It's official!

It's been posted on Facebook, so now it's official- we'll be having triplets in February! 

I had my first appointment with my maternal fetal medicine doctor (otherwise known as perinatologist or high-risk doctor) Dr. Parilla, and I really think I'm going to like her. She was very positive about the pregnancy and much more laid back than I expected, which I like. We got to see all three babies wiggling around and hear their little heartbeats, and it was amazing! Makes it so much more real. (Although, I have to say I don't think it's truly going to sink in that I'm actually having three babies until they're all here!) 

Here's Baby A- he/she did not want to cooperate and kept showing us his/her little back, so here's the ultrasound of th back of the head and spine!

Baby B wasn't much better, and kept trying to wiggle his/her little head down for a cushy little nap so we couldn't see!

Baby C was much more cooperative- we got a nice (if not alien-esque) little profile shot! 

It's already looking cramped in there/ I can't even imagine what it's going to be like in a few months!

One of the things I was happy to hear from my dr is that she's okay with trying our best to keep the babies in as long as possible. It's been kind of terrifying to see all the complications that can come with triplet pregnancies, and pre-term labor is pretty much guaranteed. Most triplet births happen via c-section between 30-34 weeks, and triplets have an average birth weight of 3lbs 12oz, which is half the size of a "normal" single baby. We can pretty much count on them all going straight to the nicu when they are born, and chances are high that one or more of them may have complications from being born early. Babies born early and those with lower birth weights often have respiratory problems, birth defects and are at a much greater risk for long term disabilities. So keeping them in there for as long as possible is best!

For me, genetics is coming in really handy (thanks, Dad!) because the fact that I'm 5'11" and started pregnancy at a healthy weight means that there's more room for those babies and I have a better chance of making it to 36 weeks, which is my goal. No doctor would let me go all the way to 40 weeks because the risk of rupturing my uterus would be far to high. 

Speaking of that, the number of complications that can arise for me are pretty high too. :/ The risks of both gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia pretty much sky-rocket with high-order multiples, and post-partum hemorrhaging is also fairly common. I've been told that starting between 16-20 weeks I'll need to spend 2-3 hours of my waking day on bed rest, and that by the third trimester it is highly likely I'll be on full bed rest or even hospital bed rest to prevent pre-term labor. 

This all seems terrifying to me. I know it's a lot of doom and gloom for what could turn out to be a totally easy and normal (ish) pregnancy (and I would love all prayers that it will be!) but I like knowing the risks and being prepared. While I hope and pray that they'll all be born perfect and healthy, I know that statistics say they will at the very least be in the nicu for at least a short period of time and I want to be mentally prepared for that. 

I'm almost twelve weeks now, which means I'm oh so close to the second trimester already! I'll be excited for this nausea to go away and my appetite to return, and to start feeling all those little kicks! This picture was from last week, but I'm getting bigger every day...

As scary as all this is, I am SO EXCITED. We always wanted a big family and didn't think it could happen, but whaddya know! Triplets!