Update~

Warning- This is long!

Well, I know I have said this time and again, but it's amazing what a week and a half can bring- or a day in our case!  A week and a half ago, we went to Memphis for what we thought was a routine appointment.  I wasn't feeling really well that morning, so I called Andy to see if his mother would mind riding with us just in case they kept me.  I knew he'd have to come home to work, and I didn't want him riding home by himself.  She was up to Oxford in a jiffy, and we were on our way.  They did the sonogram, and our babies looked precious.  They had grown so much!  The sonographer asked if I'd been having contractions, and I didn't think I had- but little did I know!  I just told them I'd been having Braxton Hicks contractions.  Haaa!  I've never been pregnant, so I have no idea what any of these things mean!  Ended up, I was having real contractions every 3-7 minutes, and I was actually very uncomfortable.  At this point in time, however, I do feel like my pain tolerance is a tad bit higher, so I was trying not to let them bother me.  The doctor then broke the news to us that  we'd for sure be staying, and we'd be getting the steroid shots (thankfully) to boost the trips' lung growth and starting on Magnesium to stop the contractions.   We knew this was coming, and we thought we were prepared.  I thought, "oh- this will be a piece of cake."  Right.  Surprisingly, I took the news pretty well and didn't even freak out in the office.  I just waited until I got in the car and spoke to my mother until the tears came.  I was scared to death.  In a way, I was relieved because I felt safe being in Memphis.  They wouldn't let Andy or his mother come with me to the hospital room at first, so I was there for around 15 minutes by myself, and this is when the real tears came.   I sat on the bed in a fetal position and wept and prayed for me and for our babies, literally.  It was scary, and I didn't know what was about to happen.  I'm positive the nurse that came in thought I needed to be in a mental ward. Thankfully, as lonely and as scared as I was in that 15 or so minutes, God granted me peace, as only He can.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they let Andy and his mother back, and the real fun began.  If you're not familiar with the effects magnesium can have on the human body, let me familiarize you.  It's AWFUL!  I've never been that sick in my life.  It should only be used to torture those on death row.  I know that sounds harsh, but it is terrible.  They had told me not to eat anything from the doctor's office to the hospital, which is maybe 2 minutes.  However, I took a large swig of some Gatorade.  Mistake number one, if you can only imagine.  Not only that, but my whole body felt as if I was on fire on the inside and outside.  I was on this drug from Monday at 7 p.m until Thursday at 7 a.m., and I've never watched the clock so much.  The steroid shots were a piece of cake compared to the Mag.  However, as awful as it was, it did stop the contractions for a while.  While on the Mag, I also started having bladder spasms, which hurt like the dickens.  Thankfully, Andy's mother stayed with me, and God bless her.  She was a saint.  I never dreamed my mother in law would have to help me get sick- and worse- but she was a trooper.   We're pretty tight, and her patience is something I covet.   Poor Andy had to leave the room.  I worry about him watching a c-section!  Please start praying for this now!   My mother arrived on Wednesday night, and it felt good to have her there too.   She definitely crawled in the bed with me and held me.  It was pretty wonderful.

 After being on the Mag, I was still contracting, so the doctor wasn't comfortable moving me to the Ante-Partum wing of the hospital.  I was in Labor and Delivery, where they check on you, thankfully, every 20 minutes.  Finally, on Thursday night, the contractions subsided enough that the doctor agreed to move us to Ante-Partum only if my nurse would move with me- she was wonderful!  Ante- Partum is a whole lot more relaxed because they let you sleep.  They're not in and out of your room constantly.  I continued to contract, and still am, but my doctors say this is expected with triplets.  Despite being in the Ante-Partum wing, I didn't have wheel chair privileges, so my outings were few and far between.  On this past Monday, we got go down the hall to get a sonogram, and they weighed the babies!  We are so thankful for their growths!!!  A was 3lbs 10oz; B was 3lbs 5oz; and C was 3lbs 7oz!  Praise God for their growth!  Our girl grew 12 ounces in 2 weeks, and baby boy B grew 10 ounces in two weeks, and baby boy C grew 8 ounces in 2 weeks.  This is amazing!  They all looked beautiful too.  Once again, God took care of them.  While on the Mag, I wasn't able to eat from Monday night until Thursday morning and was being kept hydrated by a drip.  I had lost 3 pounds as well.  I was worried to death that the babes would not have gained weight, or worse, would have lost weight.  All the while, our God was keeping the trips healthy and growing!  Praise Him!  Another outing they let me have was to tour the NICU.  I am so thankful for this opportunity, but it was possibly one of the scariest places I've ever been.  The whole time Mrs. Meg (Andy's mother) and I were touring, all I could keep telling myself was, "please don't start crying, please don't start crying!"  I am so very thankful for such a wonderful place, but it is so very scary.  I was very impressed with the nurses and the doctors.  The whole environment is meant to mimic the womb.  The NICU was dark and very quiet, and every baby is curled up in a fetal position in its incubator, and that is then covered with a fleece blanket to keep their environments dark.  It was all very interesting, and I am thankful that our sweet babies will hopefully be under the careful watch of these wonderful people.  I think the scariest part was actually seeing how small 3 pounds really is.  We saw a baby that weighed 3 pounds, 2 ounces, and he was precious and SOOO tiny.  We are very blessed our babies have hit the 3 pound mark, but it is still scary.   Please continue to pray for growth  and development.  The babies are not able to come home based on weight, but on brain development.  They have to be able to suck, keep themselves warm, and have brain development.  Please pray for all of these!

So, where are we now?  My doctor felt at ease enough to send us home last night (Wednesday) after a week and a half in the hospital.  He performed a fetal fibronectin test which indicates if I could go into labor in the next two weeks.  Thankfully, it came back negative, but we know things can change in an instant.  I was not comfortable at all with this decision, but I must remind myself that the Lord knows exactly what He is doing, and my doctor is a whole lot smarter than I am.  Apparently, our insurance people are not pregnant with triplets and think we are fine at home.  As I said earlier, I am still contracting, but it's expected.  Right now, my uterus is holding over 10 pounds of baby and 15 or so pounds of placenta, amniotic fluid, etc.  So, no wonder I feel as if they could drop out at any second, but God has remained so faithful to let them stay put.  I'm now on extra doses of meds to stop contractions, as well as more blood thinner shots.  My poor arms look as if I've been tortured.  Like I've said, we are scared to death, but I know that our God is in control and has been since the beginning.  He has formed these babies in me and already knows them and their every movement.  Praise Him for that.  Please be praying that this would not be an emergency situation, and that we can schedule something in Memphis to be near the NICU.  Please be in prayer for all of my doctors- here and in Memphis.  They are prepared if anything happens here, but the babies would more than likely have to be transported to a nearby NICU in Tupelo or Memphis.  Praise God for smart people that are good at their professions- i.e.- doctors.  Praise Him for their weights.   Praise Him for 30 weeks, 5 days!  Praise Him that we got the steroid shots.  Please pray for Andy as he continues to work and support all of us.  Praise Him for mother-in-laws and parents that take good care of us, as well as precious friends!  Please pray that God would grant us the peace that passes all understanding as we are absolutely nervous as can be.  It's super easy to cry right now, so please pray that God would control my hormones!  The babies don't need to be startled as of now.  Pray that the babes would stay put a few more weeks in order to develop/ gain weight.  Pray that God would be preparing our hearts and minds to be the parents that He wants us to be.  We have a huge responsibility set before us!  Thank you all for your prayers over the past week and a half, especially when we thought that the babies would be coming in the next few days.  Praise Him that He has remained faithful, even when we are scared to death.  Please continue to pray!  To God be the glory~

Maggie