Week 9-14

This will be the 2nd and last recap post before we get on to regular, up-to-date posting.

Week 9: Oh my the exhaustion. I had forgotten how exhausting making human life was. With my 1st pregnancy (the ended in a miscarriage), I was so tired getting through 8 hours at work was a chore. Take that, multiply it by three and you may come close to how I felt. Sadly, I don't work at a place that allows cat-naps on the desk but you can bet I tested that out. Some days the exhaustion was so bad, I headed home early just to sleep. Craving: Chocolate milk and sour gummi worms. Not the healthiest but I was drinking about a quart of chocolate milk a day. Even at 15 weeks, I have some every day. Other than that, no real cravings. Maybe if I saw a commercial, I had to have whatever it was. Lol...that was fun. Raisin Bran one time, cupcakes the next. Hamburger Helper...it was like I didn't know I wanted it until I seen it!

Week 10: Same cravings and same feelings this week. My migraines seem to be getting worse and worse. These started back around week 5 and have just gotten worse and worse. I am the type of person who refuses to take any medicine so I just suffer through these. One day this week (I think it was 10W3D) I wasn't feeling good at all and was just concerned overall, so I called the doctor and the squeezed me in for an US. The babies were fine, just my nerves running all over the place. At this point, we know Baby A and Baby C are on the front and Baby B is on the back. Also, they are all measuring BIGGER than my due date! Which is not only shocking to me but to the doctor also! Baby B is measuring the smallest and has the slowest HR of the three but all were in normal ranges. Seeing my babies makes me the happiest woman in the world, even for 15 minutes. I can finally stop stressing and worrying about how they are for just a little while. Also, at this appointment we went ahead and did the pelvis exam and blood test that they usually do at 12 weeks. I got to ask the doctor a few questions I had. How much weight does she want me to gain was one of them. 55 lbs was her answer. I know this sounds like a lot but with a single baby you gain between 25-35 lbs. Then you add 10 lbs per baby.

Around week 10 I began looking into a specialist to handle the babies and I. Not that there was anything wrong with my OB, but OB's shouldn't handle suck high-risk cases. Iowa City had been highly recommended, so I began looking into that.

Week 11: We had a regularly scheduled appointment at 11W2D. This week we did the NT scan, which was the only abnormality test that my doctor felt safe doing. It didn't take long with all babies cooperating and they were perfect :) We then did the measuring and again, they were all measuring bigger than the actual date:

Baby A: Measuring 12W. HR: 162
Baby B: Measuring 11W2D HR: 148 ( my little runt)
Baby C: Measuring 11W4D HR: 162

They were all looking fantastic and going strong. The only issue was I had lost 3 lbs since the last visit. The doctor wasn't too concern, gave my a few pointers on things to add to my diet and said we would keep monitoring it. After that, I went and got Boost Protein Plus powder to mix with my milk. I drink one every few days just to keep up on my protein. I was weighed around week 13 and I had gained back 5. That puts me up to a 8 lb total gain. This was the last time I was weighed since I do not have a scale in the house! Quite a ways from 55 but any progress is good progress.

Week 12: There were really no physical changes this week. I did start feeling some sciatica nerve pain this week so the doctor referred me to a physical therapist. I had 2 sessions this week and we are just starting out slow. Doesn't seem like something I need but I have continued to go just to see. PT is harder with pregnant women because they can't use machines or heat to help with the problem. So you get to do good ol' fashioned exercise to strengthen everything up.  Mentally, I am super excited to almost be in the 2nd trimester. This is the longest my body has carried babies and every day I get closer to being in the clear. Also, the shock has really worn off at this point and I am more comfortable with the fact that I'm going to be a mother to 3 babies. How? i haven't figured that far out yet but I know it will all work out. Remember, I won't know any different. My whole child raising experience will be with 3 babies...always.

Week 13: There was a little mishap this week. While attempting to use the bathroom, I got a little light-headed and then passed out. Of course I rushed right to the hospital, thanks to an amazing co-worker for driving me. After 3 hours of test, all they could determine was my heart rate fluctuated in a huge range, but I was told that was ok in pregnant women and I just had to be more careful whenever I stood up or sat down. Also, they found my 2nd UTI of this pregnancy. I have had UTI's pretty frequently in my life, so having them in my pregnancy is no shock. Just a round of antibiotics and makes sure to push MORE water. I went in for an US just to check the babies out. All were doing fine. No measurements just a quick look at their hearts. We also looked at their stomachs because this week their intestines finally descended back into their stomachs from the umbilical cord. Everything looks like it went smooth. Also, we found out the sex of 1, possibly 2 babies but I will keep that a secret until we know all 3!! :) Other than that, this week also marks the beginning of...THE SECOND TRIMESTER!! YAYAYA! I am so excited to say we have made it this far. This week I could def. feel the exhaustion lessening. That's because this week the placentas also start doing more work for the babies so I'm not doing all the work for 4 people. Which is very exciting! The migraines are still hanging around. Some days they only happen after lunch or some days I wake up with them and they are around for 2 days. I wouldn't say I have gotten used to them but I have learned to continue my life with them. I still do not take medicine unless it's Tylenol. And I take this as little as possible.

Week 14: We're almost caught up. We were supposed to go in for another US and appointment at 14W1D but I pushed it off 2 weeks so we could be sure to see the sexes of the baby. Plus with the passing out spell, I got to see them only a few days before. It was a tough decision to give up a chance to see them, but it is for the best. Also, we we go to out 16 week appointment, we will only be 3.5 weeks away from our level II US in Iowa City. We also have the consult with the high risk doctors and we will be determining where we are going to deliver!! But back to week 14. Congestion Congestion Congestion. I have been congested most of the pregnancy but it seems to be getting worse the further I go. The doctor told me to take 1 benadryl, at night, to help. Well it does help, until about 5-6AM and then I am awake and can't breath. At the 16W appointment, I will ask the doctor how much is safe and how much I can take to help. I also developed some sort of swollen, itchy rash on my hands this week. The doctor said since it didn't start on my abdomen, which would be PUPPS, to just use unscented lotion and hydrocrtisone cream. This has helped clear it up. The migraines have started to decrease this week. So all-in-all it's been a great week. My stomach seems to expand just as I'm sitting. I'm still going to physical therapy but honestly there is nothing they can do for the worsening pelvic pain so I had to order a belt. http://www.protherapysupplies.com/Shop-by-Brand/Saunders-Group/Saunders-Stork-Sport-Maternity-Support?gclid=CPLTtIO677sCFeg-Mgod9WMA6Q&source=googleps (This exact one.)
This will hopefully help keep my pelvis from separating as much and keep the horrifying clicking noise from happening. But I do like going because I get to do strengthening moves that are safe for pregnancy. I miss working out so much; running, lifting, yoga! I know I will get plenty of that in when the babies are here but for now I just feel like my job is to gain the weight, eat a healthy balanced diet and keep the babies healthy!


To recap: Symptoms- nausea (severe), migraines (severe but getting better at the end of week 13), sciatic pain, pelvic pain, hand rash, dizziness, light-headedness, overall general worry.

Cravings: Chocolate milk, orange juice, sour gummi worms, cupcakes, Doritos, Cheerios, Raisin Bran...basically if I saw it, we wanted it.

Goals: Make it to 24 weeks and slowly continue to increase my veggie intake (we aren't huge fans of them right now!) Also, I am going to start looking into prenatal yoga classes because I miss doing yoga so bad!

I will be posting pictures from these weeks tonight!!