My Journey to Motherhood
Some women have no problem getting pregnant. They decide one day they’d like to have another baby, their husbands look at them and boom- 9 months later, a bundle of joy arrives. I am not that woman. In fact, most women are not “that” woman.
When I got married 4 years ago, I was ignorant. I was uninformed as to how my body worked and how it was supposed to work and most importantly, that my body did not work the way it was supposed to work. When my husband and I decided it was time to start thinking about having children, we had no idea the journey we were about to undergo, the heartache we would experience, and the joy that ultimately would be ours in the birth of 3 tiny miracles. But let me begin at the beginning.
I met my husband Mark when I was 19. We instantly knew we were “meant to be”. We married 3 years after our first date, June 12, 2007. We knew we would want kids, but we also wanted to enjoy being married first. So we enjoyed almost 2 years of wedded bliss before that we heard that clock start ticking.
It was February of 2009. I was going for my annual GYN exam, but this time, I was going to tell her I was ready to come off the pill and see what happened. I expected to get my period or to get pregnant. I did not expect to be diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) a few months later. For those of you who do not know what PCOS is WebMD describes it as
“PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, is a common hormonal disorder in women that with interferes with the growth and release of eggs from the ovaries, or ovulation. It is the most common cause of infertility among women. PCOS occurs when a woman's body overproduces sex hormones, called androgens. The hormone imbalance prevents fluid-filled sacs in the ovaries from breaking open and releasing mature eggs. The fluid-filled sacs bunch together, causing many tiny cysts. Symptoms of PCOS include missed periods, abnormal facial and body hair growth, acne, and weight gain.”
This diagnosis rocked my world and shook me to the core. Now not only was I not pregnant, I may never be pregnant. I may never be able to carry a child within me. I may never be able to be a mother- the one thing I wanted more than anything in the world. In order to get a handle on things, I decided to go back on the pill for a while.
Fast forward to August 2009. This is when we decided to actively try to conceive (TTC). I go off the pill and nothing for 3 months. No surprise there. My regular OB sends me to a reproductive endocrinologist. After a few tests, we start Clomid. Absolutely no response. So we move on to injections. I didn’t expect to respond well to them either, but I did. I had 4 eggs ready to go. I still didn’t think I’d get pregnant that time. I knew women who had 4 eggs ready several times and never got pregnant. So I was cautiously optimistic about the whole thing.
Then the day comes for me to take my pregnancy test. I wake up early that morning, scared to death. I finally take the test and I see the most beautiful two lines in the world. I’m PREGNANT! I run into the bedroom, jump on the bed and tell my husband.
But the real surprise came a few days later at my first ultrasound. We’re sitting there, waiting to see our child for the first time. The doctor looks at the screen and says
“Yup. There’s one.”
We’re having a baby!
“Oh wait, I see two.”
Twins?
“Wait, I take that back.”
Was one a shadow?
“I see three.”
I was terrified. I had no idea what would be in store for my growing family.
My pregnancy was “easy” as far as multiples are concerned. I developed gestational diabetes at 16w, but that was easily controlled by diet. Besides that, everything went smoothly until I hit 29w. That night I went into the bathroom and saw that half of my face was sluggish. My husband and I went to the ER. We didn’t know what to think, but stroke and heart attacks are more common in women with multiples, so we weren’t taking any chances. Thank God it was “only” Bells Palsy (“paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of your face.” WebMD). So I was sent home with an eye patch and eye drops, and told that it should clear up on its own after delivery.
Smooth sailing for another week or so, until Wednesday, August 25. At a routine visit with my high risk doctor, it was decided my BP was just a little too high- not dangerous, but high for me- and he wanted me to be in the hospital under observation. So the next morning I was to report to Labor & Delivery for 24-28 hour monitoring, I’d be likely going home on Friday. My trio had other plans.
The next morning (Thursday), I woke up to a gush of fluid. I thought my water broke. So we rushed to the hospital. Thankfully, it wasn’t my water breaking. We still don’t know what it was, actually. But since I was there, they put me on monitors and we waited for a bed to open up.
Later that night, I started contracting. Mild contractions, but not enough to cause cervical changes. They decided to give me the steroid shot to mature the babies lungs, just in case we delivered. After a round of terbutaline (the medicine from Hell), my contractions stopped (of course, it made my heart race to 130, so they stopped it- but it had done it’s job). The next morning, I started contracting again, this time- I dilated to 2. They gave me magnesium sulfate. If terbutaline is the medicine from Hell, mag sulfate is from the 9th circle of Hell. It made me feel like an elephant was sitting on my chest and nearly stopped my breathing. But, it also stopped the contractions… for a while.
Everything seemed good. It’s 9:30 pm Friday night. My parents are with me in the hospital, my in-laws had just left. It’s been decided that I am in for the long haul. Confined to the hospital bed until I deliver in hopefully 2-3 weeks. So I decide to send my husband home to get a few things, since we hadn’t been home since Wednesday. The plan was for him to go home, shower, get a good night’s rest, and come back in the AM with my hospital bag. No one anticipated what would happen next.
Everyone had left. I was finally alone (and loving it!). I hadn’t been alone in 3 days, so the quiet was very nice. It was just around 12:30, and I was thinking how nice it would be to go to sleep. I page the nurse to help me to the bathroom. And that’s when it all went wrong. As I’m walking out of the bathroom, I feel a gush of fluid. It felt exactly the same as Thursday morning, so I didn’t think anything of it. But the nurse insists we call the doctor.
Of course, the doctor on call has the biggest hands I think I’ve seen on a man ever. And you mom’s know what it’s like. But I had dilated to almost 4, and Baby C’s sac had ruptured. It’s show time!
I have the nurse call my husband. I was too upset to even speak. I’m 31w1d pregnant. These babies are coming too early! It’s just too early!
It is amazing how fast and furiously people work when a woman with triplets is about to deliver. My husband arrives and they give him a gown, hat, mask. There were 19 medical personnel in the delivery room. 3 neonatologists, 3 pediatricians, 6 nurses for the babies, 2 anesthesiologists, 3 surgeons, and 2 nurses for me. It was chaos.
So Saturday, August 28, 2010 my 3 miracle babies were born. Ashley at 4:45, weighing in at 3 lbs 5 oz, Brent at 4:46 weighing in at 4 lbs even, and Carolyn at 4:47, weighing in at 2 lbs 4 oz.
Ashley
Brent
Carolyn
They say God works in mysterious ways. And He most certainly does. I had to fully rely on Him and His strength. I couldn’t do it on my own. It was too big for me. It still is too big for me. I couldn’t do this without God or the people He has put in my family’s life.
That’s the beginning of our story. My little miracles are going to be a year old in less than 2 weeks. They are healthy, home and wonderful. I could write forever about the NICU stay, which lasted 24 days for Ashley, 42 days for Brent, and 58 days for Carolyn. The agony of having to wait 7 days to hold my son, and 19 days to hold my tiny Carolyn. Thank God I was able to hold Ashley the day they were born. I could write volumes on what it was like when they came home. But I won’t. At least not right now. I am interested in what you are interested in. What do you want to know about the life of a M.O.M (mom of multiples)?
And here are the beautiful triplets now:
Ashley
Brent
Carolyn
I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I have, Megan is a truly inspirational mom and I am truly blessed to have met her! I told her she is welcome to post with me anytime she wants because I think her story is so moving and touches a part of our hearts! Thank you Megan! (and family)
