Well folks, I had another blood draw this morning and platelets dropped. Dr. Tabor cut the 24 hour urine analysis short and found protein in my urine so I do have preeclampsia. This means today is delivery day! We are excited, and nervous to finally meet our babies. Please pray for a safe, uneventful delivery. Your prayers have taken us this far and we continue to need them.
Hugs,
Amber
We made it to week 28!!!! This is a HUGE milestone for us as the survival rate for the babies jumps up to 95% and the risks of long term disabilities drops dramatically. Of course we don’t really want the babies coming this week, but at least they have good chances if they did. I may not love being on house arrest, but I am really fortunate to still be home at this point. I love having my fur babies at my side all day and friends dropping by at home. Though I must admit, each day is a challenge for me. The discomforts increase each day and contractions are more common these days. It pained me to do it, but I had to take Tylenol in order to rest last night. I have had intermittent rib pain on the right the entire time (now exacerbated by Mason’s cute little feet), but it started on the left last night. I finally had to cry “uncle” and just had to down some Tylenol. I did actually sleep from 3:00-6:45 because of it.
I know each day the babies simmer is better for them, but my body is starting to rebel. Each day I put my big girl pants on (figuratively and literally) to make it another day because each day is a victory. Your prayers and positive thoughts have helped us make it here so please keep it up. As I become increasingly large and uncomfortable, my patience is thinning. So, perhaps pray that I remain calm and patient.
Hugs,
Amber
I guess I couldn’t let my wife steal all the glory so I decided to show off a little. As we know “It is all about me.” – that’s a little inside joke. As my wife turns to words for comfort, I turn to building and creating with my hands. A guy can nest too, right? If there is one thing you need to know about me it is that I was born with Anosmia; it means I cannot smell a thing. Not a rose, popcorn, a slow roasted Texas Brisket or a dead skunk. Nothing. It really hasn’t affected my life except of course for my cleanliness. I like to keep everything as clean as possible to make sure it doesn’t stink. I have noticed that people who can smell mention that things smell good 5% of the time with bad smells representing an overwhelming 95%. I presume the world is full of bad smells but this is just an observation.
This brings me to my creation…The Poop Chute. Who has a poop chute you ask???? Nobody except the Shawvers! I just cannot believe anyone would allow poop to be in the same place they eat and sleep. It just does not make any sense to me. I asked many people how they dispose of diapers and the only logical conclusion is a Diaper Genie or Diaper Champ. These devices were created years ago and I am surprised nobody has come up with something better. Since we are expecting four I did not want to keep emptying these devices all day long to keep the stink away. I needed something where they all go and I can change once a day.
Below I show how I built my work of art. I simply used small pet door and a duct which can be purchased at any local hardware store.
I had to bend this duct to the proper shape, pointing downwards. 
Next, I cut out an opening in the wall to accommodate the pet door on one side. On the other, I cut and traced out a 10″ hole to insert the duct into.
This is the door on the inside of the nursery closet. You place the diaper in here.
This is the duct from the inside of the garage. The diapers fall out of this chute into a waiting trashcan placed underneath. I will line the trashcan with charcoal to absorb the odors. I will simply step out of the car, take out the trash, and Voila! It’s a nice way to dispose of dirty diapers in a convenient centralized location!
BTW….I also invented a previous product that I used to potty train our puppy while living in an apartment. We called it The Pooch Patio Potty. I put a layer of sod in a soil lined box for the puppy to use. It worked great! Sasha was able to potty right on the balcony without making a mess and we didn’t have to haul her down three flights of stairs each time she needed to go. However, someone else later made something similar with Astroturf and now sells them at Bed Bath and Beyond! My million dollar idea gone in an instant.
George
We had our weekly visit with Dr. Tabor today. That meant I fixed my hair, wore a “cute outfit”, and put on more make up than I have been. I have to admit, seeing the sunshine during the car ride was nice. Sometimes it is the simple things…
My vitals were all good and there were no signs of dilation. Also, my contractions have become fewer and further between, which is also good. George noticed that I always had contractions in the evening after taking my calcium supplement so I started taking it earlier in the day and spreading out the dosage. We mentioned this to Dr. Tabor who said we might be onto something since they use magnesium as a calcium blocker to stop premature contractions. Good observation, George!
