The amazing milestone ~ 28 weeks

I don’t even know how to start this post. Maybe by saying how EXCITED I am today!!! Oh gosh… we’ve reached 28 weeks! This has been our main goal for such a long time. Sometimes I felt like it’s so far away, I thought we’re never going to make it. It is SO important that our babies have reached this milestone, I am going to cry!! At 28 weeks the babies are ready to meet us, meaning they have huge chances of surviving outside of the womb. Of course we would prefer that they wait a little longer in there, there’s no rush. But if I were to deliver any day now, it would be ok. They would still spend time in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) but I think we can say they are safe to enter our world. Everyone is excited, not just us – the nurses that enter my room congratulate us. The Labor and Delivery section from Northside has different floors. My room is on the HRP floor (High Risk Pregnancies). So everyone here knows very well how important it is to get to 28 weeks. Everyone’s goal is to get to this stage. Right now I am the only one carrying quads and many of the nurses said I am their first patient they have worked with that is expecting 4 babies. They are all wonderful ladies that take such good care of me.

I don’t know what I will do today but I know it’s a happy day. The babies have been doing so good and my contractions are very light, I guess I am more relaxed too, knowing that I am here under the dr’s supervision. Yesterday I had so many visitors and surprises, it was wonderful. Oly’s baby brother, Naty (he is 20 but he is still the baby of the family and I love him so much) works nearby and he came to see me twice in the same day! We got him a parking pass, so he can come and go as he likes. Then a good friend of mine from work, Shannon,  stopped by with her kids. That made me so happy! I had no idea they were coming. And the kids brought the babies the cutest lovies ever! I have them by my window so I can see them all the time 🙂

The Quads lovies 🙂 Aren’t they so cute?

At the end of the day my in-laws came by with auntie Ada, so I ended my day with family around me once again, which is wonderful. Naty was here already, Oly surprised me and came straight from work. I was so glad that my hubby was here too. I was given a different room with a better view, because I’ll be here for a long time. Now I don’t have to look out of my window and see a wall, here is much better! I can see the King & the Queen buildings again and I love it. So Oly moved all my stuff once again. We need to buy an air mattress for him, like a twin size to make sure it fits in here, so he can sleep better and actually get some rest. I am so happy that he stays with me almost every night.

the view

My room

From this day on we just count the days. I am setting a new goal, which is 30 weeks and the 32 weeks. Hopefully even 34! We thank God for every single day. We’ve come so far only by His grace. And we’ll continue the same way, following His plan. People ask me often how did I manage to carry these babies so far and what did I do to have such a healthy high risk pregnancy. I did what the doctors have told me to do, so I followed instructions, but at the end of the day, the life of these miracles are in the hand of God.

Happy 28 weeks Babies! Mommy and Daddy love you all more than words can express! We can only imagine that day when our pregnancy journey ends and we get to hold these precious angels! And then the real fun begins 🙂

Our life is in Your hand

Lori.
28 weeks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mommy’s dream

Every Mommy dreams of having healthy babies. And only now I realize what a blessing that is. I was very happy today to hear that the babies continue to grow and to be healthy, gaining about half a pound every 2 weeks. I am doing pretty well too. I thought I’ll get admitted because my cervix length has shorten to 1.7, but because it’s still closed and hard I guess I’m fine. Contractions are still light and not that many, yay! I am a little nervous because anytime things could change, but I am hopeful. Monday morning I’ll have my cervix checked again and we’ll go from there. I definitely need to stay off my feet and horizontal. I can’t believe how close we are to the big day that will change our lives forever! In my mind, getting to 28 weeks is absolutely mandatory, but every single day after that, will be a heavenly bonus! I do hope to go as far as possible, but I need to be realistic. I don’t have super powers, my body has limits and I am not the one in control, God is. He is the only one that knows the exact day and time that He has planned for our quads to arrive.

Times four!

It’s funny how my big belly easily opens up conversations, no matter where I am. For me and my husband it feels so normal to be expecting quadruplets, we even forget that this might be a shock for anyone else. Sometimes it’s really fun to see how people react. Other times, not that much, especially when I am tired and I can’t even put 3 words together. But it has been a great experience for us. It does bother me when people that never give me a call, a txt or show any sort of interest in our family, come up with weird stories and gossips. I was expecting this actually, but I thought that my blog would keep everything clear for everyone. I mean, it’s me here, writing about my life, sharing this amazing experience with everyone. Oh well, as we all know, there are others out there that have nothing else better to do than come up with things that are not true.

Baby weights from today’s growth scan:
Baby A: 2 pounds, 6oz
Baby B: 2 pounds, 4oz
Baby C: 2 pounds, 7oz
Baby D: 2 pounds, 12oz

We are glad to know that all of them are within the normal range and we’re praying that they keep on going strong! I wish I could get a picture of all of them, to show you how crazy it looks in there, but they are too big and it’s very crowded inside my belly 🙂

Lori.
27 weeks, 2 days.

