor or obvious risk is giving birth prematurely. Which on the big scale of things, doesn't scare me too much, but I want to have my babies on the inside for as long as possible.
~Truly Karae
