It’s a classic story: A couple with two kids is on the fence about whether they want a third. They decide to go for it and, surprise, along comes #3 and #4!
But this story has an extra element – for the first 9 weeks, it wasn’t just three and four, but also #5. This is the story of how we found out we were expecting triplets, the story of how we are now expecting girl/boy twins next April. (Or, if history is any guide, more likely late March).
Here’s the family photo we took the morning I peed on the stick in July:
Emilia definitely was not stoked about finding out she was about to become a middle child haha
About a week later, while we were on vacation, I started to have some cramping in my lower abdomen. It didn’t feel like anything I had felt with the first two pregnancies, so I decided to call the doctor to see if I was miscarrying or if something else was wrong. I had a feeling from the moment I took the pregnancy test that I was going to miscarry, so I felt somewhat prepared if that what was actually going to happen.
At five weeks on the dot, the nurse told me to undress waist down and wait for the doctor to come in. I was spread eagle for only about 15 seconds when the doctor said, “OK, I’m going to need you to hold your breath for what I’m about to tell you.” I sighed and thought, “This is the feeling that many women go through when they are about to be told that their baby doesn’t have a heartbeat. Everything happens for a reason.” I took a deep breath and the doctor said, “I see 3...possibly 4.” My eyes bulged out of my head. “Babies!?!???!” She then said something about needing a few minutes to look around and confirm how many sacs there were and that I probably would not hear anything she was about to say for the rest of the appointment. She was right.
I was SHOCKED! I just stared at the ultrasound machine as she was moving the wand back and forth and back and forth, trying to decipher just how many embryos were in my uterus. That’s when the tears started to flow and I just cried. I cried for a long time. How was I supposed to take care of that many babies? How could my body fit that many babies? How did this happen? Wait, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
She finally confirmed that I was expecting triplets. She said that all three babies were in their own sacs, and that they’d all have their own placentas, which is the best case scenario when expecting triplets. But she also said that while two looked really healthy, one sac looked a little small and abnormal. The smaller one was measuring at 4 weeks 1 day and the two bigger ones were measuring at five weeks on the dot. She said that the smaller sac could have implanted a week later, but also warned that it could be a sign of other issues that may cause it to miscarry. The embryos were designated as A, B and C based on their relative positions. Babies A & C were the larger babies, and baby B in the middle was the smaller one. We still call each baby by that name to this day.
Triplets automatically qualify a pregnancy as “high risk,” which meant I was to see the doctor every week until about week 10. At each appointment, baby B was growing, but slowly compared to babies A & C. Ezra and I knew that we may lose baby B at any moment, but the little guy/girl just kept on chugging along.
When I went in at 9 weeks and 2 days, we found out that baby B didn’t have a heartbeat anymore. The few people we had told at that point asked me all day if I was doing OK. I was definitely feeling a lot of emotions. In once sense I was relieved, because the idea of triplets felt overwhelming from the start. In another sense I was sad. I had just lost a baby. But because of the early cramping and inkling that this pregnancy would be different, I felt like I had already grieved baby B long before I found out that he/she was gone. Baby B was gone. But I still had baby A and C, who were both growing very strong.
A lot of people have asked, “Where does baby B go?” I wondered the same thing that day. It turns out that baby B will most likely be hanging out and keeping baby A & C warm and cozy until A & C decide to make their big debut. (Though the doctor said it might also “absorb,” whatever that means.)
I’m now 4 months along and I’m starting to finally feel like a normal human. This third pregnancy had been rougher than the first two combined. But thankfully, I’m not vomiting on the side of the road anymore, and I can finally eat foods other than crackers and string cheese. I’m also getting more energy back.
We are expecting a baby girl and a baby boy, and we are both pretty stoked to be evening out the boy/girl ratio. Emilia and Zeke are pretty excited as well. Emi keeps asking Ezra if he has a baby in his belly too, especially right after meals. I like the way she thinks :).
Here’s a pic of all three babies when they were about 8 weeks. Baby B still shows up much the same on the most recent ultrasounds:
8 week ultrasound
