Infertility Awareness Week; 12w4d

Last Tuesday, I officially hit 12 weeks which is a huge milestone! I decided to skip my ultrasound this week, mostly because I finally stopped spotting and don't want to risk the ultrasound wand irritating anything. I  also confident that all three are thriving, as my belly is huge and I was able to clearly find two of their heartbeats on my home Doppler (yes, I own a Doppler. See what infertility does to you?)

That brings me to my next thought. This week is National Infertility Awareness Week and it is near and to my heart. Tim and I wanted to start a family soon after we got married in March of 2008, and we finally got to see out beautiful son on an ultrasound in July of 2011. During that three-year time period, I did a year of clomid, four IUIs (interuterine inseminations), an IVF attempt that was canceled just before the retrieval because the Dr was afraid I didn't produce eggs, and finally our round that produced just 7 eggs but had the golden egg among the 7. I am so lucky and blessed that it worked and looking back, I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy, despite me deeming myself high risk (ha, I now know it wasn't high risk). Right before the retrieval, The Lord led me to 1 Samuel in the Bible and I took Hannah's lament, paraphrased it because I identified with it so much, and put it to a melody and titled it "Give Me a Son." It is my favorite song I've ever written and I wrote it in about an hour! I was recording my Christian album at the time and I got to include it on the album! Guess what- it is # 3- my lucky number. Guess what? The Lord gave me a son! I didn't find out until 17 weeks but I just knew! You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjT2gI7EN9w

Through the toughest part of my infertility, Tim suggested that I join a support group. I joined the the Infertility group on Dailystrength.com in September 2010 and that was the best thing I could have ever done! The women who I "cycled with" were an amazing support to me. I followed so many journeys and learned so much about infertility. I feel so lucky and thankful to have those women in my life! Sometimes, I would just check my Daily Strength page and check up on my girls other than checking on my real friends on Facebook. Not to say my girls aren't real friends but I haven't met any of them in person but it is amazing that I know so much about these women and I've, over the years, devoted a lot of my time getting to know them! And, we now have a private Facebook page and it is amazing because now we have our own special club. One of my infertile friends put infertility like this: "I felt like finding out you are pregnant was like rushing in a sorority and everyone kept getting picked but me." She said it perfectly. But, you know what? Now, we belong to our own exclusive members-only club! In fact, we are meeting in the summer of 2015 for a girls weekend! Tim and my mom said I can leave the kids to enjoy this once on a lifetime experience!

Speaking of once in a lifetime experiences, carrying triplets is definitely one! It is extremely rare. I am doing better this week with my confidence in carrying to 30-32 weeks thanks to all the encouragement I've received from others. I also read that for some reason, multiples mature faster in the womb, and if you've carried a full term baby before then you are more likely to carry longer. I am very thankful to everyone who has offered to help, and to Tim and my mom for helping me take care of Noah and taking care of the house. I am very grateful! Noah has also been kissing mommy's belly three times for each baby. How sweet is that?

1 Samuel 1:11
And she made a vow, saying, "LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life!

Pregnancy Survey

How far along: 12 Week, 4 days

Weight gain/loss: Gained 9 so far!
Maternity clothes: Heck yeah!
Sleep: Lots of potty breaks so not great sleep.
Best moment this week: Reaching out to women on my Facebook because of National  Infertility Awareness Week and when my dad sang the song he wrote for Noah called "Baby A, Baby B, Baby C."

Miss Anything? Playing with Noah constantly and cleaning the house.
Movement: Yes!
Food cravings: Not yet, but have an aversion to gluten free stuff!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Mornings when I am dehydrated and hungry.
Have you started to show yet? Heck yes.
Gender predictions: I think Boy, Girl, Girl; Tim thinks Boy, Boy, Girl. Baby A reminds me of how Noah looked in my womb, Baby B is chill, and C is little so that’s my reasoning on my predictions!

Worries: That Baby A’s placenta will not migrate as it should.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Out! (I have a natural half-outie though!)

Stretch Marks: No
Mood: Mostly happy this week!

Weekly Wisdom: For Infertility Awareness Week- It only takes one (or three!)
Looking forward to: Seeing Dr. M in a week and a half and seeing how long I can carry these babies and meeting them!

Our "Little" Family of 3. Actually, I am 5 weeks pregnant here so, our big family of 6!

N: Mom, I'm so bored playing with you. Can you please have another baby? M: Sure, how about three. N: Score!

11 week update!

First, I want to thank you everyone who has given me encouragement and support the past couple of weeks. My biggest fear is that my body is going to fail me and I will lose the babies and I have conveyed that to everyone I have announced this pregnancy to. I’ve received so many words of encouragement and love, and here are some of my favorite:

“Don’t worry! God knew Noah was going to be the big brother to triplets a long time ago!”

My friend prayed: “Thank you, Jesus, for this pregnancy. May this be the beginning of a wonderful testimony of Your glory.”

“Don’t underestimate the miraculous things your body is capable of doing.”

“I’m sure you are scared but 3 is the number of completion.”

“You’ve always been the crazy cat lady and keep in mind that if a cat can do it, you can too.”

