Episode 28: Why me? Triplets born at 24 weeks.
Abigail delivered her triplets at 24 weeks after initially going into labor at 22 weeks and 3 days.
An early first trimester ultrasound with triplets.
Being pregnant with triplets is by definition a high-risk pregnancy from the onset. There is no blissful enjoyment of finding out you are pregnant. You immediately get referred to a high-risk perinatologist, have weekly ultrasounds and numerous appointments, and immediately start having conversations with your doctors that you never want to have. Parents navigating the decisions that come with higher-order multiple pregnancies (anything more than twins) are faced with impossible decisions from the moment they find out they are pregnant. Impossible decisions. Decisions with no right or wrong answers and every decision simply brings on another question.
Here are the themes we talk about in this episode.
There are no right answers, only answers that feel best for your family.
During your NICU stay, you can and will do hard things. You may not love it or like it, but you CAN and you WILL do the hard thing that is required of you.
While navigating the NICU, there is practically no time to process what is happening. Everything comes so fast, and you are simply focused on the next milestone. And then, finally, there it is — the magical milestone where you get to take your baby(ies) home — NICU Discharge. There is a common belief that if you just can get your baby home, the NICU will be behind you. But in reality, the processing happens after your NICU stay is complete. There is still work to be done so you can process your NICU journey. Additionally, for many babies, medical issues don’t just stay in the NICU. They follow you home.
The gift of therapy.
Do not be afraid to ask for help. And take the help.
Bridging the gap between NICU discharge and initiating intensive therapies.
This is the last episode for 2020. I hope you will join us for more family stories, medical storytelling, NICU education, practical parenting and a host of new collaborations coming to the Mighty Littles Community in 2021.