2 Weeks

In May 2004, Amy & I were finally blessed with the news that we were expecting out first child!  A few weeks later, when we went for the first ultrasound, the pictures showed not one...not two...but THREE babies.

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At 5 Weeks the babies are too tiny to even see inside their yolk sacs, but three blobs confirm that we are having triplets!

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At 7 Weeks the babies are easy to see now that they have each officially become a fetus with a recognizable head and arms!  Their hearts could be seen beating.  Compare this typical 7-week fetus with the the triplets' 7-week ultrasounds below:

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At 10 Weeks the babies are nearly fully formed human beings ready to just grow big enough to survive on their own.  They can hear sounds and move freely about on their own.  their hearts were beating at 170 beats per minute and they are each nearly two inches long from head to rump.  Baby A was jumping around and turning summersaults as if he were on a trampoline or swimming in a pool.  Baby B was rolling around trying to get a comfortable position for napping.  Baby C actually waved her little arm at us as if to say "Hi Mommy & Daddy" and was looking directly toward us.  The doctor was a bit concerned about Baby C because she saw that the fluid sac around its head and neck seemed unusually swelled.  We were told that there is a 25 - 30% chance that this could be an early sign of a chromosomal condition that could become Down's Syndrome.  We will watch our Baby C closely and pray that she does not have complications from this.

 
The triplets together at 10 weeks.  The angle shows their heads from above.

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At 12 Weeks, the babies have doubled in size since the last ultrasound only two weeks ago!  They measure about 6.3 cm long and their hearts are all beating around 154 beats per minute.  Baby C still has the hygroma, but is otherwise healthy.  Below is a side-by-side comparison of the individual babies from ten to twelve weeks.  Baby B has been most active during this period and has switched positions.  We could see this baby actually sucking it's thumb and hiccoughing during the ultrasound!

A

B

C

A         

      B             

      C             

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At 16 weeks, the most noticeable difference in the triplets is the dominance of the hard bone structure.  The spine, skull, and long bones are the most prominent features in the ultrasound.  As fatty deposits thicken in coming weeks, the facial features of the babies will be more obvious.  This week we were supposed to find out the sexes of the babies, however they did not cooperate with the sonographer.  Two of the babies were defiantly face down and wouldn't move.  Perhaps modesty will be a trait they will inherit from their Mommy.....Could this mean they may be little girls?  Today's ultrasound focused on bone measurements and growth rate.  It seems that Babies A & B are perfect specimens like their Daddy.  They are at or slightly ahead of target size measurements.   However, Baby C (the baby with the hygroma that we have been watching carefully) is lagging slightly behind the others (measuring about five days behind expected development, and about a week behind the others).  This, combined with the fact that the hygroma is still present and only getting larger, indicates that Baby C has odds stacking against surviving with it's siblings.  The doctor is increasingly concerned that it may not survive until birth.  At this point, all we can do is continue to wait and pray.  Although the babies' doctor seems to be all about doom and gloom and preparing us to face the inevitable, she did also tell us six weeks ago that if the the hygroma did not disappear before week 12 the baby would likely not survive into the second trimester.  Here we are nearly half-way through the second trimester and it is still alive and kicking.........heart rate at 154 (the others are in the 140's), still growing, and jumping around whenever Amy eats ice cream!  Please help us pray that little Baby C makes a turn for the better.

