Clagett Triplets: The Life and Times of Brooke Brynn Lexi

Overwhelmed

I can offically say that yesterday was the first day that I truly felt overwhelmed with three infants and a four year old. Wednesday night was a rough night for the girls. The reflux is getting worse for Brynn and Lexi and they were having a fussy night. Then Hannah woke up around 4am with bad dreams and needed Mommy. This meant even less sleep than usual. I think when I added it all up I got around 2 hours of real sleep. Then I had to get all three girls ready for their cardiologist appointments. You think with my parents' help and my neighbor Marcia that this would be an easy task. Not really when you have three fussy babies and a four year old who is not cooperating. Finally I got all three in seats and ready to go and then of course there was a smelly diaper that needed changed. When we finally left the house (my dad volunteered to go with us again) we were running around 10 minutes late. The cardiologist appointment was in Hagerstown. It was a cardiologist from Fairfax who travels to Hagerstown once per month. When we arrived at the medical center, my dad dropped me and the girls off at the door and helped get everyone situated in the triple stroller. This is when the fun began. We were already running late and I was in a huge hurry to find the doctor. The doctor's office had failed to mention that the cardiologist just rents a space in an OBGYN office. I could not find the doctor anywhere and while looking had started to draw lots of attention. I guess this was something that I was not prepared for. I had heard other mothers of multiples describe this happening but for some reason I guess I thought it would not happen to me. Boy was  I wrong. The stares, pointing and comments were more than I could have imagined. Most people I think were interested and trying to be kind, but the comments just don't come across that way at all. Maybe it was the lack of sleep and my stress level being high from running late that made me just want to sit down and cry. I heard:

-Boy do you have your hands full (about 10 times)

-I can't imagine having three babies

-Are there really 3? (I guess those people can't count)

-I did not know they made a stroller that large

-You did fertility, right?

-The best was - "they don't all belong to you, do they?" I guess this is when I lost it. I should have smiled and carried on but I had enough with the comments. I responded, "One is mine and I borrowed the other two."  The woman just looked at me like I was crazy and walked away.

(* So next time you see someone with multiple babies, HELP! Instead of staring - open the door, instead of making comments - just smile. It is funny because one would think women would be sympathetic and the first to help. Instead they were the people making the comments and acting like we were a show. The only person who offered any help was a older man with a cane. He got up off his bench to help me get the elevator, smiled at me and told me I had a beautiful family. I could have hugged him!!)

And all this took place before I even found the doctor. So by the time we got there we were really late and exhausted. Brynn had her echo done first and did great. She smiled and laughed through the whole test. Her echo showed the hole that has not enclosed and that is why they are hearing a murmur. She will have to have a repeat echo at three. Lexi went next and what a drama queen. She screamed every time someone touched her and threw a fit the entire echo. We tried everything: pacifier, bottle, mommy lying on the table holding her, rocking her but nothing worked. I have never seen her that out of control. Her echo showed a hole that had not enclosed like Brynn and Brooke but she also has pyloric stenosis like Brooke. Brooke had her echo at the Univ. of Md so she did not need one. So Lexi and Brooke will need rechecked at six months. If they still hear a murmur, they will need repeat echos done then: if not, then repeats done at three years.

Then today I took Brooke to the pediatric pulmunologist. It was so wierd leaving the house with one baby. She enjoyed the mommy time even if it was going to the doctor. We loved the doctor and he was pleased with her progress. Six more weeks on the monitor and if she does well and has no more episodes, she may be able to come off of it. That will be a wonderful day!

Photos

I finally had the time to upload new photos. Thanks to my friend Lisa we have beautiful photos of the girls and Hannah. The day we took the photos was an adventure but they are just perfect.  She took so much time with us and captured what a miracle they are. If anyone is in the area and wants a great photographer her email is:

Lisa Shafer Photography:

lisads417@aol.com

A Long Week

This week started with an appointment for the girls for their two month check up. My dad offered to go with us so that Tom could go to work. He may not volunteer for that duty ever again. The appointment consisted of:

-15 needle sticks ( 5 each)

-3 oral vaccinations for rotovirus

-3 doses of Tylenol

-many tears and hugs

-lots of pointing and staring

-one big headache for mommy.

