Triplets, 9 Days Old

Daddy holding Emily Mom and Dad holding the Boys. I am holding Matthew and Rob is holding Austin.

Mom holding Emily

Dad holding Emily

Mom holding Matthew

Matthew

Dad holding Matthew

Austin

11/13: Thursday - I am feeling better today. It has been a rough week. I think my pain is better managed today. We start every day now with pumping. Pumping is still quite painful. The lactation specialist says this will get better. I pump, Rob gets up and starts breakfast. Cream of Wheat this morning. Rob is doing such a great job making sure I eat well and get enough nutrition so that my milk is good and nutritious for the babies!! We shower and get ready. This is still quite a task...Rob has to dry me off, put lotion on me, blow dry my incision to make sure it is completely dry and ultimately helps me get dressed. Rob also packs two bags every morning. One insulated cooler bag with all the breast milk collected and another bag with stuff for us for our day long stay at the hospital--he has to make sure to bring plenty of water for me, snacks and of course all the breast pumping essentials. Then, my favorite thing---leave the house for the hospital!! Today we made a pit stop at Walmart. Rob put 100 pics on his pin drive and wanted them printed. He has been trying to print them all week but we have been so incredibly busy. The pics are all so cute!! We finally made it to the hospital! Upon arriving at the hospital, we have to scrub in and put on a gown. The first thing that happens when I walk in the NICU is I breath a sigh....it just feels so good to walk in and see my babies!! The nurses usually tell us who is in charge of what baby. The babies have 2 nurses. One is in charge of two babies and one is in charge of one baby. Then they give us updates. They tell us if they have gained weight, how much they are eating, how they were during the night, any new occurences, etc. Today---the babies are amazing!! Then---my second favorite thing...holding babies!! Ah, this is so incredible. Every day there is something new. The babies seem more alert today.
Important Updates:
*Both boys lost thier belly buttons today! The boys tend to do things at the same time!!
Austin is doing extremely well!! He is eating 22 mls every 3 hours. (All Mommy's milk!) He is pooping and peeing very well too! This is also extremely important! He is weighing in at 3 lbs. He is still on his IV-the IV is a combination of proteins and vitamins. Austin is so cute and adorable!! (Yes, he has Daddy's legs!) Today, Austin stayed awake almost the whole time that Rob held him and also stayed awake for Mommy!
Matthew is doing amazing!! He is actually the leader of the pack!! He has been off his IV since yesterday. He is also weighing in at 3 lbs. So, Austin and Matthew are neck and neck in growth! The boys look very different! Matthew looks just like Daddy, in my opinion. Austin has darker hair like Mommy. Matthew is also eating 22 mls every 3 hrs but they have started adding breast milk fortifier to add additional calories, phosperus and calcium to my breast milk. Matthew is also adorable and always falls asleep immediately after he is put in my arms!
Emily is doing well but she is a day or two behind her brothers. Emily is our chunky monkey, weighing in at 3 lbs, 8 oz, however the doctor believes a few oz of her weight will be peed out once she is done with her IV. She is eating 18 mls every 3 hours. My baby girl is the sweetest thing! She is so cute and cuddly!!! Today the nurse dressed her up in a real onesie!!! Yay!! This means progress!!!
Mommy has now lost a total of 24 lbs. Our first goal is to lose 11 more lbs!!!