Week 29 begins -- and a doctor's update

We began week 29 today, and all is going well. Last Friday, we had an extensive doctor's visit that included a comprehensive fetal ultra-sound, maternal pelvic exam, a meeting with doctors and other staff from the delivery and NICU personnel (nurse, chaplain), and a tour of the NICU. The heartbeats remain in the 140-150 bpm range, and the babies continue to grow each like singletons, which made the doctor and nurse (and us) quite happy. The boy weighs 3 lbs., his sister weighs 2 lbs. and 13 ounces, and their sister weighs 2 lbs. and 7 ounces.

We continue to be impressed by this hospital. Everyone we have met is professional and helpful to an exemplary degree. The meeting included a review of what happens in the delivery room on the magic day and the typical process that unfolds in the days afterward. The neonatologist had reviewed our records and said he saw no reason to be concerned about any major issues. The staff also were happily surprised that our typically reserved MFM specialist had exclaimed that morning, while reviewing the exam results, "This is great!" "She doesn't usually talk like that," they said.

The NICU tour was a powerful experience. We saw a few of the "pods" where infants at various levels of development are cared for. There were fleets of nurses in each pod. The pods are gigantic rooms filled with isolettes, basinettes, equipment and gauges -- and beds for the parents to sleep on. Parents are allowed to visit their children in the NICU freely, up to 20 hours every day, and one guest at a time can join them during certain hours.

In one pod, the administrator who has been shepherding us through this entire experience and served in this case as our tour guide introduced us to triplets born 10 days before at 31 weeks and five days -- two boys and a girl. We met the Dad, who looked exuberant and exhausted. Mom was busy nursing behind a curtain. All were doing well.

We also saw in a different pod a father holding on his chest a baby recently born at 23 weeks. The child was smaller than the length of his forearm, and yet there he was, breathing on his own, sheltered against his father.

Finally, we saw the delivery room and the post-op room where we will likely be camped out for the four days Momma stays in the hospital after delivery. There is also a recliner nearby and this is where Pappy will likely be sleeping. This will be just like college, so he is looking forward to it.

Sometime in the next nine weeks, we will become parents.