We had our 11-week ultrasound yesterday and all three babies are doing great! I am approaching the end of the first trimester. I certainly have three little fighters in there!  Especially Baby C who continues to surprise the fertility doctor. At the 11w2d ultrasound, baby A measured 11w4d, baby B measured 11w5d, and baby C measured 11w3d so they are all within 2 days of each other. This pregnancy hasn't been easy so far. Here's what has been challenging so far during the first trimester:

1. When Tim and I learned that I had three heartbeats in me at or 7-week ultrasound, the Dr. immediately recommended that I do a procedure called selective reduction because I am "too little" to carry triplets. The procedure is done in Los Angeles and the Dr. injects a chemical into the baby's heart to stop it from beating. It is a heartbreaking procedure, literally. It was never an option. All 3 times we have done IVF transfers we've always put in three (per the Dr.’s recommendation) and told the Dr. a long time ago when we did Noah's cycle that reducing would never be an option. These babies’ lives are in the hands of God and they are meant to be.

2. Baby A started with partial placenta previa, and as of yesterday, it is now complete, which means the placenta is covering my cervix and it is causing me to bleed. Almost two week ago, I had a large episode and I almost went to the ER. The fertility Dr. says the baby should move, however if he/she doesn’t, then I can have even more complications. No pregnant lady is okay with random bleeding but it is something I’ve had to get used to seeing. Pray that the baby moves! I have to rest when I feel pain or see red blood and I see strict bed rest in my future! The specialist, whom I see at 14 weeks will determine all that for me. I want to thank my mom for helping me cook, clean, and take care of Noah!

3. Exhaustion has been something I have never experienced in my life until now. I thought the exhaustion while I was pregnant with Noah was bad, but this is triple! I have a little bit of morning sickness, but thank God, not as bad as you would expect with triplets. I am trying to manage it with eating at certain times and I think I am getting the hang of what triggers it. I’ve also learned that I need to sleep at least 10 hours a night to feel somewhat normal. I did end my progesterone shots last week! Finally! And now my body is producing the hormone in large amounts naturally :)

4. Eating a lot has been challenging. Before this IVF, I was on a strict gluten and sugar free diet and I lost 10 pounds so I started off weighing 104, which is on the low side for what is considered a good pre-pregnancy weight (I am 5’2”). I am supposed to eat 160 grams of protein a day, which has been really challenging. I am hungry all the time, but nothing sounds good, which I guess goes along with the morning sickness. All I want is gluten and sugar (go figure), but I know it’s not good for me so not good for the babies.  My goal is to have a glass of freshly juiced vegetables every day, three meals with three different meats for each one, and two protein shakes a day. I want healthy babies by the end of this pregnancy.

5. As I started off this entry, I am just plain ol’ scared. Pregnancy is a wonderfully joyous time for the woman who is expecting and for their families, but because I know how incredibly risky this is going to be, I am know that I can never 100% get there. I had a hard time getting there with Noah even and it’s because of the years of infertility that Tim and I went through. It’s like it’s hard to believe that it’s really happening because it was the “unattainable.” I am happy for my friends and family members who are pregnant with me, but I want that joy of bringing home a baby at the end of the year, too. The reality is is that I have the potential of bringing home THREE babies. How awesome is that? But, being pregnant with triplets is putting a lot of pressure on me. Can my petite frame really do this? As my friend put it, I have to change my stinkin’ thinkin’ and I’m working on it! I started this blog to help me with that! I am putting my 100% faith in Jesus that He brings Tim and me through this and we bring home three healthy babies. Did I mention I feel movement? Crazy, but I’ve been pregnant before and know what the early flutters feel like <3

"Behold, children are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward."~Psalm 127:3

Wearing maternity pants now :)

Noah with his bath toys: mama duck and her three little babies that fit on her back and duck that is a little bigger than babies (Noah)- Tim wants to know where daddy duck is. I told him daddy ducks don't take care of their babies and good thing he's not a duck!

Baby A :)

Baby B :)

Baby C :)

The three amigos :)

10 Weeks Pregnant with Triplets!

Tomorrow, I will be 10 weeks pregnant with triplets! My Reproductive Endocrinologist gave me a 1% chance of conceiving triplets after putting in three 3-day-old embryos on Valentine’s Day, 2014. I knew as soon as my first beta blood test came in that all three implanted because of how high it was. The first two ultrasounds showed two, and then the 7 week ultrasound finally revealed the third one (we have a camera shy one). Although the third has always been the smallest of the three, he/she continues to catch up and is actually less than 5mm behind the other two which at this stage is hardly anything. After the initial shock of learning that all three implanted, my husband and I are now accepting the fact that we are pregnant with triplets. What an amazing thing, really. 1% chance! I think it’s a miracle! Sure, I am nervous and scared as heck, but I am going to put my 100% faith in God, and hopefully His will is that three babies will be brought into this world safely. I am so nervous about not giving Noah my full attention, but I know that he will have a great upbringing with lots of love and excitement. This is going to be quite a journey, and I feel blessed and thankful for all the love and support I have in my life. I’ve decided to put this blog out there for the world to see. Thanks for following this journey with me. God bless.

The Trio on Day 3

Big brother waiting to see his brothers and/or sisters for the first time.

9 week ultrasound (baby B is out of focus but is alive and well!)

10 weeks pregnant; starting to show for sure!