Big Crib

Keith held all three babies today for the first time which was as sweet as can be. They all fit as snug as they do in bed and it is so cute to see them holding hands and ears and swatting each other's faces as they sleep. Here you see Madison first then Payson and Hayden.

The trips did well staying warm, sometimes too warm, while being swaddled together in their very crowded isolette so the nurses decided that it was time to move them to a big crib. The temperature in their isolette was as low as it could go and a few of the babies were a little to warm, even with hats off and arms out. Their new crib looks somewhat like a cage and there is plenty of room for 3 or so more babies. I am anxious to hear how they do overnight and if the new digs work out. Here you can see how they use the back of each other's head to hold their passies in place. Ingenious!

Also, today Payson came off his nasal cannula so we got to see his face in full handsome form today with only the small feeding gavage remaining. It's so cute seeing him cuddled in between his sisters.

Co-bedding!

The triplets are finally back together after 10 days of being apart. They are all close to 1500 grams (3 lb, 5 oz.) which means they can likely regulate their temperatures and stay warm if they are swaddled together. At this weight they can also wear clothes. Here is a picture of their reunion in their preemie clothes that absolutely swallowed them.

Also, since Hayden's umbilical cord fell off I got to give her a swaddle bath yesterday (previously they have only had sponge baths). She screamed through her last sponge bath so to my surprise she loved her swaddle bath. The nurse said she is going to be our spa baby. Ha!

First Time Together As a Family!

Today was another big day for the babies, and us. They received their first head ultrasound today, something that has been scheduled since their birth. They look for hemorrhaging and abnormalities in the brain and purposely wait to have the test done because sometimes they don’t appear for a few days after birth but, if they are going to, they usually do appear within 7 days. Well, praise the Lord, as all babies’ tests came back normal! We are so thankful. They will have one more head ultrasound before they are sent home.

Also today I was asking one of their nurse practitioners about when they think their nasal cannulas might come out of their noses so their gavage (feeding) tubes can be moved to their noses. She said that they can both be in the nose at the same time as long as there is room. This was great to hear because Payson really doesn’t like the gavage in his mouth. He’s like mommy, he just wants to be comfortable all of the time. So Keith and I decided to have all of the babies’ tubes moved to their noses while we went to lunch and the nurse said they all took their passies really well afterwards. They seem happy to have the tube out of their mouths and Payson makes many fewer funny faces and his mouth is much calmer. Thanks mom!

Also, because the isolettes are so close together now in the new room, today was the first time that we could Kangaroo Care two babies at once and I got the privilege of holding both Hayden and Payson while Keith held Madison. It was the cutest thing ever having the two babies' heads together - though I know it will be even cuter when we can have all three together! Our recliners were facing each other and touching and for the first time we had all babies out of their isolettes at the same time and in our arms. It felt like a true family of five!

Babies' First Christmas

We celebrated the babies' first Christmas by spending time together and decorating their isolettes. They were under their bili lights this day so they were a little agitated but we were able to get some calm pictures of them with their lights off. Here you see Hayden (reindeer), Payson (dog) and Madison (teddy bear).

Finally, an Update - FIRST WEEK SLIDESHOW

Written by Keith:

Wow, it has been a crazy week. Jess is doing well as are the babies. She is recovering from her surgery well and has the usual recovery symptoms. Her feet and legs are painfully swollen and she is experiencing post-birth aches and pains but she's as active as she can be being fueled by the thought of seeing her babies. We're constantly running back and forth between home and the hospital.

My family has been in town for the past few days and has been taking good care of Jessica and me. The day that she came home, they cleaned up the entire house and cooked us dinner. They cooked a feast for us on Christmas Eve and took all the stress off of us. My folks are down from Tulsa and my sister, brother-in-law, and their three daughters just moved back from Bangkok where they were Christian missionaries for almost three years. My parents went from having zero grandkids around to having six in less than a month!

The babies are doing well and the NICU staff is taking very good care of them. They're all now off of their CPAP machines and are only on nasal cannulas. Hayden and Payson are off of their billirubin lights - their jaundice is likely gone. Madison is still getting some treatment, but it's not of real concern as jaundice is common for preemies.

The kids aren't having as much bradycardia and apnea as they were earlier in the week. We're hoping their hearts and lungs can get really stable so that we can take them home in 6-8 weeks rather than 8-12. It's a long way off, but we're already looking forward to it.

Well, here's a SLIDESHOW of the first week of their lives. Also, below is a can't miss video of Madison's hiccups. Seriously, it's a must-watch.

And Then There Were Five

So here's how it all went down...

The evening of my doctors appointment when I found out I was 2.3 cm dilated I went to bed late but had a hard time sleeping, getting up every 30 minutes to use the bathroom over a 2 1/2 hour period. I asked my nurse for a second sleeping pill, something I had never done and that helped me get some sleep in between my hourly bathroom visits. Even though I was very out of it, with each bathroom break I increasingly became aware that my contractions felt slightly different than usual, I was having lower back pain and feeling extra pressure from the weight of my uterus. Around 6:15 a.m. I realized that I should time my contractions. In 10 minutes I had 4 contractions so I called my nurse in to monitor them and the babies' heart rates on the machine. After 15 minutes of monitoring she and the charge nurse decided I was in preterm labor and called my doctor while I called Keith. The next thing I know my room was being packed up and I was told that I was going to Labor and Delivery to be checked - either I was having these babies or getting on magnesium to stop the labor. Of course we hoped for the latter.

