Week 18 Update

We have had a great Week 18. The babies have been on the move. While Mikki has been able to feel them for a few weeks, the rest of us are now beginning to feel them poke, kick and elbow. So far they seem to respond best to cold orange juice and steamed or grilled vegetables. Granted, they haven’t had a warm glazed donut yet. For Mikki’s sake, we should probably avoid sugar highs….could you imagine all three jacked up on Mountain Dew?

We have also read that their hearing is developing and that certain sounds will begin to become familiar to them. They will certainly know our and the kids’ voices when they are born. Mikki has been singing to them. The kids and I have been talking to them. They will also likely recognize Coby’s guitar and the intro to Sportscenter. To help prevent the boys from being startled by certain sounds they hear for the first time out of the womb, our book tells us that we can actively expose them to any sounds they should look forward to hearing. For instance, we have let Dingo bark at Mikki without the usual scolding (which happens quite often these days as Dingo is consistently startled by the ever-growing belly). And, perhaps most importantly, we have begun their familiarization with the most exciting four beats known to man: Baaaaah-Bah-Bah---Bah. Followed up by a big GEAUX TIGERS! Check it out:




Also, we have updated the belly watch slideshow to include a Week 18 picture. We go back to Maternal Fetal this coming Friday so we should have another batch of baby pics next week.

Thanks again for everybody’s prayers. Keep them coming! 16 more weeks until our healthy baby goal.

Hunter and Mikki.

Our Story

We are currently the Bertrand Five: Hunter, Mikki and three perfectly healthy and mostly happy kids. Our son is 13 going on 24. The girls are 8 and 6. And, of course, we have our four legged son, Dingo, which technically makes us the Bertrand Six. On April 12, 2011, we were told some very exciting (and at the same time terrifying) news: we are expecting triplets. Yes- three babies at one time. Three times the work, anxiety and sleep deprivation. Three times the love, hugs and kisses. Hopefully, we are up to the task.

This blog is our effort to have our family and friends share in this adventure. It's also our goal to create an interesting historical record that our new trio can enjoy years from now. We will do our best to keep this site updated with stories and information about our journey. We will also post loads of fun pictures. We welcome your comments and advice, and we especcially welcome your prayers.

I was the one that first broached the subject of having one more child. In my mind having another son would complete our family. I never admitted (at least not out load) that there was a possibility we could add another girl to the Bertrand bunch. Mikki, on the other hand, was not easily convinced. She accurately noted that we already had three wonderful and healthy kids deserving of our love, attention and financial support. She also wisely pointed out that we were relatively young and that at the rate we were going we would still be relatively young when our nest was empty. As we debated, God decided to take matters into his own hands.

On April 5, 2011, we went to our first doctor appointment to confirm what we had suspected for a few weeks – Mikki was indeed pregnant. 11 weeks pregnant to be exact. We were excited, but we were also questioning whether we had the strength and endurance to start over again. The first appointment was fairly uneventful. Mikki was healthy, barely showing, and had not yet started to gain weight. Multiples had not crossed our mind. However, during the physical exam the doctor said that Mikki felt "full." Dr. LaFranca then proceeded to see if she could hear more than one heartbeat. Just one! One super strong heartbeat, so no worries at that moment, yet for the next week we kept recalling the doctor's comment that Mikki felt full. What exactly did that mean? Mikki's mom then reminded her of just how prevalent twins were in her family. Could it be?

We went back for the first ultrasound on April 12, 2011. I can honestly say that we were in no way prepared for the news we were about to receive. We had pretty much dismissed the fact that it could be twins since Dr. LaFranca had heard only one heartbeat. Yet as soon as the ultrasound began, two little heads instantly popped up on the screen. "That is two babies," I aptly stated. "That is impossible, we weren't really trying and Mikki is working with only one ovary." I immediately felt nauseous and had to sit down. Mikki, on the other hand, immediately began to glow. After about three minutes to digest the news that Mikki had two little people in her belly, the tech- suddenly looking puzzled- hesitantly said something like, "um...guys...that right there...um... that is a third baby." I responded with something eloquent and memorable. "You have got to be shittin' me. That is impossible." After a few minutes of questioning the tech's expertise in these matters, another tech was brought in for a second opinion. "Yes, that is in fact three babies. Congratulations." And then, the question we hear most often: "Were you guys on fertility?" The answer for all of those wondering is NO. This event was completely spontaneous.