After our last appointment, we knew we’d have to keep a close eye on tiny Sydney, but we didn’t know how much. Today she didn’t get the best report card. Her amniotic fluid levels are slightly low, which is causing some pressure on her umbilical cord and a lower heart rate than her siblings. What bothers me is that there isn’t really a treatment for this, just careful watching (and praying). I read that hydration can help so I will force some more fluids down even though I already drink a ton of water (George is excellent about keeping track of my water consumption and reprimanding me if I get behind). Extra fluids can’t hurt.
Dr. Tabor will continue to watch Sydney very closely to make sure conditions do not decline. If they do, all of the babies will have to be delivered much earlier than we would like. Of course with quads we have always known they would be premature, but ideally they would be delivered at 30-34 weeks. We are at 24 weeks now, which is the first point of viability. Babies born at 24 weeks have about a 50% chance of survival and the NICU could help their odds. While viability is a milestone, we do NOT want our babies arriving now. At 26 weeks, the survival rate jumps up to 80%, which is better but not great. However, babies born after 28 weeks have a 95% survival rate. Dr. Tabor said he would feel comfortable if we could make it to 28 weeks at least. This is all very scary still.
I am doing my best not to worry too much and remember the positives:
1. Rylin, Mason, and Harper are all doing well
2. my vitals continue to be good
3. while Sydney’s heart rate is lower than her siblings, it is still 140 bpm and that is within the normal range (the other three are at about 150 bpm)
4. Dr. Tabor said that Sydney is very active, which is a great sign
5. Dr. Tabor said he is not terribly concerned, he is just watching carefully. I know that if he were very concerned he would have admitted me today rather than making an appointment for next week. I trust him and know that he knows what is best for the babies.
Since prayer is one of the only treatments we have, please pray that Sydney’s conditions are stable and we do not need to deliver prior to 28 weeks. Also, pray that I stay calm! I do not need to work myself up about this. This may mean I will be taking LOTS more baths!
hugs,
Amber
http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/premature_indepth.html
24 weeks, 2 days
It is official, my hormones are in overdrive and I am an emotional roller coaster these days. Here’s how the past two days have gone for me:
Yesterday we had our 20 week check up and it was GREAT!!! Again, the babies are all the right size with good fluids. Of course Rylin has not yet decided to head further north, but it’s okay. I’m thinking she got a bit of the stubborn gene. My vitals were also good. I managed to hold off on another week of bed rest. I left feeling very confident.
About 9:30 last night, less than four hours from my appointment, I started having Braxton Hicks contractions. They weren’t painful, but my stomach was absolutely tightening. This of course made me feel anxious and not so great. I phoned a few friends and then decided to call the on-call doctor. She said to drink water/ lay on my left side and if the continued for 30 more minutes to head to the hospital. UGH! She also thought my anxiety might be making them worse so I opted for a warm bath. It helped, the contractions stopped and I was able to get to bed. Okay, disaster averted.
This morning started off as usual with the rush hour nightmare that is my commute, but there was also a wreck where two highways merge so it was completely gridlocked. I knew better than to get on the highway when I saw the sea of red taillights so I opted to stay on the service road and take some back roads. The only problem was I wasn’t the only one with this brilliant idea. The stop and go of the commute made me queasy so I felt rotten by the time I got into the building (I possibly had a green tinge to my face too). What should have taken about 25 minutes took well over an hour. I immediately headed to the school nurse (she was a high-risk OB nurse before coming to the school system) to ask her about how to correctly monitor contractions and what to look for. She immediately noticed I felt bad and naturally inquired. Of course, this set me off into a crying spell for no apparent reason. Sweet Nurse Patty sent me to my office with a blanket and literally made me rest on my side eating ice chips to calm me and settle my stomach. However, throughout the day when certain people would stop in or I would start talking about something (not sad), tears would start flowing for no reason. But, the good news is that I did survive the day and managed to finish a report!
This picture really doesn’t fully capture the gridlock fun I experienced, but it’s an idea. ARGH!!!!
This evening when I got home, George was very thoughtful and made Chex mix for me. That was the perfect way to wrap up an overly emotional day for me! However, as he was making the Chex mix, I decided to catch up with my emails and blog reading. Of course, someone posted a You Tube video about a man who was a disabled veteran who was told he could never walk again. As I watched videos of him learning to walk again and then practice yoga, tears streamed down my cheeks! However, as I bawled, I simultaneously laughed at myself! I knew it was silly, but could not stop either. It is like a lucid dream, so weird. I managed to get it together and enjoy watching some Big Bang Theory with George as I stuffed my face with Chex Mix.