First night in the Hospital

Yesterday started pretty early for me. I woke up around 4am and just couldn’t go back to sleep. I was not feeling too well, my belly just felt weird. Around 5 the contractions started, but nothing unusual, They were not hurting that bad. But my belly was hard as a rock and stayed like that the whole day. So after going back and forth all morning long, on what to do, I called dr.Jeffer’s office and spoke to a nurse. They made an appointment for me right away. I called Oly’s work and asked if he could come home and take me to the hospital. Fast fwd: I got admitted. My blood pressure was higher than normal, lots of contractions… but the cervix was still fine.

Once I got into my room, lots of equipment was brought here. They had to keep track of each baby so they needed another computer and a few more heart monitors. It took a while to get all those monitors on my belly, I had one for each baby and one for my contractions. I just couldn’t believe it – I was having contractions every 6 minutes! I probably spent 30-45 min laying on my back with all those things attached to me and my back started hurting a little. In the beginning I thought it’s from my belly contracting so much. But at some point the pain was unbearable! The left side of my belly all the way to the back was hurting me so bad! I kept breathing thinking it’s just another contraction, a very serious one this time around. But why just half of my belly and the back? The 3 nurses that were in my room at that point were looking at me very worried but there was nothing they could do apparently. Looking at the monitor, they said it sounds strange because I’ve had contractions like that before but couldn’t figure out why I have so much pain this time. I thought I am going to lose it at this point. Oly was holding my hand and he kept telling me it will go away, well it wasn’t! I was covered in sweat and I really thought I am about to have these babies right at that moment. I asked made the nurses take the 4 monitors for the babies off me so I can turn to the side and try to relax. Even breathing was to hard for me. It slowly went away, but my side all the way towards the back still hurt. It was manageable though. Then I got the chills, I was freezing! Even after I warmed up, my body kept shivering for a while. I thought that was it, it went away. But shortly after, I needed to go to the bathroom. The second I got up, the pain was back. I don’t even know how Oly managed to take me in and out of the bathroom, I thought I will faint every step of the way. I got back in my bed, terrified… Is this what being in labor means? are the babies coming? am I ready? All these questions and many more crossed my mind. Tears were rolling down my cheeks, but I was trying my best to keep myself together. My hubby kept telling me that we’ll be ok, the babies are good and all that pain doesn’t mean they are coming so early. He reminded me that only God knows the day that He picked for these angels to enter our world, we should not worry.

I did get some pain killers and it helped a lot. This is just for a short period of time, until they figure out what is wrong with me. I was happy to see Ada and my in laws later at night. The doctor -that was on call- stopped by and checked me out. He thinks I might have kidney stones on my left side. So they’ll make some urine tests and hopefully this morning we’ll find out. Not sure what’s the plan if that’s the result. I will be spending the whole day here. They said I have a chance of going home tonight but I am not getting my hopes up. Whatever they consider better for me, I’m fine with it.

Oly decided to spend the night with me, he was too worried to leave me here. I thought that was very sweet of him, it did make me feel a lot better just seeing him sleeping on the sofa next to me. I didn’t get much sleep though, even after taking some Ambient. Before we went to bed, I was pain free, so we had some fun taking pictures 🙂

prego style in my new room

O & L

the view from my room

Can’t wait to see how today is going to be and how long I’ll end up being here. Thank you to all of you that have been praying for us! I know God is in control!

Lori.
27 weeks.

Good to be home

As most of you know, this week has been a little different. On Monday I had an appointment at Atlanta Perinatal Consultans, my regular every 2 weeks check up. I wasn’t nervous but I had a feeling that things might have changed a little bit. But because I was “ready” for not so good news, it went pretty well, I think. It’s easy to freak out … don’t we all want to hear good news all the time? Especially when there are little hearts (that depend on you) involved. Thankfully, the babies are good, growing day by day just like they should. It’s so nice to see them every now and then, because I always feel them!! It’s fun now that they move so much. We already know who’s the leader, who’s the crazy one, who’s the laid back one, but we can’t wait to see if it’s going to stay that way when they enter this world. For example baby D keeps us entertained the most! She is extremely active and truly believes that she deserves the most space! She stretched all over my left side, pushing baby B down and baby C to the side. She moves so much that sometimes my belly changes into different shapes, it looks pretty crazy – believe me! I like to talk to them and it’s just so fun. Today I asked them if they would like to eat something and of course baby D kicked right away 🙂 I thought it was so cute, even though it was probably a coincidence. My belly is very wavy sometimes, we just look at it and wonder what is going on in there! So yes, the quads are growing beautifully and that makes us SO happy. We get more and more excited to meet them but they better stay in there as long as possible.

