The Burcham Triplets Have Arrived!!!

The Burcham triplets are here!! On December 23, 2008, Mollie, Elise and Preston made their first debut. They arrived at 3:41, 3:42 and 3:43 pm. Mollie was the first weighing in at 4 lbs, 3 oz. Elise was the second, weighing 3 lbs, 15 oz. And Preston was the third, weighing 3 lbs, 7 oz. They were all about 16 inches. It was quite a shock (for me, at least) to see them so soon.

Before I begin, I would like to say THANK YOU to all our wonderful family and friends who have called, text, left messages, PRAYED, and visited us. The outpouring of love has been extremely overwhelming and very humbling. For those of you I have yet to call back, I will. Please give me some time. I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to everyone. Bronson is trying to get back with all of you as well. We've just been so enamored with our three precious ones that time has literally come to a stop for us.

Okay....now that I have that out of the way, I can begin to tell you what happened. As of my last post, we were waiting on the results of my urine collection that was turned in on Monday, December 22nd. I received a call Tuesday, December 23rd at 11:00 am from my doctor stating that my protein levels did escalate and at a dangerous level. He didn't want to wait until after (or during) the holidays before delivering. He told me I would be having the babies at 3:30 that day. Needless to say, I was not ready to hear that news. As soon as I informed Bronson, my mom and I were on our way. We tried to call as many people as we could. Certain people were to let others know. I was at the hospital by noon (Bronson was already there!). At that time, they took me in and prepped me for surgery. Since I was at risk for seizures (or worse, heart attack), I was put on magnesium sulfate. This is a smooth muscle relaxer. So, in addition to all the other meds they were pumping in me, I had this other to deal with. The surgery itself only lasted about 10-15 minutes. The OR, Labor and Delivery, and NICU staff are AMAZING!!! My mom got to film the delivery and the NICU nurses brought the babies to me and Bronson after each birth. I got to kiss them before they were sent to the NICU!! How awesome is that?? I am so blessed.

By 9:00 pm, I got to see those three bundles of joy. I was able to hold Preston. So exciting!! The only downfall is recovery. Having a C-section is not for wimps!! Well.....having a baby period is not for wimps! I felt like I had a little bit of a hard time recovering. So, for all of those who called within 24-48 hours of delivery.....I have no idea what I said to you! Not only that, the constant talking ended up making me sick. My mom became extremely protective of me during that time. Like always, I started over doing it. Well....I wanted to make sure I got to talk to everyone. Unfortunately, it started costing me more than I could afford.

Okay, enough about me...all about the babies. They all three are amazing!! The girls had to go on CPAP.....but our little boy didn't have to go on anything! And he was the smallest of the three!! He's our little fighter. And active! Boy....I'm thinking he may be a little hyper like his momma! Poor Bronson! Anyway...the girls were off their CPAP by the next morning. Mollie had her breathing tube taken out by noon. They are all three on feeding tubes as they have not learned to suck yet. They were all three on IV's; however, the girls were recently taken off. Apparently their veins can only handle the IV for so long before they give out. So, when that happens, a PICC line needs to be placed. This is a central line that is inserted up their leg or through their arm. I had to sign the consent on Mollie Friday morning. I was not a happy camper, but after watching the NP (nurse practitioner) try an IV in Mollie's head three different times, it was all I could do. Since the PICC line is a sterile procedure, I had to leave. Well, they ended up not being able to do it. So, the only other option was to increase her feedings and see if they will replenish her fluid intake. It's not ideal for the nurses, but I believe she is just ready to "graduate" to the next step! So far, she's been doing excellent. And just think, she hasn't had an IV since Thursday night. The same thing happened to Elise Saturday morning. Bronson had to sign the consent this time. But, just like Mollie, the PICC line didn't work on Elise either. They have now increased her feedings as well. Unlike the staff....I'm viewing this as a very positive thing! I know these babies are a work of God (all babies are) and I believe they are here to show God's glory! They already have amazed the staff there. I'm not surprised.....our God is incredible!!

Now, as for them coming home....the doctors usually say around their original due date (Feb. 17th) is when we can expect them to be taken home. However, they are doing wonderful! So, I'm thinking they will only have to be there 3 weeks from their delivery date which will be January 13th. I'm believing God for that. It would be God showing off if they come home before then.

I promise I will post pictures soon. We just got home Saturday night (very emotional) and I had to crash. In fact, I shouldn't be on the computer right now, but I know there's a lot of you that want to know updates. Now that I'm back to answering my phone....please call if you would like to come visit the babies. I will be there pretty much everyday, all day. The staff does have a shift change from 6:30 to 7:30; so the NICU is closed during that time. That's a.m. and p.m. Other than that, you're more than welcome to drop by. Please understand that if you have children under 16, they can't come back to see them. Also, if you have any type of cold or virus...especially with fever, you will not be allowed to go back there. That's for the safety of our trips, as well as all the other preemies in the NICU.

Once again, thank you for all the prayers. Bronson and I have felt them every waking moment. I can't think of any other way to pay you back but to pray for you. Please feel free to let me know what I can pray for you for and I will....with a fervent prayer!! God bless!!!