My first "regular" OB check

I visited my obstetrician yesterday. My regular gynecologist only does gyn these days so I have to see someone else in her practice for ob. I met her for the first time yesterday and really liked her. She was friendly and caring and took a lot of time with me to answer all of my questions. Here's what I learned:

• The nausea/vomiting may persist into my 14th or 15th week. It's not unusual for it to last that long, especially with multiples. Just what I didn't want to hear. She prescribed Reglan for the nausea. She said that sometimes it works better for some people than the Zofran. I'm getting it filled today.


• I am allowed to walk 30 minutes a day until week 20. Beyond that, she said I should only be on my feet for about 10-15 minutes a day. That's going to be miserable. It's only 8 weeks away so I better enjoy my 30 minute walks with Winnie until then!


• She is not overly concerned about my lack of appetite right now. She said after 15 weeks, she'll get more on my case about eating enough and the right foods, especially protein-rich foods.


• I need to be prepared for bed rest at 20 weeks. She said it doesn't always happen, but it is not unusual, and it's better to be ready than for it to catch you by surprise. She gave me the explanation for when bed rest is recommended. That's where the lady business illustration above becomes important. As you can see, the cervix is between the uterus and the vagina. When a woman dilates, they are measuring the opening of the cervix closest to the uterus. However, with a multiples pregnancy, the weight from the babies and fluid puts pressure on that opening, which pushes down on the cervix. This causes the cervical length to decrease because it is being compressed. My perinatal specialist will measure my cervical length every 2 weeks after 20 week, and if it gets to be too short, bed rest will be recommended to alleviate the pressure on my cervix.

Everything seems to be looking good for now. I will visit my perinatal specialist again on Friday to get some tests performed on the babies and make sure they are all in tip-top shape.

I had a couple of good days this week, but I now have a cold. Whenever I cough, it triggers my gag reflex, and I already threw up a bunch of mucus this morning. My throat is so sore, and I'm congested. It's not good. I only slept a couple of hours last night because I was so miserable. I have to call my doctor and find out what I can take to alleviate some of the symptoms.

If I wasn't pregnant, I would get loaded up on Tussinex, which kills the cough and knocks me the hell out. I love that stuff. However, these little people inside of me complicate the issue. I don't think they are supposed to get strung out on Tussinex this early in life.

I'm probably have to do a bunch of natural crap, like salt water gargles, hot lemonade, Vick's vaporub, etc. Speaking of Vick's, when I was a kid, that was the remedy my grandma, Nata, used for colds. She would rub Vick's all over our chests when we were sick and then wrap us in plastic wrap. That's so weird! What was the point of the saran wrap?

I hope to get some rest today, but it doesn't look good. We are having new flooring installed in our condo. Today, they are doing the entrance area. We are getting hardwoods put down there. Tomorrow, they are putting down fresh carpet everywhere. I can't exactly take a nap with all of this commotion going on. If these updates get this place sold for us, I'm willing to take all of the noise.

I will update the blog after my appointment on Friday.

When will it end?

I had a couple of decent days, but yesterday turned into barf-a-rama again! I ran out of Zofran (anti-nausea/vomiting medicine), but I thought since I was approaching week 12, I could hold off on my refill.

Also, my insurance said they would cover a 30 day supply, with a refill in a month. However, their 30 day supply meant taking it once a day, when in fact, it's supposed to be taken twice a day. I ran out a few days ago, and when I called in my refill, Sam, my pharmacist, said I would have to pay out of pocket unless I got some authorization from my insurance. This stuff is super expensive so I didn't really want to pay out of pocket for it.

I called my insurance and raised a stink about being pregnant with triplets, and if they would prefer to pay for more hospital time after the babies were born because they were low birth weight, since I couldn't hold down food, instead of just forking out some money for the meds, they could certainly do that. I got an override on my policy! Jackpot! Billy picked up my refill last night after I texted him that I had thrown up 3 times.

I had him get me the medicine and also my latest food craving-veggie subs from Publix. I've eaten 3 or 4 or them in the last few days. I had one today at 10 a.m. (after eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast at 8), and I have another one sitting in the fridge for dinner. What is my deal with random foods? Why do the babies make me want this stuff? Not that it's bad, but it's just not what I regularly eat.

I'm hoping the sickness ends soon. I'm still doing fine weight wise. In fact, I went to the doctor today for an itchy rash I have on my back, and when they weighed me, I was up 8 lbs since my last visit there around this same time last year. How can I gain weight when I hardly eat, and I barf so much? I'm glad my little babies are thriving because I'm not doing so well. They better let up on me.