Otherwise the appointment went well and all the girls are growing fast.

Brynn: 7 pounds 1 ounce

Brooke: 7 pounds

Lexi: 6 pounds 10 ounces (she is trying to keep up)

All the girls were switched to the same formula and medicine which has made life at home a little easier. Brooke is still on higher doses of each due to the severity of her reflux. I made the tough decision to  stop pumping breast milk for them. With Brooke in the hospital last week and trying to keep up with the other three at home, it was getting more and more difficult to find the time to pump. With the doctors being worried about food allergies, I was nervous about what I was eating. So they are on all formula. All three girls are going to see a pediatric cardiologist on Wednesday morning to have echocardiograms of their hearts to check their murmurs. On Thursday morning Brooke will go to a pulmonologist who will be reading her heart monitor. They each have an appointment with a pediatric GI doctor in September for the reflux.  They are all going to be evaluated at home by Infants and Toddlers therapists to check their necks and heads. They each favor their right sides and only want to turn their heads in that direction. This is not a problem yet but could become a big problem if not corrected. We are hoping that the program will pick them up and they will get physical therapy at home. Our sad news came at the end of our appointment when our pediatrician, Dr. Tesch told us she was going on maternity leave and would not be returning. She has been an amazing support with Hannah and her issues and now with the girls. We will miss her dearly but understand her decision to want to be with her kids.

On Thursday I got to return to the doctor for Hannah's 4 year old check up. So that meant four more shots and another cranky child. She was very brave and had no tears! She is a strong little girl.

Our church, St. Ignacius of Loyola, with assistance from Linda Barry and Father Mike, has arranged a schedule of volunteers to come in and help with the babies. This has been amazing this week and has allowed time for things like showers, some rest, time with Hannah, and grabbing bites to eat. We are meeting some wonderful, caring people and making new friends. The girls are so blessed to have so many people from our church family who care about them and want to be part of their lives.

I promise today we will upload some new pictures; its just been so difficult to find the time.

Erin

Our Due Date

July 19th.....the girls' official due date! Wow - they are already 7 weeks old. I guess when you are really sleep deprived time passes quickly. I can't believe that they are seven weeks old today.

Brooke, Lexi and Brynn  have:

-said goodbye to 3, 4 and 5 pounds and are all in the six pound range

Brooke: 6 pounds 4 ounces, Lexi: 6 pounds 1 ounce, Brynn: 6 pounds 11 ounces

-we have put all the preemie clothes away and are in newborn sizes

-are all under the same roof again; Brooke is home from the hospital today!!

This is the most exciting news to have everyone together again. She is home on a monitor and with new formula and medicine. They hope they have found the right combination this time to control the reflux. Brynn and Lexi are also on medicine for reflux but seem to be getting worse. We go to the pediatrician on Tuesday morning with all three so we will see if Brynn and Lexi will go one the same meds as Brooke. Between the iron, vitamins, zantac, prevacid and reglan with each of them on different doses, life is going to be crazy. We are in the process of creating a chart to keep everything straight. They all get their shots on Tuesday, four shots each. Hannah gets her four year old shots on Thursday. It should be another sleepless week in our house. Thanks to everyone who has pitched in to help out while Brooke was in the hospital. The extra hands have really helped us survive this week.

Where do I begin....Just when you think life can not get any crazier something else happens. So we are back in the PICU at the Univ. Of Md. Brooke was admitted last night and is now being followed by a GI team as well. They have made some changes today that hopefully will make these episodes stop happening. She is on new medication for reflux, she will be on a monitor all the time, they have changed her formula, no more breast milk for her and we are thickening her feeds with rice cereal. Tom and I were concerned with changing so many variables at one time but they explained that with life threatening events such as these you have to make every change possible to try to get them to stop happening. They are worried that in addition to her reflux there may be a sensitivity or an allergy to milk or soy (which are both in the neosure formula that she was on) which would be making the reflux worse. This would explain why the other two girls are not having the same symptoms as Brooke. They explained that allergies are not genetic and they each could be different in regards to allergies. Tom and I both felt sick today meeting with the GI team. We had a lot of the same conversations that we had with Hannah and that was not something that we never wanted to revisit. So for now we are just praying that the changes will work and that no more episodes will happen. I'm not sure if I can watch her go through that again.