In shock and awe, we sat in Dr. LaFranca's office somewhat in freak out mode. I'll never forget how great Dr. LaFranca was when she joined us. She sat on her knees in front of us holding both of our hands, she gave us the pep talk of all pep talks: "Y'all can do this. You were meant to do this. God handpicked you for this amazing adventure. It's just plain awesome..." We could barely muster any words, much less intelligent questions, and we were sent home with instructions to return in four weeks for another ultrasound to confirm that everything was progressing as it should be.

Trying to process our new reality, we began sharing our news, though we were a bit nervous about the possible reactions. However, the unanimous excitement, love, and support everyone was pouring upon us was and is nothing less than awe-inspiring. We had, to an extent, become instantly famous, or infamous... take your pick. We immediately set out to learn as much about multiple pregnancies as we could. We learned of the risks involved, both for Mikki and the babies. We read about bed rest, pre-term labor, and the long stay our babies may have in the NICU. We learned that she had to make it to 26 weeks (minimum for survival), and that 34 weeks should be our healthy goal. We read about the costs involved and the sleep deprivation to expect once the babies were born. As a result, two days in we were mentally exhausted, in a constant flux of excitement and anxiety.

We decided to start focusing on what we could control now. We had just recently moved into a new house. It's a comfortable four bedroom that we are very proud of. Our kids were all excited to have their own rooms for the first time. Not so fast. The girls would again have to share a room. Thankfully, they are very loving and supportive sisters who compassionatly accepted their fate. Once they compromised on colors, we set about re-organizing and painting their room. Who knew lime green, purple, and sky blue were totally meant to be together! We also painted the jack-and-jill bathrooms that connect the girls' room with the soon to be nursery. Next on the list: figuring out how to cram three babies and all of their necessities into one little room. These day-to-day tasks make us feel as if we are at least being pro-active and they keep our minds off of the high risk nature of this pregnancy.

Our second doctor appointment and ultrasound was on May 10, 2011, Week 15. The next bit of big news: our trio is ALL BOYS. I never had a doubt! Everything else looked great. All the boys appeared to be in their own amniotic sac, which is good news. They were all growing at the same rate and had excellent heart rates. All awesome news. Dr. LaFranca did her best to put us at ease regarding what we had in front of us. Most importantly, Mikki is a great candidate to carry and deliver healthy triplets. This is her fourth pregnancy, such that her body is as prepared for this event as it can be... think elasticity. She is healthy and has a proven record of completely healthy full-term pregnancies. Outside of the inevitable risks that we cannot do anything about, there is every reason to believe that Mikki can carry these boys as long as necessary. Dr. LaFranca's goal is 32-34 weeks. That puts the likely delivery date in late August or early September. We have a lot to do in a short period of time!

On May 19, 2011, we met with a group called Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM). They are specialists for high risk and multiple pregnancies. It's their mission to watch the babies very closely to ensure they are growing and developing as they should. More news: our boys appear to be IDENTICAL; the odds of which are very long. While the doctor could not be certain at this stage of the pregnancy (it's easier to predict in the first trimester), it appeared to him that the babies were sharing just one placenta. One placenta apparently equals identical babies. Check out the pictures on the right side of the page and let us know what you think! Identical babies bring their own inherent risks that we again refuse to worry about at this stage. For now, they are all healthy and their sizes are within 6% of each other. It's very important that they stay within 20% of each other's weight. The doctors assured us that they would be keeping a very close eye on our boys. In fact, we are set to see MFM doctors every two weeks moving forward. At some point, there will only be one week between ultrasounds.

Mikki's current medical instructions are fairly simple: she needs to eat lots of healthy food, get lots of rest, and stay off of her feet. Nutrition and rest are vital to delivering healthy babies and are two things we can certainly control!

We hope this first entry catches everybody up on our story. We promise that our future entries will be much shorter, and sometimes told simply in pictures. Hopefully the good news will continue, though we know that we'll face significant challenges moving forward. We are so thankful for all of the love and support everyone has given us thus far. You have inspired us to believe that together we can do this.

Much Love,

Hunter and Mikki.