Rough Day

Yesterday was an ugly day. I had a couple of decent days, as far as my nausea and vomiting go, but yesterday was particularly bad. I woke up feeling sick at about 2 a.m., but I was finally able to go back to sleep for a few hours. We got up and went to church, and I was not doing well there. I had cold sweats, and the turtle neck I was wearing felt like it was closing up around my neck.

As soon as we got home, I marched straight into the bathroom and threw up my breakfast. We then headed off to my dad's house for Sunday lunch. We were having bbq pork, coleslaw, and potato casserole. Needless to say, I wasn't having much of anything. I thought coleslaw would be okay so I had a couple of helpings of it.

Later that afternoon, Billy invited over some friends to "rock out," which is what he calls playing his Rock Band game. I went to the bedroom to take a nap and watch television. After taking it easy for about an hour, I felt the urge to hit the toilet. I ended up throwing up 4 or 5 times in a row. I guess that coleslaw wasn't such a good idea because it all came back, along with the couple of pieces of pineapple and Ritz crackers I had.

It's so hard to force down food after that happens, but if I don't get something in my stomach the cycle gets even worse. The only thing that sounded the least bit appetizing to me last night was a grilled cheese. I had one and then I had a slice of cheese toast. That was the craving of the night. Luckily, those things stayed down, and I woke up feeling okay this morning.

I know some of you who know me are thinking, "Aren't you lactose intolerant? What's up with the cheese eating?" Well, as it turns out, I haven't had any problems with dairy since I got pregnant, and I crave cheese a lot. I don't know if it will last post-pregnancy, but for now, I'm enjoying eating my pizza like a normal person...with cheese! That is, when I actually feel like eating pizza.

I haven't been particularly hungry today, but I had a really strange craving. I was watching television and someone was drinking a strawberry daiquiri. I became obsessed with having one. Billy was at the grocery store already so I texted him to bring some daiquiri mix home. He said he was thinking I was completely nuts when he got the text, but he brought it home anyway. I had to make some immediately, and I drank a bunch of it. I was freezing, but I didn't care. It tasted wonderful to me!

This week, I have to get my first visit with my regular ob scheduled. My fertility clinic officially let me graduate last Friday after our appointment. I can now proceed with my pregnancy like a regular pregnant gal, although I don't know how "regular" it is to be pregnant with triplets that came from your sister's eggs.

Perinatal Specialist Appt

We went to see our perinatal specialist yesterday. Since it's triplets, it's a high-risk pregnancy, which means I have to be followed by a specialist, in addition to a regular obstetrician. They did an ultrasound first, and they did the kind over the belly. At my fertility doctor, they always do ultrasounds in the va-jay-jay. The images were so much clearer. I guess the specialist has better baby spying equipment.

As you can see from the pictures, the babies have grown a lot. Their heartbeats were in the right range (125-180 beats per minute). Baby A's heartbeat was 151 and babies B & C were at 171. Babies B & C are a little larger than A. They measured as if they were about 11 weeks, and Baby A was 10 weeks 4 days, which is actually where I am.

We have to go back again and see the specialist in 2 weeks to check on their progress. She said she can tell a lot more about them between 12 and 13 weeks.

This afternoon, we have to return to the fertility doctor for our last appointment with them. After this, they release me to a regular ob and the specialist. Billy is really excited to not have to pay the bills at the fertility doctor's office anymore. Since it isn't covered by insurance, we have to pay out of pocket every time we go there. The perinatal specialist we saw yesterday was in network, and when we went to the checkout desk to settle up our bill, they said it was all covered. We didn't even have a co-pay! I thought Billy was going to do a little happy dance.

My expansive gut

I guess your belly grows a lot faster with triplets than it does with one baby. Somebody asked me today if I was 5 or 6 months along. She was shocked when I told her I was only 10 weeks. I explained that it was triplets so things were progressing much quicker than average.

Vivian also told me on Sunday that my belly had grown "a lot" in just two weeks. She hadn't seen me the week before. She said she needed to start planning a baby shower before I'm huge and end up on bed rest. She's already thinking I'm going to be a whale.

Kibby asked me if I was pushing it out, and I explained that I wish I was. I can't even suck it in if I try.

We had a shower for Jamie on Saturday, and I was there lugging around my fat gut and nausea. Amanda is also pregnant and is several months along, and I think my stomach is the same size as hers. We had a great time at the shower, but I kept thinking whenever Jamie opened a gift that we were going to need three of those. It's so overwhelming!

The picture above was taken at the end of the day. By belly's size seems to peak out in the evening. I usually wake up and feel like I'm a little bloated, but as the day progresses, my tummy grows and grows. By the time I go to sleep at night, it feels like it's going to burst.