Brynn and Lexi are still  missing their sister. They had their nurse visit today and they are getting so big so fast.

Brynn: 6 pounds 11 ounces

Lexi: 6 pounds

They look huge to me now. I can't believe how big they are getting. They are out of their preemie cloths and into newborn outfits. They are the size of some newborn babies, its just so amazing.

Hannah is not understanding all the things that are happening at home. One minute we are there the next gone again. Its been very hard and confusing for her. Thankfully Ju Ju, Bull and cousin Kevin (who is helping us keep her entertained) have been there for her.  Even though life was crazy with all three babies at home at least we were all in the same place.

Please keep Brooke in your thoughts and prayers!

Erin

A Brief Visit Home

Brooke was released from the hospital today on the largest dose of medicine possible for reflux and a monitor. After training to use the monitor and a repeat lesson in neonatal cpr, Erin, Tom, and Brooke arrived home at 5:00. Brooke had a bottle at six and at seven had another serious episode. When Erin called the hospital, she was told Brooke needed to come back to the ER. So they are back in at the U of MD Medical Center and we are waiting to hear from them. It was hard to believe it was all happening again. Bill and I will be here with Brynn and Lexi and Hannah tonight so there will be little sleep for any of us. Erin and Tom will be up all night again too. I will post some news when we hear something from them. They are exhausted and stressed to the limit. Please keep Brooke in your prayers.

Julie

Brooke

Brooke is still in the PICU at the Univ. Of Md. I spent the night with her last night and she had a really rough night. She was showing lots of signs of reflux and was very uncomfortable throughout the night. We did not get much sleep. She seemed to relax more during the morning hours and got some rest. She took her full bottle at 12:00 and was resting on my shoulder when I felt her get stiff again and start to go into another episode. She had milk coming out of her nose and mouth and was struggling to get air. The nurses and doctors used suction from a wall unit to clear out her nose and mouth and she seemed to be able to get her breath again. She then became really tired after the episode. My mom spent the evening with her and said she is doing well. Tom is on his way to spend the night and we will hope for a better night than last. I'm going back in the morning.Tomorrow morning they are going to do an echo cardiogram of her heart. After that test they are going to meet as a team to discuss what to do from this point. She is on the max dose of both medications that she is taking for the reflux. I think their hope is that maybe the she has not had enough doses of medication for it to be working. There was also discussion today about sending her home on monitors. They were going to release her tomorrow but at this point we are not thinking that will happen. As hard as it is with her in Baltimore I want them to keep her until they are sure its safe to bring her home.

On a happier note we were successful in having a wonderful Birthday party for Hannah yesterday. She said it was the best party she has ever had. She had a smile on her face the entire day!

Erin

Back In Baltimore

Brooke is still in the pediatric intensive care at the University Of Maryland. I can't believe that we are heading back to Baltimore again. She is taking her feeds again by bottle and doing alittle better. She had another episode yesterday that was similar to Thursday night. The nurse was in the room at the time, which was good so the someone else could see what I was describing. She felt it looked like severe reflux(silent reflux as she called it) and that she could not get her breath. She turned really red again and her eyes got large and she was gasping for air. Its just so scary to watch. I still can't close my eyes without seeing her and how she looked Thursday evening. They are taking good care of her at the hospital and the rest of us are attempting to juggle our time visiting Brooke, taking care of the other two babies and being with Hannah to make sure that her 4th Birthday is still special. Today is her Birthday party and Tom and I are both going to be with her. Many people have asked why we are still having a Birthday party. Those of you that have a four year old know that change is not a good thing. She has been looking forward to this party for a long time and has been so very strong through everything that has happened that last few months. She needs her day today and despite all the other craziness right now I'm excited that we can do this for her.  We have people lined up to be at the house to help my mom with the babies and my dad is going to be with Brooke.

