3 Weeks Old - Recent Pictures

Well, we've survived the first week of all three being home and it actually went better than we could have expected. It has been a lot of fun for the most part having a full house of babies. I'm sure this is due to the fact that we had a lot of help between my parents all weekend and Dennis being off work Fri-Mon. Having four sets of hands makes a huge difference when it comes to feedings/changing and being able to get out of the house. My parents even stayed with the girls for a bit while Dennis and I went out for lunch one day and downstairs to our neighbors BBQ one evening. It is nice when they sleep so much at this age! We took them all out for a couple walks over the weekend because the weather was so nice and it generated a lot of attention. People were slowing down in their cars and saying "god bless" out their windows and in awe walking by us with the triplet stroller. It is quite a sight that truly turned a lot of heads.

They are becoming more and more alert each day and starting to focus in on things. We think that Madeline looks like Dennis, Tess like me or some variation of a Burns, and Molly must be a mix. There are some unique traits we are noticing about each one such as Tess being the night owl all bright eyed and wanting to play at bedtime (she'll probably be the one keeping them out till the wee hours when they are older), Madeline crossing her legs at the ankles when she eats (so cute) and making lots of noises, and Molly loving her sleep time and being mostly laid back (except she has a set of lungs on her when she is being changed or bathed). We had a pediatrician appt. for all of them on Friday and they are gaining weight. Molly was up to 5lb, 2 oz and both Madeline and Tess were 4lb, 6 oz. We go again this Friday so they should all have gained about 7 more oz. each by then. Over the last week, we've had them on a 4 hour schedule meaning that we change/feed them at 10am, 2pm, 6pm, 10pm, and 2am. This has worked out pretty well for us and seems to be manageable (especially because my mom is staying with us and getting up with us for all the feedings). We each take a baby to change and feed and try to be done within the hour. I also have to pump milk afterwards so that takes a bit of extra time. I have only been breastfeeding during the day feedings (1 baby per feeding) since the nurses thought it was best to give them the breast milk bottles at night to make sure they are getting enough. But, once they get a little bigger I may start to breastfeed at night as well. I am also waiting for this special pillow for breastfeeding twins (not the Bobby pillow) which will hopefully help me be able to breastfeed two at once so that the daytime feedings can go by a little faster when it is just my mom and I here. We'll see how that goes.

I am feeling completely recovered from the surgery now and having lost 40 lbs of the pregnancy weight feels really nice. I guess all this pumping and breastfeeding is helping. I certainly don't look good by any means, but I feel a lot better. The days seem to just fly by where I feel like there are just not enough hours in the day to spend quality time with each baby and get things done around the house. But, so far so good. Here are some pictures of the girls:

Our first bath with our monogrammed totals (thanks Jodi, Amy and Sheila!)

Cozy with Grandma and Grandpa Burns:

In our PJ's (Madeline, Tess, Molly):

Madeline Rose:

Molly Claire:

Tess Elizabeth:

Reunited and It Feels So Good....

Molly, Tess, Madeline (L to R)

All three of the girls are home now. We got the call this morning that Madeline and Tess were ready to come home weighing 4lb, 2 oz and 4lb, 3 oz. respectively. It was so adorable watching them all laying together and checking each other out. Everything seemed under control for our first night. Dennis and my mom did all the changing of diapers while I breastfed. It was almost like an assembly line of them handing them off to me. We're going to do bottles during the middle of the night for now per the nurses recommendation to ensure they are getting enough.

We are so happy to have them all together at home and to be done with the hospital. We will not miss that 30 min. drive each way! The nurses gave them quite a send-off today and we're admiring them in their outfits. We came home to a clean house and fresh flowers thanks to my mom. We still can't get over how lucky we are that they came home so quickly and with no complications. The nurses said that it is rare that the premies leave their nursery without needing home monitoring of some sort (e.g., oxygen, apnea monitors, etc). So, we feel truly blessed that the girls did so well and we hope they continue to thrive. Well, we just got the girls in bed so now I am off to bed...it is going to be a noisy room tonight!