Here are the weights for the quads (at 25 weeks):
Baby A: 1 p, 15 oz
Baby B: 1 p, 15 oz
Baby C: 2 p, 1 oz
Baby D: 1 p, 14 oz
Wonderful!!!

I am doing pretty good too. Some things have changed though but I am not worried. I am blessed to have a lot of encouragement around me and some very nice quad Mommas that have been on this exact journey reaching out to me! Busy Moms of quadruplets, some of them have other kids besides their quads, and they take time for me? That is amazing! I appreciate every single one of them and I appreciate our families, friends, just everyone that cares and prays for us.

My cervical length got shorter from last time. Used to be 4cm and now it’s down to 2,5. But it’s still firm and high enough so that’s very good. It only means I need to be on strict bed rest from now on and be more careful. Also I’ve been having contractions. I could tell sometimes that I feel something weird, some sort of pain and toughness of the belly but not too bad. Those are contractions, sort of the “mild” ones. They had me lay down at the doctor’s office so they can monitor them. I had a few. At that time I thought I will get admitted in the hospital. But I didn’t! It’s still ok. I am taking Indomethacin for 48h to help the uterus relax, it seems to think it’s time to deliver. Think again uterus! We still have a long way to grow together so please work with me!!! I am also taking a set of steroids shots, to help mature the babies lungs. That’s because we know they will come earlier than 40 weeks so their lungs need a little help. Those shots are not that bad; they sting and once you’re done…it’s hard to walk because of the pain but it goes away pretty quickly. This is nothing compared to other things so I don’t mind at all. Today was my first shot (a great celebration of 25 weeks) and tomorrow is my second. Today I went back to the doctor’s office, this time to see my OB and hear what she has to say about staying home or getting admitted. She has a special way of explaining me things without getting me worried! Same thing with my Perinatologist. Wonderful ladies! They both decided that it’s fine for me to be home (yay!) until my next appointment and then we’ll see what’s happening again. I guess from now on that’s how we roll. If I get serious contractions, then I go in. I’ll keep you guys posted.

To celebrate my 25 weeks, I will end this post on a sweet note 🙂 This is a must at our house these days!

Lori.

Our first milestone

Today we reached a big milestone – 24 weeks! Happy Viability Babies! We’ve come so far, but we still have a while to go. Hopefully at least 6 more weeks! I cannot believe we’ll be parents of quads in a few weeks!! In the last week I was able to connect with a lot of quad mommas. I actually feel like we are not alone and knowing that there are so many other families out there that went through the same thing and did great, that is very encouraging for us. There are a few families with quads here in GA, I even spoke on the phone to a Mom that has 2 year old quadruplets, born at Northside Hospital, same place where we’re going to meet our babies for the 1st time. So now I feel relieved because whenever I have a question or a concern, I know where to find answers. It is amazing to see how all these women and their families. I can relate to them so much!

I have to say… I am a little scared. Sometimes a lot. I pray that God gives me strength for what is yet to come. I feel how my body is transforming just to be able to bring these babies into this world. It’s a lot going on in a short period of time and that affects me. I am doing my best to have a good attitude about it but at times I feel low and worried. These precious babies deserve the best and I just wish we would have a better scenario planned out. Honestly, this never happened to us before. Every plan we make, it falls through. But God always comes up with a better one. It’s just that sometimes we have to wait longer than other times and this waiting is driving me crazy. This is by far the biggest faith test we ever had and it is not easy!

I would like to ask you again to keep us in your prayers. To be able to reach 30 weeks and pass that as much as possible. To have healthy babies and a healthy mommy and last but not least a healthy daddy! He is working hard and I know he would like to do more. I know he has a lot on his mind but he doesn’t want me to worry more than I do. And I also know that he would do anything for our babies and for me. I appreciate that so much but sometimes I don’t show it. He is the only one that I would have ever chosen to be by my side on this journey.

Lori.
24 weeks

 

Four peas in a pod

I never really knew what the love of a mother is and I am sure I still don’t know yet, at least not 100%. But I never experienced a greater joy… the love and gratefulness that fills my heart is just beyond words. Hearing that my 4 babies that I carry in my belly are healthy and as the days go by they get stronger and stronger, makes me the happiest person on this planet! This love that I feel for them, cannot compare to anything else. I remember how worried I was in the beginning of this journey. Because it is such a high risk pregnancy, I had so many reasons to be scared and unsecured. When I look back, I wish I would have been more courageous from the start. But that’s when Oly was so strong and he had no doubts that everything will be ok. He pushed me forward every time I was down and wiped my tears away, constantly encouraging me and reminding me of God’s promises for our life.