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At 20 weeks, we have sad news.  This week we lost Baby C after a car accident on September 19th.  Driving home from a short outing, we were driving East on Klem Rd. approaching the Holt Rd. intersection. Another car was approaching us from the opposite direction. Suddenly, the other car turned left onto Holt Rd. in front of us without signaling or even slowing down to make the turn. I tried to brake and swerve to avoid the car, but the crash was unavoidable. Amy's car was demolished as the front -passenger side was torn off by the other vehicle. Union Hill Ambulance responded and rushed us to Emergency at Rochester General. We felt OK but were concerned for the babies. Amy was hyperventilating and felt cramping in her abdomen. At the hospital, she was examined and given an ultrasound and blood tests to make sure that none of the placentas had ruptured and that the babies were still OK. The tests looked good and all babies were moving around, although it was difficult for them to get a clear view of the heartbeat for Baby C. Amy was discharged later that night.  The next morning, we had our follow-up ultrasound. Sadly, the ultrasound showed that Baby C was no longer moving and did not have a heartbeat. It appeared as thought the stress of the accident combined with the continued stress of it's condition was just too much for it to handle. We felt a strong mix of emotions that included anger, sadness, and fear of the fragility of life. Along with our sense of loss, there was also a presence of acceptance and relief from the stress of the worrying, hoping, and waiting that has been such a big part of our lives over the past five months. Surrounding the sadness, there is good news. Amy can expect a safer pregnancy with only two babies and the babies can expect to be able to stay in the womb longer with less likelihood of the risks surrounding premature birth because of the sacrifice made by their sibling. We also discovered today that our two healthy babies are both little girls!  Both of our daughters seem to be doing well and developing normally.  Baby A is especially active, squirming and kicking her sister in the head.  Baby B is quieter and spends her time resting with her legs crossed and sucking her fingers.

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At 25 weeks, we were apprehensive to make another visit to the ultrasound lab, fearing that more bad news might be on the way.  At our last visit, the doctor brought to our attention the fact that both twins appeared to have obvious choroid plexus cysts in their brains.  These were dark areas in the part of the brain that makes the spinal fluid.  Although this can be a common observation, if it is combined with other symptoms it could mean another developmental problem we may have to face.  The odds were about 1%, but then again only 3% of all births in the world are multiples and we have been consistently breaking the barriers of fate right along.  So, we went into today's doctor visit braced for more bad news.  In a few moments the sonographer broke the news that both babies are looking absolutely healthy!  There is no longer any sign of the choroid plexus cysts in either baby and they are growing at a perfectly normal rate.  After not gaining any weight between weeks 20 and 23, Amy was referred to a nutritionist and told to eat, eat, eat.  Most importantly, she was given a prescription for Prevacid to help with her severe heartburn, which was contributing to her constant vomiting and loss of appetite.  The Prevacid worked wonders and within two weeks, Amy has gain ten pounds!  This weight gain puts her right where she should be at around 30 pounds weight gain at 25 weeks.  Because of Amy's weight gain, the babies have shown a noticeable weight gain themselves.  They now have chubby little cheeks and weigh an estimated 1 pound 7 ounces and 1 pound 9 ounces for A and B respectively (they estimate this using bone measurements).  The babies were both very active this visit and each have a strong heart rate of about 136.  Their little feet measure about two inches long from heal to toes already!  These not-so-little feet are kicking Amy in the bladder and rectum as they sit in a breech position face to face with each other.

Baby B yawns and sucks her thumb................

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At 31 weeks, the twins are doing fine.  They are gaining about a half-pound every week!  This week's ultrasound shows they weigh about three and a half pounds each!  We got to see a 3-D image of baby B's face (baby A was shy today and would not look up).  See for yourself these very first realistic images of our baby and guess who you thing she looks most like!

Guess Who????

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JANUARY 3, 2005

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABIES !

Samantha Rose born 9:10pm
weight 5 lbs. 1 oz. length 18.25 inches

Maranda Laurel born 9:12pm
weight 5 lbs. 14 oz.  length 18.5 inches

New pictures - January 4th 2005:

Sleepy time for Samantha (left) and Maranda (right)

New pictures - January 5th 2005:

New pictures - January 6th 2005:

New pictures - January 7th 2005:

On Friday, we were expecting to bring Samantha home and leave Maranda in the NICU for another day or two.  However, doctors were surprised at how well she had done the night before and decided to let us take both babies home!  After packing up and saying goodbye to the nurses that took such good care of them all week, they boarded the car for their first ride home with Mommy and Daddy.

Babies' first night at home with Mommy and Daddy!

For more new pictures, visit our new page:

At Home with the Vallone Twins

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