Lexi and Brynn are missing their sister and wanting her to come home. They both had a rough day yesterday. When I got home last night (I came home, Tom stayed at the hospital) Lexi was screaming and showing signs of reflux. I spoke with their doctor last night and we started both Lexi and Brynn on reflux medication. I don't want to see either of them go through what Brooke went through Thursday. They said that it will take a couple of days for the medication to start working.

Thanks to all who have taken time to help us the last couple of days. The support and strength of all of you is what is keeping Tom & I going. When I ran to the ambulance Thursday night it hit me that as I was leaving with one child I still had three others that needed taken care of. As we pulled out and I looked around at the all the neighbors I could just feel the support and and knew that the three of them would be loved and cared for. Thank you!!!! Please continue to keep Brooke in your thoughts and prayers. 

A Scary Night

Not much time here to update but I wanted to attempt to get out the latest happening. Last evening Brooke began (about 30 minutes after a feed) to have formula come out of her nose and her mouth. She immediately stiffened, turned red, her eyes popped out, and she appeared to stop breathing. Erin called 911 and began to asperate her nose. Her neighbor Rob Paugh is an EMT and he was outside so I called for him to come him and he took over her care until the rescue squad arrived. He did not have to perform CPR because she had started breating again on her own. All of the paramedics suspected a seizure. She was taken to Frederick Memorial and then transferred by a University of Maryland ambulance staffed with a team of 3 from the PIC unit where she was admitted. The drs. think that she has severe reflux because in preemies it causes her symtoms but they are also concerned about menengitis which could cause the reflux and a seizure (although they do not think it was a seizure.) She had another episode today in the hospital which a nurse witnessed and she too thought reflux. But now they have to rule out the menengitis as the cause. Erin & Tom were told that they could do a spinal tap today or keep her and do blood tests for the next three days while they monitor her. They chose the three days of blood work. So now we wait and see. We are keeping our heads above water but just barely. As always, the neighbors have been wonderful helping with everything. We have to figure out a schedule to have someone at the hospital, two people here with Brynn and Lexi, and someone with Hannah whose 4th birthday party is tomorrow. Please keep Brooke in your prayers.

Julie

Life with Triplets & a Four Year Old!

Well I think I posted before that life was crazy. Well I don't even thing that "crazy" sums up what life has been like in the Clagett house. Hannah returned from the beach with my parents. While she was there she got the stomach flu and still was not 100% when she returned. She is having a really hard time adjusting to how life has changed at home. I feel so sad for her because she is used to getting all of the attention and now its split four ways. She has moments where she wants to help with the babies. I think its just going to take awhile for her to adjust. I'm trying to find lots of activities to keep her really busy this summer.

Yesterday I planned for all of us to go get our pictures taken. I think I was insane when I planned this but I really wanted pictures of the babies and Hannah together and some family shots. Trying to get everyone ready and out the door was harder than I ever could have imagined. At one point all three babies were screaming because they were hungry and needed to eat, Hannah was screaming for help on the potty, the phone was ringing, I still had not had a shower, and Jackson (our dog) was throwing up in the dining room. It took everything inside of me not to just sit down on the floor and cry myself. Thank heavens my mom was here so I had an extra set of hands. We made it to my friend Lisa's house for the pictures with all three babies and Hannah dressed and looking good. Mommy & Daddy were not ready for pictures so we will have to reschedule the family pictures. I think we got beautiful pictures of the babies and Hannah. Lisa was so prepared for us and had everything ready for the pictures which really helped things run smoothly. She even had dinner prepared when we finished. Thank heavens for friends at times like these!  Our neighbors continue to support us with their help, visits and delicious food. Yesterday our next door neighbor Marcia was like an angel appearing at the door at 9:00pm to do a feeding so that one of us could put Hannah to bed.

The babies are doing really well. The nurse came yesterday for weights and vital checks. She was really pleased with how they are growing and eating.

Brooke: 5 pounds 6 ounces

Lexi: 5 pounds 2 ounces

Brynn: 5 pounds 10 ounces

When I get the pictures back we will post them!

Erin