He has the keys to my heart!
George is so smart…he suggested that I head to work extra early to beat rush hour and leave early to get home before rush hour hits again. Why didn’t I think of that??? So, here’s to a better day tomorrow perhaps with less gridlock. Just maybe…I’ll be able to control my emotions.
hugs!
Amber
This week we saw Dr. Tabor for our 18 week check up. All of the babies measured the correct size and had good fluid levels. Baby A is settled a little bit too low, which puts me at risk of placenta previa. However, Dr. Tabor thinks she may move up in the next few weeks so he is not concerned at this point. If she doesn’t find a way to head north, I would be put on bed rest due to a risk of bleeding. Placenta previa also means a c-section is necessary, but that would happen for us anyways so it doesn’t make a difference in that regard.
Dr. Tabor seemed surprised at how well I am doing. After my exam he said, “hmmm”, which was a bit confusing. I asked what he meant and he said, “it looks good”. He said my blood pressure was “rocking” (good), and I have no swelling so no bed rest! I’ve been granted another week of freedom. I don’t want to take advantage of my freedom though. I try to take it as easy as possible and not over do (this can be hard for me sometimes, but totally is worth it!)
hugs!
Amber
While George and I have known we are expecting quads for over seven weeks, last week was the time we told all of our extended family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. It has been an amazing week sharing the news. I only wish I had a camera to capture all the facial expressions. Better yet, video footage. It would be a hysterical you tube montage! Reactions ranged from excitement, amazement, shock, and I think even some fear. My favorite reaction was when a co-worker hugged me because she could see I am expecting, but literally jumped back three feet when she heard it was four. It was almost as if having quads were contagious. One principal squealed in delight. It was priceless.
The funniest thing was what my boss did. I told him the day before we went on spring break, but waited until after spring break to tell everyone else. He asked if it was a secret and I said “no”. I was thinking he might mention it to our secretaries or other people in the administration office. However, I did not expect the “Welcome Back” email he sent to our department the Monday we returned. The memo read:
“Good Morning!
Hope everyone got in some good relaxation time last week. It’s been a busy spring break for some, however.
Amber told be Friday before the break that she is expecting and I’m sure she spent time getting ready.
Danny had a baby girl Friday. Her name is “Zoey Elizabeth.” Mom and baby are fine.
Amber is pregnant.
Claire emailed me Friday to say her doctor scheduled her delivery for today. No distress but thought it wise to do.
Amber is expecting.
So, I hope all is well with you. We’re very happy for Danny and Claire.
And I should mention Amber is expecting a fourth time, since they are quadruplets!”
When I read the memo, I literally wanted to crawl under my desk. I’m not a person who feels comfortable in the spotlight and this certainly was like putting a high-powered spotlight on me. I didn’t get much work done that day because my phone exploded with calls and texts, and my email kept pinging. Most people said when they read the memo they thought our boss had really lost it this time and forgot what he typed. Too funny! I also got quite a few office visitors that day, as my office mate kept sending people in saying I needed to meet with them. When our assistant principal came in he was panicked that something crazy happened with a student. He seemed relieved to find out it was just news that I am expecting quads (no big deal ya’ know).
It has been fun sharing this news with everyone, but I have really appreciated the warm, supportive response we have received. Everyone seems to share our joy and many people have offered to help in some way or another. I think I should start taking names of volunteers now….just in case they forget. So far I have baby rockers, feeders, launderers, cooks, and housekeepers- not bad!
One of my schools has already organized a shower as well. They are all so sweet and excited about being a school where there are quads on the way.
hugs!
Amber
Let’s rewind a little more….there is a reason I can manage to stay calm about having quads (at least most of the time!)
November 22, 2011
Our miscarriage proved to be much more emotionally painful and difficult than I ever anticipated, and it happened right before the holiday season. George and I decided to take a trip to Mexico over Thanksgiving week as a means of reconnecting and leaving some of our pains behind. We wanted to find a “last minute deal” (by the way….I’m not sure if those actually exist) so we didn’t book until about a week prior to the trip. I thought I found a wonderful hotel on the beach, but it didn’t quite live up to our expectations. I’ll say it was a little more “authentic” than the other hotels we visited in Mexico before. We learned that the water in our room was “non-potable”, the food was comparable to a school cafeteria at best, our sheets were made of some sort of weird rubber that was not cozy, and the building was made of some sort of concrete that funneled noise from the stairs to our room. Needless to say night one was rough and we didn’t sleep much. That night I remember praying to get through the tumultuous journey of infertility and for health and happiness.