As far as my pregnancy sickness goes, I still have my bad days and a few semi-good days. Yesterday, I went on a burrito eating spree. I had one from Moe's for lunch, and I asked Billy to pick up one from Willy's on his way home from work. By the time I ate the last bite of the one last night, I knew the burrito streak had ended. I've overdosed on yet another food. What will it be next? By the way, before I got pregnant, I probably ate a burrito 3 or 4 times per year.

I have to get up another post because I have new baby pictures from our appointment with our perinatal specialist. I just scanned them in this morning. I asked Billy to do it last night, but he was very busy playing Rock Band and must have forgotten. He did take some time out to take the picture above so I can't complain too much. He gets mad whenever I post negative information about him on the blog so I have to balance it with something nice.;)

My latest food obsession

I have found that I get on these kicks where I want to eat very specific things, and if it's not that food, I don't want anything at all. I have already been through a pizza stage, a rice kripies cereal stage, a waffles/pancakes stage, a veggie burger stage, and a cinnamon roll stage.

The latest thing I've gotten into is Amy's brand organic, frozen meals. I ate the veggie loaf with mashed potatoes, peas, and corn yesterday at lunch. Then, at dinner, I had the Mexican tamale pie. Today, I had to go to the grocery store to get another Amy's meal for lunch, and I had the Mexican casserole bowl. I'm totally obsessed. I just e-mailed Billy a list of Amy's meals that I need for him to pick up from the Kroger across the street from his office.

The only problem with these obsessions is that I'm never sure when they will end. I could be all about this stuff today, but tomorrow, it may totally gross me out. I can't stock up on anything because it may all go to waste when my cravings change. It's the weirdest thing in the world. I'm just learning to go with it and eat whatever I can when the mood strikes.

I'm hoping the extreme nausea ends soon. I've heard from some friends that they started feeling better around week 10, but others said it took until week 16. I'm praying that in my case, I'll get some relief sooner rather than later.

I can't believe how many people we are hearing from with triplets these days! It seems like every time I turn around, somebody else is telling me about someone they know with triplets. This definitely makes me feel better...like it's actually doable. I think Billy still has his doubts about how all this will go, especially how we'll finance it all.

Kibby said we should draft a press release to send out to all the networks that love this type of stuff, like TLC, and get ourselves a reality show that will help pay some of the expenses. He said that we need to put a different slant on it so maybe we could claim that Billy is a recovering alcoholic to really get some drama going.

I can't imagine having a camera in my face 24/7...especially not right now. I just barfed, and I had enough of an audience with Winnie in there watching me. She was pacing around behind me crying. In between throwing up, I had to comfort her.

I'm amazed everyday by the outpouring of love and support from family and friends. Yesterday, my step-sister, Laura, sent over 6 huge bags of maternity clothes. My other step-sister, Caroline, has been sending out messages to all of her mom friends to see if they are looking to giveaway/sell stuff, and we just got a free crib yesterday! Vivian is also giving us Rose's crib so that's 2 down!

2nd OB Check

Sorry I didn't get this posted sooner. I have just been feeling so terrible, that I can't even bring myself to sit in front of the computer for an extended amount of time.

Anyway, I had my 2nd ultrasound on Friday, and everything is looking good. The babies were much bigger. They looked like little beans this time, instead of grains of rice. Two of them are a little bigger than the 3rd. We got to hear the heartbeats again, and they were so much louder than last time. It was crazy to see their progress.

They have little brains that are starting to develop and spinal cords. They are also sprouting little buds for their legs and arms. How does all that happen in 2 weeks?

As far as mommy goes, it's touch and go. I went a couple of days without throwing up, but then on Saturday morning, I woke up and immediately vomited. It was the worst feeling ever because there was nothing to come up. I just threw up bile. It was so gross!

Billy has become very helpful lately, but I had to have an emotional breakdown to convince him that I couldn't do this part of the pregnancy alone. For him, it was life as usual. He was going out to meet friends for dinner, drinks, XBOX game playing, etc. I was left at home hanging over the toilet, unable to prepare any food for myself, and having to take Winnie out several times a day. It was becoming very difficult to manage on my own. After I explained how much I needed him around right now, he stepped up to the plate. Thank God! He took over Winnie responsibilities, canceled plans with his friends, and even went to the grocery store for me. I am impressed and so grateful. Now, if I could just get him to stop farting. That's just one miracle I'm not going to get.

I'll ask Billy to scan in the new ultrasound pics so that I can get them posted. I also need him to take a picture of my growing belly. I'm already in maternity clothes. I cleaned out my closet this weekend and got rid of my "normal" clothes. All I left is stuff that was big on me before, stretchy, and/or maternity clothes.

I'm actually at the office today. I've been here a couple of hours, but I won't last much longer. People are starting to eat their lunches around me, and I can smell everything. Someone is having tuna, and I am going to barf. I have to bail out of this place stat!

