My first pregnancy could not have been
more uneventful. We did use IUI to
get pregnant, but after that
everything was a breeze, including the
delivery. My second pregnancy
couldn't have been more different. It
took us more IUI rounds and different
kinds of ovulation drugs. But finally
we got the great news, we were
pregnant. When we went back to the
doctor to have our first ultrasound,
we got the surprise of a
lifetime...triplets. Honestly, I got
in the car and I cried. If only I
knew what was to come. At 17 weeks
and 4 days, I woke up and noticed a
little wetness. I didn't think much
of it and went on with my day. Then
at 9:30 a.m., my world changed. I
felt a huge gush and I knew instantly
what had happened. My husband and I
rushed to the hospital. They didn't
like what they saw at all and I was
sent by ambulance to a higher level
trauma hospital. Triplet A's (Anna
Grace) membranes had ruptured They
told me I was 3 cm dialated and with
all the blood, I would good into labor
by days end. Well I didn't. They
kept me three days and pumped me full
of antibiotics. I was then sent home
and was put on strict bed rest. If I
some how made it to 24 weeks I would
then be on bed rest at the hospital.
Each day they said I should be
prepared for the worst. Days then
turned into weeks, however my doctor
told me more than once I should
consider ending the pregnancy. At 23
weeks and 5 days I entered the
hospital. It was at 24 weeks exactly,
I started to feel some pain. It was
pretty mild at first, but quickly got
intense. Anna Grace entered the world
at 5:58 a.m., but somehow they doctors
were able to keep the other two babies
from delivering. Anna was tiny, but
beautiful. I never saw her eyes, but
I was holding her when she took her
last breath. I will never forget that
moment. She lived just over eight
hours. It was hard to grieve for a
baby when I still had two babies to
think about. Triplet B (Ellie) and
Triplet C (Gillian) were able to
continue on despite all that happened.
The next few weeks were rough, lots of
bleeding and multiple trips back to L
& D. At 26 weeks and 4 days, I woke
up to heavy contractions. I knew from
experience what was going to happen
that day. Ellie was born first and
Gillian followed 8 minutes later, both
vaginally. They were small but
strong. Ellie was off her vent in
less than two days. Gillian just over
two days. It was a long 67 days in
the NICU, but mostly uneventful.
Gillian had contracted an e-coli
infection that send her back on the
vent for a week, but other than that
just typical preemie breathing
issues.
Ellie and Gillian came home on APNEA
monitors and multiple types of meds.
I won't lie, the first few months were
incredibly tough. The girls are now 7
1/2 months old(4 months adjusted).
They are healthy, gaining lots of
weight, and appear to be developing
normally. I never refer to the babies
as twins, for me they will always be
triplets. They girls will grow up
knowing how strong Anna Grace was and
how she kept strong until it was time
to go the the hospital. She did
exactly what she needed to do to save
her sisters. She will never be
forgotten.
I always think back to the day my
water broke. What if I had gone to
the hospital sooner? What if I had
stayed off my feet more? So many what
if's. The doctors don't know why it
happened and I never will either.
With time I blame myself less. If
this has just happened to you, try not
to be so hard on yourself.
If PPROM happens to you, be realistic,
but be brave, you just never know what
might happen. Prayer is a powerful
tool.
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