We awoke apprehension about traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday. Should we have stayed home? Had we made a mistake? Nonetheless, we slathered ourselves in spf 50, got dressed, and headed out to take on the day all by 7:30 am. We had been to Puerto Vallarta in the prior year with George’s company so we went on a mission to walk down the beach several miles to where we stayed before. As much as I tried to avoid it, thoughts of infertility crept into my head as we walked along the beautiful coastline nestled between the mountains.
Then something amazing unfolded right in front of us. A group of four baby sea turtles was making their journey from their safe dry sandy nest to the sea. I have been to the beach many times during my life, but never in November, which is the time when sea turtles make this journey. Mother sea turtles spend their days in the ocean until nesting season when they take a huge risk to come inland to nest. Going inland is difficult for them as their bodies are built for ocean living not land. The mothers generally return to their own birthplace where they take time to find the right spot to lay their precious clutch. Once the baby turtles hatch, they instinctively crawl towards the water where they will spend their lives until they return to nest. Baby sea turtles are about the size of a small orange and stand out with their dark bodies along the sand so they are easy prey particularly for birds and lizards. We watched these babies trek through the sand for about 15 minutes and all four made it!
At that moment, I got an overwhelming, unexplainable feeling of calm that everything in my infertility world would eventually be okay. It was as if God was whispering a message directly into my ear. If a mother sea turtle can take the risk to nest and eventually her babies could make that trip, I knew that someday I will have babies that would survive like that too. It was a beautiful experience and I am grateful for it. I will think of these little guys when life gets tough; they never give up, they keep surviving. Here is one of the four making it to the water-
PS- A friend of mine later told me that sea turtles are a symbol of motherhood and fertility. Coincidence? I think not. Also, at the time, I didn’t think much of there being FOUR sea turtles, but now I look back at that moment as a sign that we were meant to have four.
Interestingly, the morning of the IUI, George and I were the only ones in the RE’s waiting room since it was New Year’s Day. The TV was on, but there was no sound. George looked at the screen and nonchalantly pointed out that there was a special about sea turtles on the screen. It reduced my pre-IUI anxiety tremendously because I thought of those little sea turtles on the beach. On our way home from the IUI, George and I stopped by the video store to rent a movie. In the new releases section was a documentary on sea turtles. These sea turtles seem to be constantly there as a reminder that it will be okay. I never in my wildest dreams imagined having quads, but I do believe we are going to be okay.
Okay….I am a bit behind on starting this blog since we are already almost 14 weeks along. I’m going to start out by rewinding a bit to where this all began.
January 16, 2012
The horrible, treacherous 2 week wait technically ended for me this past Sunday, but my beta (blood test done by the doctor to determine how much, if any pregnancy hormone is present) was yesterday. I did exceptionally well until about 10 days past IUI when I started to feel pregnant and my mind started going down all the rabbit trails. I held off on a home test until Sunday because I figured by then I’d get an accurate result. I debated about whether to go with the digital test (less sensitive, but easier to read) or the pink lines test (more sensitive, but dodgy to read). I was terrified to test because it would either make or break my day. I woke up early (mind you, it was still dark outside and it was Sunday) and snuck into the bathroom to test. I opted for the digital test. I figured I was or I wasn’t so pink line confusion wasn’t in the cards. To my delight I got a beautiful “pregnant” on the screen. I wanted to scream!!!! However, I didn’t want to wake George just yet. Instead, I put the stick on the counter by his sink and crept back into bed. He didn’t wake up for another hour or two. When he finally stumbled out of bed, I watched him fumble around in the bathroom and glance at the stick before heading into the water closet. After he was done in there, he came back to the sink and did a double take. He said something like, “Is this what I think it is????? I thought it was a toothbrush!” The poor guy is practically blind without his contacts so I’m sure he couldn’t read it, but had enough where-with-all to connect the dots. We kept it entirely to ourselves on Sunday and basked in it. I think a little piece of me was still worried the beta would come back negative despite the positive HPT.