So today we had another doctor’s appointment. After the ultrasound technician scanned the babies, she said ” These are the amazing quadruplets! They all look so good and you should be very proud!” 🙂 We were so happy to hear that! Here’s what our precious 4 peas in the pod weight :

Baby A : 1 pound, 6 oz
Baby B : 1 pound 7 oz
Baby C : 1 pound 10 oz
Baby D : 1 pound 10 oz
Seems like A and B are smaller but C and D have a lot more room, they are right on top of their brother and sister!  Anyway these are not exact measurements, but everyone is on the right track.

Next week on Wednesday I have another doctor’s appointment, with my OB, dr.Jeffers. And also at night we will be going to a huge kids consignment sale that I am so excited about! The sale starts on Thursday, August 1st, but because I registered a while ago as a first time Mom, we get to go the night before and hopefully get some baby stuff that we still need for the quads. We met one of the organizers of this sale on a cruise we took for our 5th wedding anniversary. She is such a wonderful lady! It seems like this is the biggest kids consignment sale in GA. It is twice a year and they have different locations.

Check it out at http://www.all4kids.com .
They have great deals for sellers and buyers. Sometimes they hire extra help for the season too, if you need a seasonal job.

We know that these amazing quadruplets, their growth and health are the answer of many prayers and we appreciate every single one of you that prays for us. Don’t stop! 🙂 As time goes by it does get more difficult. My belly is big and of course it’s not as easy as it used to be to move around, but it’s not impossible. We went into a gift shop at the Hospital today and some ladies that were in there told me they thought I am due any day now! I will take some pictures to add them to the rest of the Belly Pics. I still have a while to go, my belly needs to stretch out more and make room for the quads and so I need you to keep me in your prayers. Next Tuesday I will be 24 weeks along! That is a big milestone for us!  24 weeks is when the baby is considered to be viable, which means that if it is born at this time it has a reasonable chance for survival. When you are expecting quads, getting to 24 weeks is a huge deal because there’s so much going on inside your body! The more babies you have in your womb at once, the bigger are the chances to deliver very early or to have pregnancy complications. Thankfully, we’re moving on the right direction!

Lori
23 weeks, 2 days

 

 

Our babies!

I am excited to write this post because yesterday I got to see the babies and they are all doing wonderful! They are healthy and beautiful! It was a very emotional visit to my perinatal doctor. The night before I couldn’t sleep and I just kept thinking about my appointment, I was so nervous! When Lois and Ada came to pick me up, I was a mess. I am always a little nervous before my appointments but this time it was the worst. I thought maybe something is wrong, maybe I didn’t take it as easy as they tell me, maybe I walked too much or didn’t rest enough ( I do my best and try to listen to everything that the doctors tell me but I just can’t help but worry sometimes ). Even when we were driving to Northside Hospital, I felt sick to my stomach, just thinking something might be wrong. I mean, it’s not one baby, or two…there are four of them in there! But it felt good to be out of the house for a little bit. Oly was so funny, I didn’t tell him how nervous I was, but he knew it and he texted me “Please don’t worry about anything!!” 🙂   The girls were very encouraging and they did their best to calm me down and get me to relax. Once we got there, I already felt better. I was excited to see my babies, get some new pictures of them and see how much they grew in the last 2 weeks. It was the best ultrasound we had so far. We were able to see their little faces, hands, feet, just all sorts of details that I didn’t think it’s possible to be seen already. They were moving all over the place, Baby A (our first girl) stretched out her whole body, I think she was showing off, knowing her 2 aunties were there 🙂 It is just amazing to see how well they all progress. Many people think that because there are four babies, they are smaller than normal babies for this stage. They are not! They each measure and weight exactly what they are supposed to:

Baby A (girl) : 11 oz
Baby B (boy): 12 oz
Baby C (boy): 12 oz
Baby D (girl): 11oz
We have some cute pictures of them, I will share some of them with you.

A ~ baby girl, stretching out

B ~ baby boy, cute button nose

Baby B’s little face

C ~ baby boy ~ up side down

D~ baby girl, looking up

the whole team 🙂 it’s getting pretty crowded in there!

This picture was taken earlier in the pregnancy but you can easily see how they each have their own “space”

On Tuesday I will be right at 20 weeks. A big step in this pregnancy. I am so happy that everything is going so smooth. I know things will move on in the right direction and the babies will continue to develop beautifully, because God is watching over them every second. Every 2 weeks or so, a representative from our health insurance calls me to check on the pregnancy and see how I am doing. They are always surprised to hear how great the babies are and that I am feeling so good. “Keep doing what you’re doing, seems to work great!” they tell me. Well, we are praying, our families are praying, our church and friends are praying. That’s what we are doing. And it is the best medicine for the body, heart and soul.

Lori.

19 weeks, 2 days