A Labor and Deliver nurse ended up coming to my room and checked my cervix - ouch! She said, "You are 5 cm dilated, 100% effaced and in a -1 to 0 position. You're having these babies." I asked, "Now?" and she said, "Now!" Around 7:10 a.m. just as they were wheeling me out of my room Keith was walking down the hall to meet me. I spent some time being prepped in triage and even had to stall a bit while my doctor fought traffic on the tollway. At this point I definitely felt the contractions but was not in real pain - after all, I'd been having contractions for 10+ weeks. At 8 a.m. I had to leave Keith behind as they took me to the surgery room get a spinal-epidural combination anesthetic. By 8:25 they had started the c-section with Keith by my side and by 8:33 all three babies were out. They each cried upon being delivered and I was brought to tears immediately with Hayden's first cry. At 8:49 Hayden was brought to my side for me to see followed by Payson and Madison. My surgery was complete by 9 a.m.

The rest of the day was spent resting in bed and visiting with family while our babies received care in the NICU. I began pumping milk for the babies in the afternoon and Keith spent the day delivering it for the babies and bringing back photos and video footage of our precious babies for me to see. Finally around 8:30 p.m. I was wheeled down to the NICU in my bed to see my little ones and I even got to hold Hayden, who wasn't on any breathing assistance at the time.

I had been told that when it all went down that it would likely happen very quickly and it did. Despite the fact that the babies came earlier than we had hoped, we were thrilled to finally meet our little ones and were delighted that they were doing so well despite their early birth date.

THE BIG ARRIVAL!!

Written by Keith:

We are proud to announce the birth of our three beautiful babies. Jessica called me this morning at 6:30 a.m. to let me know that she was experiencing regular contractions and I rushed to the hospital. They determined Jessica was in labor and shortly after I arrived, they began preparing Jessica for the C-section. By 8:15, we were in the Labor & Delivery operating room.

Hayden Elizabeth was delivered first at 8:32 am and has light complexion and strong features. She weighed in at 3 pounds 5.6 ounces and was 17.13 inches long.














Payson Andrew came second, also at 8:32 am, and has red complexion and a round little face. He weighed 3 pounds 3.5 ounces and was 15.75 inches.














Madison Lynn came out last at 8:33 am and has darker complexion and lots of hair. She weighed 3 pounds 4.2 ounces and measured 15.35 inches.














So, we got a white baby, a red baby, and a brown baby and the girls are definitely not identical. They are all healthy and stable, crying right after they were born. All three will probably need a little help breathing, as most 30-week-old babies do. They're expected to remain in the NICU for 6-12 more weeks, so please keep praying for our little angels. We'll have pictures up shortly, and more details about the birth, but here are a few of our babies' first few moments to tide you over.

Thanks for all your support and prayers over the past few months. Please keep us in your prayers for the next few months, as well.

Progress Isn't Always a Good Thing!

Well, I went to my doctor today and got some disappointing news. Though I still have a cervical length of 1.3 cm, I am dilated 2.3 cm. The last three weeks have shown consistent progression towards delivery, so it appears that the babies will be arriving some time in the next two weeks.

We're not sure exactly what has caused things to change so much, but my doctors aren't surprised. This is not too uncommon with triplets, given all the weight and other stressors. My contractions haven't been any more frequent; however, I did have a lot more pain on Monday. I woke up with severe back, side, and stomach pain that persisted throughout the day. By evening, it had localized in my stomach, but they gave me some pain medicine to help. This, like most of my other symptoms, has been attributed to a "normal" triplet pregnancy.

My body is acting up a little bit, but the babies are very well behaved. They're safe and sound in my big oven. I gained 7 pounds last week, putting me at 12 total over the last few weeks. The babies are also gaining, with their most recent measurements putting them each at a weight of approximately 3 1/4 pounds.

On a positive note, we have reached Week 30. This provides us with a little bit of comfort, but we probably won't be satisfied with anything less than 34. I also received one last steroid shot today as a "rescue dosage." This means that it will help reinforce the last dose - to help give the babies one extra helping hand toward developing their lungs before they are born.

Keith left work early today and came to the hospital late morning to help comfort me during this stressful time. In the afternoon, my sister-in-law, Negeen, brought her two daughters here to cheer me up. Though I had to lie down the entire time, it definitely lifted my spirits and provided a pleasant distraction from the day's, otherwise, unpleasant events.

Avery arrived with a gift in hand and said "Here. To help make you happy. You are sad." She was so sweet and her words warmed my heart. Later, when I stood up to use the restroom, we got a quick shot of her kissing the babies. We also have a picture to put the size of my belly in perspective - me hiding behind Keith with nothing but my stomach showing. Crazy!