Sleeping Beauties

From our hospital visit tonight:

Tess

Madeline:

Molly Time

Molly has been home for 4 days now and we are loving it. It is so easy with one baby! She is also a very calm and easy baby so that probably helps. It has been fun having her home to hold and stare at....she is so cute. I'm sure she is enjoying all the attention which may only last a couple more days as Madeline and Tess should be home any day now. They are both doing great and we can't wait to get them out of the hospital so we can all be together. They have both passed the 4 lb mark and are eating well so as long as they continue to gain weight each day they will be home. Dennis and I visit the girls in the hospital in the afternoons while my mom watches Molly so it has been working out well. All three girls have taken well to breastfeeding so that is great. We are still giving them bottles of my breast milk as well. I am still pumping around the clock for the girls in the hospital and to ensure that Molly is getting enough to eat. I have a lactation consultant coming to the house Thurs. evening to help me as I attempt to feed 2 at once. That will be the real challenge! Molly had her first pediatrician appt. on Monday and she gained 3 oz. over the weekend bringing her up to 4 lb, 12 oz. Madeline and Tess are going to look so small compared to her when we have them all together. We can't wait to get them all together since they have been separated since their birth day. It's like they have no idea they have triplet sisters right now.

Cute little bears with the girls names and birth dates from Aunt Moira:

Welcome Home Molly

One down, two to go.
Molly Claire came home on Saturday. Madeline and Tess will be coming home within the next couple of days. Molly coming home alone works out well because it gives Jen and I some practice before the whole brood is here.
So last night was Molly's first night home. It couldn't have gone better. When she wasn't sleeping she was eating, which was about every 4 hours. Not much fussing or crying. It was only 1 night but so far so good. We'll see how it goes once all 3 are home.

1 Week Old

Hello everyone! First of all, I want to thank everyone for all the prayers and support during this journey. We have been so blessed with 3 healthy babies, so God must have been listening to all of you who kept us in your prayers.

The delivery was an amazing experience and I think the shock has just started to wear off that we had 3 girls! We feel so lucky that everything went so smoothly during the delivery and that there were no complications when they arrived. I came home from the hospital on Saturday (they let me leave a day early...I was ready to be home) and the girls are still in the hospital. But, they are doing remarkably well and are already almost ready to come home. They had told us that their stay could be from 2 weeks best case scenario to anywhere up to 6 weeks or more. They are talking about Molly and Tess being home as early as this weekend which will be record time!

This week we've been spending the afternoons/early evenings at the hospital with them where the nurses allowed us to do more and more with them each day. In the beginning, it was just being able to hold them and then we started taking their temperatures and changing diapers all while they were in their incubators. They were under special lights for a couple days for jaundice so they had to wear these eye protectors, but they are all off those now. Molly came out of her incubator yesterday and Tess came out tonight. They are all off their feeding tubes and IV's now so they are now feeding through bottles. They love to have Dad give them a bottle! Tonight they even allowed me to breast feed for the first time with Molly and Tess for one of their scheduled feedings and it went well. They are still hooked up to the monitors with cords for vitals, but those are the only things attached to their bodies now. Madeline is only about a day or two behind Molly and Tess progress-wise. They all lost some weight which is typical and are slowly inching back towards their weight at delivery. Molly is still the largest weighing only 4lb, 5 oz while Tess and Madeline are both around 3 lb, 12 oz. They are all incredibly tiny that it is hard to picture them being out in the real world. They are such good babies...very peaceful and even starting to smile. We just love them so much. Watching Dennis interact with them is just priceless and makes my heart melt...he is a natural.

It has been a very busy week between trying to recover from the surgery, visiting the girls in the hospital, Dennis trying to fit in a few hours at work each day, and me pumping milk around the clock for the girls. But, we are so excited and ready for what is to come. I'll try and keep this blog updated at least until they are all home safe and sound.
Here is a link to some photos:
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=718151210904631068/l=374178498/g=4245146/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
In other baby news, cousin Anne Burns Thomas and husband Jim also had a healthy baby girl who arrived last night - Katherine Rose (Kate), joining brother Will. So, that is 5 girls for the Burns family in the last month!

Happy Birthday Girls!

Molly Claire, Madeline Rose and Tess Elizabeth were born today, May 7, 2008 at 8:03 A.M., 8:04 A.M., & 8:05 A.M. respectively. So yes, 3 girls, quite a surprise. They are healthy, beautiful and we are extremely happy. Jen did great and is recovering nicely.