Yesterday I had blood drawn in the morning and of course they didn’t call with the results until after hours (thank goodness I already did the HPT!). My poor mom on the other hand spent the day thinking it was bad news and that’s why I didn’t call. I think she panicked! When the nurse finally called, I had to get her to repeat the number twice….1212! (I wasn’t sure it was 12.12 or 1,112) OMG!!!!! For reference…..my last first beta was 119 and they want something over 50. Dr. Elkins said I got a good beta because of the black eyed peas I brought her on the day of the IUI (it was New Year’s Day). George protested it, but I knew that was good idea! Tomorrow I go back for a second beta. The RE said it probably won’t double, but should increase. We shall see.
So as this marks the end of my 2 week wait, I pray that it symbolizes the beginning of many new adventures. Before the New Year, I thought to myself, I hope this year will be the last time we go through all the milestones and holidays in a year without children so we can start celebrating firsts instead.
I don’t think I’ll be relaxed until I have a healthy baby in my arms. In the meantime I’ll remember my new mantra, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of it’s troubles. It empties today of it’s strength.”
January 18, 2012
Yesterday I went in for a second beta. It was 2779! Looks like it did double after all. I had a little panic when I read in my Mayo Clinic book that high betas can mean either multiples or a molar pregnancy (e.g. a big bunch of nothing!). I would be happy with multiples, its the bunch of nothing that is scary. Thankfully, a friend also dealing with infertility reassured me that my betas are nowhere near molar levels. Whew!!!!
It will be another week before the next beta. What I really want is to see an ultrasound though! I considered asking for an early one, but decided not to since it’s too early to see a heartbeat. That might bother me. This is like two week wait part two!!!!! Seriously, it is a FOUR week wait…..excruciating.
January 26, 2012
My third beta was 42,129!!!! The RE said that it was progressing right along.
February 2, 2012
When George and I went to the RE for my first ultrasound I felt pretty confident there was a healthy little bean (or two in there), but was still a little anxious for this first peek. Honestly, I felt confident since the first beta, but those little worries tend to creep up when I least expect them. We had absolutely no idea what surprise lie ahead. As soon as the RE began the ultrasound, I could see three prominent dark circles on the screen, but couldn’t see much else. I worried it was a lot of nothing in there. She started probing and pretty quickly found one baby with a fluttering heartbeat that we could hear! A huge sense of relief came over me. She kept probing a little more and George commented that he saw an empty sac. The RE agreed that one didn’t appear normal and was likely empty. She continued to probe and behold, she found another baby with a fluttering heartbeat we could hear. Okay, there were two viable ones. However, she wasn’t done yet, she probed more. Yep, there was a third little fluttering heartbeat. She was convinced there were triplets and a fourth grainy, empty sac. I thought so too. Yowzers, triplets! I never imagined having more than two! However, the other RE came in and wanted to check things out himself. He began to probe around and quickly found the three from before, but to our surprise, he found a FOURTH baby also with a fluttering heartbeat that we could hear. He said something about finding a little bonus. Um, did he say there were FOUR???? I don’t know what state of shock may have been on our faces, but I’m sure it was there. Both REs also seemed a little surprised and worried about finding a fourth one as well. My numbers this cycle were nearly identical to the prior cycle when there was only one. George crunched a lot of numbers and figured out that the chances of all four follicles producing a mature egg and being fertilized are about one in a million. Maybe we should buy a lotto ticket?
After getting lots of pictures of the little beans, the RE’s left me to get dressed so we could consult in the office. Once I got dressed, I think they left us to simmer in the office for about 15-20 minutes. It seemed like an eternity as our brains raced all over the map. I knew there was a procedure called “multi-fetal reduction”, which is generally recommended when there are high order multiples. The theory is that taking out one or two improves the viability of the others. When the RE returned to his office, George immediately told him that we would not consider a reduction, we were going with the four. How on earth could we consider taking one of these lives away as they were clearly meant to be? The RE talked to us about some things to expect and being referred to a high-risk OB. He also mentioned something about the body possibly “self-reducing” some of the babies. We were digesting quite a lot of information so I don’t think we asked many questions. We made another ultrasound appointment for a week later to check the progress.
When we got home, I only wished I had a ticker box to count the number of times George said “Four.” He must have said it hundreds of times within a matter of a few hours. What an adventure this will be!
For reference regarding beta numbers, check out this link at Beta Base: http://www.betabase.info/showBasicChart.php?type=Triplet
Four to Adore 