We're hoping to make it a couple more weeks for the sake of our new little Melkers. Please keep us in your prayers over the coming weeks as I try to stay rested and hold in these babies.

Growing and Shrinking

Tuesday's appointment showed healthy growing babies. Unfortunately it also showed a shrinking cervical length. Up to this point I was trying to spare you from too much detail but it is difficult to explain the situation without going more in depth.

With a cervix measuring 1.8 cm in length, we are somewhat concerned that things are progressing more quickly than we'd like. However, a month ago it measured around 2.2-2.5 and managed to increase back up to 3.5 cm so it is hard to tell what is really happening as the cervix is dynamic. I am praying to make it to 30 weeks which is this Sunday and will be anxious for next Tuesday's appointment to see if it was just the timing of the measurement or if things are progressing.

My doctor says that cervix alone is not telling enough to know when these babies will arrive and he wouldn't be surprised if I did make it another 4, 5 or 6 weeks. I was not too surprised to see the change as I am certainly feeling the weight and the pressure, however, it was kind of surprising since my contractions haven't increased in number and we thought that it was going to be the contractions that caused us the most trouble. That being said, I do have 2-8 contractions an hour every day and that could certainly be affecting things. At this point I am doing all I can do to keep these babies in so we just have to wait and see what happens. In regards to my many discomforts, it seems like almost every night I say to Keith, "I just don't know" and he always understands what I mean and replies, "You can do it."

On a lighter note, Keith's sister and her family moved back to Oklahoma after 3 years in Thailand. We are thrilled to have them back. Though it was getting late we decided we need to snap a picture for the blog. You can see from our sleeping nieces in the picture on the left that the jet lag has not yet worn off.

The babies have discovered my ribs and seem to have no problem fighting against them for more room. Our little Baby Boy "B" now has his head next to Baby Girl "A"s head after spending a few weeks snuggling with his other sister. He has relocated to the very surface of my stomach allowing me to feel his every move (previously I felt him the least). I spend a lot of time on my left side as I should mostly because of the location of the TV and to use my right hand for writing, typing, etc. And because of this I often rest my right arm against my stomach and Baby Boy "B" is sure to kick or bump me to let me know that he wants his space too. This week he gave us a good view of his face as did his sister, Baby Girl "C", who has her hand near her cheek in the top left corner of the second picture.

Week 29!

This weekend my sister-in-law, Negeen, did the "29 Week dance" for us. Last weekend the on-call doctor, who happens to be Negeen's doctor, did the "28 Week dance." So, be careful if you visit us on a Sunday or you may be called upon to do the honors.

Last week the babies were right on track, weighing in at:
2 lbs, 11 oz. - Baby Girl A
2 lbs, 10 oz. - Baby Boy B
2 lbs, 11 oz. - Baby Girl C

This week the babies should all reach 3 pounds, which will take them out of the micro-preemie range - oh, how great that is! We are still hopeful for a 2008 birth date and that this will not be our babies' first Christmas. We got a couple of good sonogram pictures last week. Baby Girl "C" proudly showed us her profile as usual and we found out that Baby Boy "B" and Baby Girl "C" have their heads together at the top of my tummy.

Keith and I refer to me as his "Big Girl/Baby" and that I am. I have some new equipment around my room to help accommodate my inability to accomplish everyday tasks and to avoid strenuous "activity." I now have an orthopedic trapeze above my bed to help me get up without straining or using my abdominal muscles. I also have a bath seat and now have foot pumps in addition to my usual T.E.D. Hose to help prevent blood clots. Two of my nieces visited today and had fun playing on the trapeze bar as shown below.

And the foot pumps that I wear, though not as fun as depicted in the image below, aren't too bad:

Week 28!

Today is a big day for us as we have made it to Week 28. Though still not an ideal birth week, 28 weeks is an important milestone in the triplet world. I have been on hospital bed rest for just over a month and hope to be in this bed 4 and even 8 weeks from now. It is not the lying around that's difficult, it's the pain and discomforts. As the belly picture to the left proves, our babies are growing and so am I. I've heard during my entire pregnancy that I'm "not that big" but surely no one would say that now!

As they grow Keith and I get to experience new developments with the babies. As of a few weeks ago I began feeling their hiccups which can be felt from the outside too. I was wondering what the rhythmic movement was and happened to read about it a few days later. It hadn't dawned on me but, duh, of course that's what it is! We can also feel their little limbs and body parts at times from the outside which is really neat. Last weekend the babies were having a party, moving like crazy, and Keith spent some time playing "You're It" with the babies. Not really but it certainly seemed like it with the way they would touch and kick back. The most vivid contact for Keith was when Baby Girl C softly but firmly brushed her hand against his.

Since I have been here five weekends I have met all of the doctors who are a part of my doctors' rotation group so come delivery day, no matter who is on call or who assists my doctor, I will know who they are. I am now taking an Iron supplement to prevent anemia and having daily Protein shakes to assist in the babies' growth but other than that my routine is the same.

As far as we know, things are relatively stable so the countdown thankfully continues. During Tuesday's sonogram we will get an update on the babies' weight and development and my progression, or hopefully lack of.