The procedure took a little more than an hour from start to finish. It was pretty amazing. I sat next to Jen the entire time and our view of the action was obstructed by a curtain, which was convenient because I didn't want to see what was going on. The experience was incredible. Hearing the doctor say "It's a girl!" 3 times was a complete shock but then as if on cue all 3 started crying what seemed like at the same time. It was a symphony of cries. Of course one of the doctors then told us to get used to the sound for the next 18 years so that put a slight damper on the whole experience. But, once they had them cleaned up, they calmed right down and they were so peaceful and breathing on their own. We were able to hold each of them for a little while (after Jen finished vomiting).

Here's how much the babies weighed:

Molly (baby A) - 4lb, 8oz.
Madeline (baby B) - 4lb even
Tess (baby C) - 3lb, 12oz.

After delivery the nurses moved the babies to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as a precaution and much to our delight we just found out that the babies will be moved to the Intermediate Nursery tomorrow. We have no idea when they'll be able to come home but we're hoping soon. Jen should be released this weekend. We'll keep everyone posted. Here are some pictures:

Molly Claire:

Madeline Rose:

Tess Elizabeth:

Last Belly Shots

Here are the last shots before we were off to the hospital:

Getting ready for delivery:

Sleepless in NJ; Delivery planned for Wed (34 Weeks, 4 days)

As a follow-up to Dennis' entry below, the babies will be delivered on Wednesday morning. The blood work results came back last night showing that my liver enzyme levels were unchanged from last Friday so they felt comfortable with holding off on delivering me last night. They are going to check them again today and as long as they do not increase, we will be able to wait until Wednesday. Wednesday is best for many reasons but mostly because we were able to use last night and today to get a steroid shot for the babies lung development. They still may not be able to breathe on their own due to the prematurity but any extra time helps. Ironically, I started having much stronger contractions than I've ever had when I arrived at the hosptial last night and they were about 6 minutes apart. But, as the night went on and the medicine kicked in they subsided.

I can't believe we are finally here.....so excited. It was pretty exciting going home yesterday after the doctors to pack up our things for the hospital. My parents drove here to the hospital last night and Dennis' parents will be coming today. Carolynn/Steve, Moira/Larry and my brother will be coming by at some point today or tomorrow as well. Dennis went back to our place last night with my parents around 11pm and when I spoke to them at midnight they were having a beer together (jealous). Dennis is going to stay over with me the next few nights when I will need him more after the surgery, etc. I was only able to sleep for an hour and half last night. I just could not get comfortable and my mind was racing. Suprisingly, it doesn't feel like I didn't have any sleep. It must be the adrenaline. I am however STARVING and just counting down the minutes until 8am when they will feed me. I only had a bagel last night at 10pm after not having anything since 1:30pm yesterday. Speaking of food, my total weight gain was 55 pounds and I am happy with that amount. I do feel bad about baby C not gaining over the last two weeks...sort of strange how our little one (Baby B) and Baby C are now about the same size for this reason. I really hope the breastfeeding goes well for me because these babies are going to need all the help they can get health-wise. Will write more later today...so great that the laptop works in our room! Oh and I have my own huge room that is pretty nice and the nurses are great here.

Happy 5 de mayo! Happy Birthday?!?!?

Maybe. We’re at St. Joe’s hospital in beautiful Patterson, NJ this Monday evening waiting for the results of some tests to see if tonight will be the birthday of our 3 babies. It’s a little unexpected as only a couple of hours ago we were at the doctor’s office in Hoboken for our scheduled weekly checkup. The tests went well and the babies are doing fine but it appears that baby C’s growth has slowed down a bit so the doctor said he was going to schedule the delivery for Wednesday, this way they would be able to give Jen steroid shots over the next couple of days to help the babies lungs develop.
On our way out of the office Jen handed the doctor paperwork with the results of some blood work she had over the weekend and he didn’t like the high enzymes level in her liver. He told us to head over to St. Joe’s to run more tests to see if the enzymes level had come down. If the levels are still high they’re going to deliver the babies tonight. So we’re here waiting for the results. Keep a few Corona’s on ice just in case.
And for those keeping track, here’s how much the babies weighed today and their heart rates:
Baby A: 4 lb, 6 oz. / HR = 130
Baby B: 3 lb, 15 oz. / HR = 150
Baby C: 4 lb / HR = 138