Well, we're not kidding. Three more Liner boys!!
Melissa had her 18 week appointment today which is "the big one". This is the appointment where they do a very thorough ultrasound and look at every aspect of the babies from a developmental perspective. They obviously can now determine the sex of the babies with this ultrasound, and we are now expecting 3 more boys.
As you may recall, with Chase, we intentionally did not find out through the ultrasound that he was a boy. We did it the old-fashioned way and were simply surprised when he was born. With this pregnancy, we had every intention of doing it the same way...that is, until we found out about the triplets in our very first ultrasound. With minimal conversation, Melissa and I quickly agreed that we would find out this time around for several reasons. Primarily, we both agreed that we needed to have all the information possible to prepare for these 3 babies, including the sex of the babies. We also agreed that it would be really tough to come up with six names, accounting for the possibilities of 3 boys, 3 girls, or any combination. Knowing that we are expecting 3 boys, we can now start coming up with names, which by the way, we won't be sharing with anyone until the triplets arrive. You need some kind of surprise right?
The appointment was great all around. We actually had two appointments today. The first, at 8 am, was actually with a genetic counselor. This is pretty standard with triplets and it's intended to prepare the parents for the possibility of genetic deformities, just in case. When Melissa was pregnant with Chase, we heard about a lot of the possible genetic issues, as well as the tests that they offer these days to detect these things during the pregnancy, so today's appointment was about what I expected. They gathered information about our families' health history, discussed statistical chances of each of the major genetic issues, and talked about different tests that are available to detect these types of issues.
The second appointment was the actual ultrasound appointment. This started at about 8:45 and literally lasted more than an hour and a half...and that's before we even saw the doctor to talk about the results. The ultrasound tech took 266 pictures of the babies from every possible angle to look at every part of each of them. If you haven't seen an ultrasound, especially lately, it's a fascinating experience. They checked out the babies hearts (including each of the four chambers of the heart), brains, kidneys, arms, legs, hands, feet, eye sockets, lips, noses, spines, and yes, the genitals. They took measurements of many of these parts, which primarily help them understand the growth and development of the babies. All of the measurements and pictures show that all three babies are developing very well and completely normally. Throughout the ultrasound process, the technician talked to us about what he's looking for, what's normal, and anything that looked abnormal. There were two very small abnormalities (more on those in just a minute), but it was very reassuring to have him continue to say, "That's good" and "That's normal". One of the most likely defects is Downs Syndrome. Downs is typically detected early on by the measurement of skin and fluid around the spinal cord at the back of the neck. To you and me, this isn't obvious at all, but when the technician looked at this measurement, he was pleased and said that they were all normal, which was a big relief. He measured the length of the major arm and leg bones...all measuring normal. He looked at the hearts carefully. As blood flows through the four chambers of the heart, he looks at the flow to determine any potential holes in the lining between the chambers...all three hearts look normal. He looked at the brains and took measurements of the cerebrum...all normal. Again, very fascinating. Babies A and B measured 17 weeks and 5 days, while Baby C measured 17 weeks and 6 days. At this stage, that's extremely encouraging to see them all developing equally...and of course all right on track for their gestational age.
Once he was done with all of the pictures (which by the way he downloaded to a disc for us...we'll share some on the blog soon) we then met with the doctor (Dr Strauss). He talked to us in detail about everything including the two very minor issues that he saw and wants to keep an eye on. The first was a minor issue with Baby A's left kidney. He said that it was retaining fluid at a slightly above average rate. He said it could be classified at the high end of normal, or the low end of abnormal, depending on whether or not we were glass-half-full or glass-half-empty people. He said that this was of very little concern at all and was simply something that they would keep an eye on with future ultrasounds and it would probably resolve itself. Apparently I'm a "glass-half-empty" type of guy, because I had to ask about the worst case scenario. He said that the worst case scenario is that the problem doesn't resolve itself, Baby A is born with a kidney that doesn't fully drain due to mild blockage, and at a couple of months old the urologist would do a "very minor procedure through the back to relieve the blockage". Again, he said it was not something that he's concerned with at all, but I figured I'd share anyway. The other issue he saw was in the dura of Baby C. The dura is a cellophane-like membrane that surrounds the brain, between the brain and the skull. It apparently develops, or grows, from the sides of the head by the ears, up to the top of the head, and ultimately fuses together from the two sides. The ultrasound showed a very small area where the dura hasn't totally fused together yet, at the very top of the brain. The doctor assured us that it's nothing to worry about, especially since it's so early. He said that we'd watch it and it's likely that it will grow together by the next appointment.
All in all, the doctor is REALLY happy with how things look. After going through all of the results, he even said that frequently with triplets, there are some relatively serious things that they want to keep an eye on throughout the pregnancy and can be troublesome. He explained that it's just very common with triplets to have some of that. He actually sounded somewhat surprised that everything looked so well and the babies had no issues to be overly concerned about. He also said that Melissa looked great. I believe the exact words were "You have the cervix of a 20 year old." I'm not sure whether to be proud or offended, but either way, I was happy to hear it. We are ecstatic with the results of today's appointment and how things are going with the babies and with Melissa!!
The next two appointments are scheduled for October 5th and October 19th (2 and 4 weeks from today, respectively). The one on the 19th will be another full ultrasound appointment, where they will do measurements of organs, bones, etc to track developmental progress of the babies. The one on the 5th will be a "quick consult" where the doctor will check on things and maybe even "take a quick look" on the ultrasound.
That's all for now. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. At almost 18 weeks, we are just past the half way point, but we have a long way to go. Keep the thoughts and prayers coming. We are very grateful to have the support system that we have with all of you!
Love,
Jason, Melissa and the Boys (all 4 of them!)
CCC is a boy even without the label on this one. You can see a little peek on the far right of the shot between his bottom and his legs/heels.
BBB - no doubt this one is a boy
BBB about to suck his thumb or fingers
AAA waving hello
AAA: say "aaahhh"
AAA - again, no doubt this is a boy
