Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His Holy Name. He has done great things!
It’s hard to believe that tomorrow will be one week since the arrival of our three little Blessings. June 22, 2011 at 11:43, 11:44, and 11:45, my sweet babies, Jocelyn Rae (2 lb 5 oz, 15 1/2″), Kaitlyn Grace (1 lb 15 oz, 14 1/4″), and Aiden Matthew (2 lb 4 oz, 15″) were born. Their gestational age was 31 weeks and 5 days. The average delivery point for triplets is 32 weeks. I am officially below average 😛
It all happened so very fast, and this past week has been a whirlwind. I don’t have much time to write, but I wanted to give everyone a quick update. Last Tuesday, I went in for my weekly ultrasound and doctor’s visit feeling a little trepidation. My at-home blood pressure readings had been trending slightly high for the past two days, and I had a persistent headache that wasn’t going away with Tylenol. I had a bad feeling about this appointment. When they did my blood pressure check in the office, it was more that slightly high, and my doctor told me I needed to be admitted to the hospital for a 24 hour observation to see if I might have preeclampsia. We didn’t make it 24 hours. Throughout the evening and into Wednesday morning, my blood pressures kept climbing and reached a scary level Wednesday morning. That fact, plus the history of concern over the babies’ growth rates as well a borderline doppler reading the day before gave my doctor itchy fingers (his words, not mine) and it was time to deliver. I was pretty scared, and though I admit I had packed my hospital bag Tuesday morning, I felt completely unprepared.
The delivery was smooth, and not as traumatic as I had imagined it would be. (I was never too thrilled about the prospect of delivering by C Section.) Before I even knew the doctor had started, my babies were born. They are absolutely beautiful, and I couldn’t be a happier mamma. John is pretty thrilled, too, and has been taking such good care of me. He is absolutely adorable with his little babies.
The babies are in the NICU and the doctors say they may be there for six to eight weeks. They are doing well, and every day we have updates that are encouraging. Jocelyn was born with full lung function, so she has never needed breathing assistance. Kaitlyn and Aiden need nasal cannulas for the first few days but are now able to breathe on their own as well. They all needed IV’s and feeding tubes from the beginning, of course, but as of yesterday Aiden and Kaitlyn were tolerating their feedings well enough and getting the nutrients they needed enough so that their IVs were removed. I expect that Jocelyn will have her IV removed tomorrow. The nurses love to tell us how feisty and spirited they are. One of them said little Kaitlyn was a spitfire, so I’m thinking it might be a good thing that mommy has a few weeks to recover before they come home.
On Sunday, I was discharged from the hospital. It was really difficult for me to leave my babies behind, but I know that they have the kind of care that I can’t give them right now. I am so thrilled with the neo-natologists and nurses at our hospital. They are so kind and give my babies the best of care. I’m trying to balance rest and recovery with my own need to visit them and hold them and love on them. Every day we have seen evidence that you all are praying for us. God has truly been gracious. We would ask for your continued prayers for the growth and health of our babies, for my recovery, and for wisdom in how to find balance in our new life at the NICU.
John is home with me this week, and we’re spending most of our days at the hospital. My mom arrives next Wednesday just after John goes back to work. We’re taking it one day at a time, and trusting in God’s perfect plan.
Here are some photos of Jocelyn, Kaitlyn, and Aiden
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