[One Wish]

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This post has been edited by One Wish: 19/04/2012, 04:32 PM

[ubermum]

Relax. Don't get ahead of yourself just yet. Many multiple pregnancies don't eventuate....just like the one in my belly. It started out as twins, but by the second scan at 8 weeks (I had pain and some bleeding at 5 weeks, hence the scan and bloods), there was only one sack and one heartbeat.

[Triplets......]

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I have 1y/o triplets.
I was not put on bed rest. Still walking around right to the end. My ob strongly advised csection. Said it was the safest option.My pregnancy was event free. The risk for me were higher chance of gestational diabetes, pre eclampsia, loosing one if not all of the bubs, twin to twin transfusion, early labour. None happened.I had three healthy bubs at 34 weeks and 1 dayNo ongoing medical problems, that we know of.
34 weeks is the longest they would let me go. I focused on that number and three healthy bubs to take home. There are quite a few other mums around that have done it too.
I changed my diet and exercise habits. If you want to know exactly what I did let me know.

[twinboys]

What state do you live in??
AMBA - Australian multiple birth association has higher order multiples (HOM - triplets or more) contacts in each state.
They can help with questions like yours and once the babies are born can help you with resources - volunteers, bulk formula and nappies etc.

[domestically~cha...]

Hello 5 weeks is very early for a scan and hard to see exactly what's going on - it also depends a lot on how experienced the sonographer (?) was.

In the early days mine looked like 3 sacs (triplets) but the third sac was a subchronic hematoma. My OB loved to "joke" about this.

Best of luck with your next scan and let us know how it goes.

[*Spots*]

I have almost 5 year old triplets I finished up work at 29 weeks then was told to rest at home but wasn't 'put' on bed rest, I had my three at 36 weeks my pregnancy was problem free, had no choice and was told I would have a c-section as it was the safest way and now I have happy, healthy almost 5 year olds

I was told that the doctors have to let you know about selective reduction, it wasn't an option for us as they were all healthy...would of considered if there were health issues.

Congratulations and best of luck

[lilymurray]

Hi, my triplets will be 7 in August so I can help

I was about 6-7 weeks pg when I first found out I was expecting triplets, its a huge shock isn't it! I remember the joy and the panic, its alot to go through all at once isn't it!

My OB gave us pretty much the same advice as yours is giving you. I was told at my first scan (6-7 w) there were enough risk for a singleton let alone triplets. I then remember going into my 8 weeks appt feeling a little more relaxed only to have to sit there & listen to the finer details of selective reduction, then was told if I was still pg at 12 weeks they would then take the pg seriously. When I was still pg at 12 weeks my Dr explained all the risks to me & then I managed to try & enjoy my pg as much as I could before things turned pear shaped.

Now to answer your Q's

- were you put on bed rest (if so from how many weeks)? Yes, my OB doubted my ability to carry a triplet pg from the start so asked me to go on mat leave from 12 weeks. I was on 'at home' bed rest from 12 weeks. My OB had me attending scans to check my cervcal length fortnightly & I was placed in hospital on strict bedrest by 25 week when my cervix measured 2cm. My cervix went down to 1cm at which point I had a stitch put in. I remained in hospital on bedrest for the duration of my pregnancy.

At the beginning of my pg I spoke to a HOM advisor who told me I should exepect anywhere from 2-7 weeks in hospital on bedrest. I ended up with 6 weeks, but you should prepare yourself for some degree of bedrest.

- how far along in your pregnancy did you get before delivering? I got to 31 w 4 d, but I remember being told when I was pg that the average gestation for triplets was 32-33 weeks.

- does triplets mean automatic c-section? It depends. If the triplets are your first, then I'd say yes. I do know of women who have had a sucessfull vaginal delivery in a hospital with triplets, but all of these people have had successfull & straight forward deliveries with thier previous births.