Sweet Relief

I called my doctor's office today because the constipation was unbearable. The nurse asked if I had taken Colace (stool softener), and I said that I had been taking it for 3 days. Then, she asked if I had tried Metamucil (laxative), and I said that I had also been taking that for 3 days. In addition, I was eating bran flakes every morning and drinking plenty of fluid. She said, "You poor baby. You must be miserable." Yes, I was actually beyond miserable.

Alice kept telling me that I shouldn't push too hard or I would end up with hemmorhoids this early in my pregnancy. I know it's a little irrational, but I'm afraid that if I push too hard, one of my babies will fall out. Is that crazy? It's just the weird thoughts that go through my mind.

The doctor suggested a glycerin suppository, and that took care of it. Hallelujah! Now, they have prescribed a new prenatal vitamin for me that contains stool softener to see if we can keep this situation from happening again. I'm all about being proactive.

They also told me to temporarily discontinue the progesterone shots because progesterone slows things down in your digestive system. They'll check my levels on Friday when I'm there for my next ob visit to see if it's still holding up okay without the shots.

As for the vomiting, it continues daily now. Last night, I threw up 2 times after coming home from the Wagner's house when I got my shot. Mems had brought me chicken noodle soup in the afternoon, and it all ended up in the toilet. No more chicken soup for me.

Side note on having Kibby do my shot last night: He was all freaked out about giving it to me because I was constipated. He was worried that the pain from the shot would cause things to move in there. I told him to calm down...the shot is up by my hip, not in my crack. I told him I would give him warning if things were "moving."

I'm waiting to hear back from the doctor about the barfing situation. My doctor told me she would probably prescribe Phenergan if I was throwing up, but they don't like to give it for nausea, because it tends to knock people out. However, the alternative is me ending up dehydrated, and that's worse, so I'll probably end up on Phenergan. So far, I've been taking Zofran to control the nausea, but that has not been particularly helpful. I've also been wearing acupuncture wrist bands that supposedly work on your nausea pressure points, but they are not doing the trick either.

On top of all of my symptoms, I'm also so tired because I did not sleep well last night at all. Between feeling ill and stopped up and Winnie's behavior, I couldn't get solid sleep. When Billy is out of town, Winnie goes on high alert about every sound. She barks uncontrollably whenever she hears anything, and she must have heard something 3 or 4 times throughout the night. She's a good watch dog, but I really could have used some sleep. I may be thankful for her barking one night when someone is trying to break in, and she scares them away. It's just weird how much more alert she becomes when Billy isn't there. It's like she knows it's up to her to protect me. I hope she protects the babies when they come and doesn't get too jealous of them.

I'm headed back to the couch. I feel a nap coming on.

2008 off to a pukey start

I was just getting used to be nauseous and having to dry heave a lot, but unfortunately, my symptoms have progressed. I started actually throwing up yesterday. In the afternoon, I had a few canned pears and some wheat thins, and about an hour later, they came back to haunt me. I guess I'll remove those from the list of items I'm actually able to tolerate.

Needless to say, I didn't make it to any New Year's Eve festivities, even though I had planned to visit two parties. I had to send Billy out to ring in the New Year without me. I stayed home and watched the marathon session of "John & Kate Plus Eight" on TLC.

If you haven't seen this show, it's about a couple that went through infertility treatments to have a child, and they ended up with twins the first time they tried. Then, they wanted one more, but got a set of sextuplets! Their lives are total chaos at all times. Watching the show makes me feel better about having three.

So far, I haven't vomited again today, but somehow, I don't think that will last much longer. The overwhelming feeling of nausea usually doesn't reach it's pinnacle until about 4 or 5 p.m. Couple that with the extreme level of constipation, and it's a recipe for disaster. There's just nowhere for my waste to go.

Our home is currently a disaster because we've been de-cluttering to get ready to re-list our condo on January 6th. I don't feel like doing anything. Therefore, there are a bunch of half-packed boxes all over the place. I'm hoping to get motivated soon to get some work done. We really need to get rid of our condo and move into a house. This place ain't big enough for us, Winnie, and triplets.

Billy left for the Sugar Bowl today so I'm on my own for a couple of days. Since Billy is out of town, Dr. Wagner, aka Kibby, has to take care of my shots tonight and tomorrow. Yes, I still have to do that progesterone shot every night. That will go on for about another month. I'm now 8 weeks along, and the shots last until 11 or 12 weeks. My butt is so bruised and sore, but with all of my other symptoms, I don't even think about my hiney.

Happy to New Year to everyone! I think 2008 is going to be a crazy and exciting year for the Zeigler household.