- what risks did you and the babies face? The biggest risk is prematurity. The complications I faced were:
-Short cervix (which will probably be monitored continually through your pg, I had fortnightly scans)
-Gestational diabetes
-Obstetric cholestasis (which was what resulted in my early delivery in the end)

The gestational diabetes wasn't too bad as it could be easily managed. The short cervix & OC were my biggest risks as they put put me at risk of early delivery. I was luck that the suture in my cervix worked but I was advised that there is always the risk that it wouldn't work. I was lucky that it did work, but in the end my early deliver was a result of the OC. I was also starting to show symptoms of Pre eclampsia aswell.

- did you deliver three healthy children? yes, but it was a long road in the NICU & then special care nursery & we had plenty of issues along the way (mostly ongoing feeding issues plus we also had a minor brain bleed that luckily didn't result in any longer term issues). My babies were 1.185kg, 1.550kg & 1.555kg so it wasn't till they were 38 weeks equivalent that they came home. I spent all day, every day for about 7 weeks in the NICU/SCN before they came home.

My OB told me that what is important is getting past 30 weeks. Before this the risks are so much higher.

- do your triplets have any ongoing medical conditions? No, but I consider us lucky

Let us know how you go over the next few weeks/months. Please keep in touch & If you have any more Q's please don't hesitate to ask

ETA: I wanted to add that I highly recommend the book 'When you're expecting Twins, triplets or Quads' by Dr Barbara Luke & Tamar Eberlein. I purchased this book from Amazon when I was expecting & I highly recommend it. This book is packed with stats & realistic info, details on the risks & what you can do to reduce them.

This post has been edited by lilymurray: 01/04/2012, 02:49 PM

[Cherish]

I didnt have triplets but my good friend did.
She had 10 weeks to adjust to the idea she was having triplets. She wasnt put on bedrest, and carried till 37+(or+5, i cant quite remember)
She had a c section, she would have been keen for a vag
Birth but it didnt happen.
Good luck

[4*shining*stars]

My GGG triplets are now 5 and a half. During pregnancy, I was told that 2 were sharing a placenta, making the pregnancy a little more high risk. However, placental testing after birth found them to be tri-amniotic tri-chorionic triplets (each baby had its own placenta and 2 sacs each). DNA testing at 18 months confirmed that all 3 were genetically identical, so the triplets were monozygotic (one egg).

were you put on bed rest (if so from how many weeks)?
No.

how far along in your pregnancy did you get before delivering?
33+6. Triplet 2 showed signs of IUGR so decision was made to deliver. Since 34 weeks is deemed full term for triplets, I was very happy to get to that stage, anything after would have been a bonus. In fact, the MFMS had actually checked Tr1 and Tr3 who were doing great and told me that I could go another 2 weeks. It wasn't until Tr2 was found to have not grown in the previous 2 weeks that he changed his mind and I delivered 2 days later!!

does triplets mean automatic c-section?
No. My MFMS gave me the choice, and my triplets would have been VBAC had I have said yes.

what risks did you and the babies face?
We had a boring, straight forward pregnancy other than the fact that I was carrying 3 babies at once!!

did you deliver three healthy children?
Yes. The smallest spent the afternoon in NICU (was only 1465g) but was downgraded to SCN quickly. By day 5 or so, all 3 were in open cots with only feeding tubes. By day 8, they were all on suck feeds and all home by day 18. We were allowed to go home even though my smallest was only 1700g as there was nothing that I was doing in hospital that I couldn't have done at home!!

do your triplets have any ongoing medical conditions?
No.

We were very blessed to have no complications either during pregnancy or any time after. I guess it doesn't happen very often, but you can have a high risk pregnancy where nothing can go wrong.

Good luck with your pregnancy

This post has been edited by 4*shining*stars: 18/04/2012, 03:23 PM

[tonyali]

I don't get on here very often, I hope you have some more information about your pregnancy now and a better idea of the way forward. My triplets are 4.5 years now and I still remember the day they suggested selective reduction, it's a tough decision. There's a support group on Facebook called HOM Families of Australia that you might like to connect with.

Ali