Ask me anything about triplets!

[TheMummyJade]

Hi mumsnetters, its been about a month since I brought my trio into the world. I had two sons (Quinn and Theo) and a daughter (Lydia), and already had two school-aged sons (Hugo and Xander). In one of my first posts about needing advice on their names, someone suggested I do an AMA on everything about having them, so here I am! Ask away everybody :)

He is in an extremely important job and I am extremely proud of the work he does. His work is 24/7, every day of the year, and I can't even imagine the stress that places on him. Sure, it is disappointing that he couldn't support me more after the birth. But, we spent more time in hospital than expected, and I was very lucky to be able to have several days with him, work free. Since being home, it was been a lot easier for him to help out, as he is set up to do a lot of his work at home. :)

I did not expect this to be focused on so much.

Thank you for answering so many questions! Very interesting thread. I'm sorry you're getting some weird comments.

I think maybe you missed my question. It's the first reply 🙈

Yeah her OP said she had two sons and a daughter and two older children. I read it as that describing her setup before “the trio” came along. I see now what she is saying.

Good luck to you OP, with your important husband and five kids. Don’t lose yourself.

Hi op - congratulations!

I'm wondering:

Are your boys identical?

When you found out it was triplets, was it more "joy" or "oh shit" in that moment? 😆 Did that change as you progressed through pregnancy?

Since you've already given up your anonymity by sharing their (great!) names, can we have a picture....?

I'm not sure why you're being so weirdly snarky with your comments here 🥴

@LiaMae It's extremely difficult, but I try to remind myself of how blessed I am to be in the position I am in. I think its so important to have a support system. People you can rely on to help and support you through this massive change. I am so grateful for the nanny we have for my oldest sons, who would watch DH and I struggle, and lend a hand. Or our neighbour across the road who brought us groceries when she saw we didn't have the time for it. I've learnt to shower/eat/use the bathroom/get dressed/etc anytime I can, and to do so in a split second because you never know when you'll hear crying. 😭

I'm also very grateful for my midwives, who understood my stress and worry and were angels for talking me through how my life was going to change. I think having a good mindset is super important. Even if you feel unprepared, feel empowered. You did that! You made those babies, and now you're going to be an important parent. Even if you don't believe what you're telling yourself, say it anyways. ❤️

@WifeImprovementWorksInProgress Hi and thank you!

Our boys are not identical, and we can already notice so many different features. But we can also see similarities between them and our older sons as babies x

The moment we found out it was definitely "oh shit", in fact that's probably an understatement 🤣 I think I felt that all the way through my pregnancy, and still do. The difference, though, is that throughout pregnancy, I became excited, and now they are here, I feel so much love, (but still a lot of fear). But considering we were wanting another baby, there was also joy. 🤩

Surely it's 5 children. She already had two then had triplet's .

@Relocatethecockringsbeforethemormonsarrive Hi! Sorry I missed your response (mummy brain 😊) x x

My birth went smoothly, considering I had triplets. They were very small bubbas and had some minor issues so we stayed for almost 2 weeks post-birth. Saying that, there were no major issues, and they have been well since leaving. We feel extremely blessed this was our case. ❤️

@HotCrossBunplease I don't plan on 'losing myself'! Thank you for the well wishes lovely x x

How were your were your elder children when you had to stay in hospital two weeks? Did they visit you and were they upset when they had to leave you in hospital.
It must have been a very difficult time for you all.

Jeepers, what's your deal?

Probably another weird question...but what would someone do if they found out they were having triplets, but literally couldn't afford them?! Especially when you've already got 2 older children.

I literally could not accommodate 3 more children in my life for various reasons. It's a scary thought!

I'm shocked to read your DH had to leave his wife in hospital with triplets - not to mention the other DC - for a work crisis. I guess some posters are focused on this because i cannot imagine my husband wanting to miss out on what most people will never experience in their lifetime.

Anyway, my question is did you work before the triplets came along and if so, are you planning to return to work? You mention a nanny but is she an extra pair of hands to help you, or is the intention she will provide FT childcare? Presumably due to your DH work, money isn't an issue so you can buy in help for cleaning, cooking etc if you wanted to.

Will you dress them all the same (in the early years)?

On certain days you could dress them in red, white and blue (you may need to adjust this depending on your patriotism.)

(If this isn't too invasive) were they an IVF pregnancy or did you conceive them naturally? It must've been a shock when you found out!

How much did they weigh when they were born? I struggled carrying my 8lbs baby at the end, how did you cope?

Congratulations OP! There must be so much love in your house.

My lovely brother and sister in law have three children including twins. My sister in law is just like Wonder Woman but she says when she sees triplet mums she just has SO many questions for them!

Do you get bored of people commenting when you're out and about, like 'wow you've got your hands full!!!!' Etc and/or getting lots of attention/looks or is it abit too early to say yet? Xx we have four children and we get that all the time so I can imagine that's x 100 with triplets!!! X

@Whoarethoseguys My oldest was quite upset by it, he didn't like coming to the hospital but wanted to see me and his siblings. They didn't spend much time in the hospital as they were back at school, but we spent a lot of time assuring them that we didn't have to stay there because anyone was sick or hurt. The nurses loved getting them involved to help with the triplets, and they had some fun doing that :)

@genesis92 I don't even know how to answer this question. I'm so lucky we haven't had to think about it. And considering it know, I'm not sure what we would've done if this were out situation. It's definitely scary to think about 😕

I don't have a question but just wanted to say congratulations! I can't even imagine how difficult it must be to have three at the same time but what an amazing blessing! So lovely reading all your replies and seeing how happy you are ❤️

@AnotherNC22
I have been in my current job since right after my second was born, and worked up until I was about 6 months pregnant with the triplets. I plan to return one year from that date. However, I will not be returning full time, and on the days I work the triplets will be in childcare.
The nanny has been a massive help for looking after our two oldest after school, as been doing so ever since our second child started school. This meant I could work longer hours. I love the bond she has with our sons, and the extra help is more than appreciated :) She is going to continue looking after our two oldest, for just about 2 hours after school each day x x

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles I'm not sure if this response is serious or not 😂 But truthfully I haven't put much thought into their clothing yet. I have some clothes from when our eldest were babies, but gave some away, and my sister had a daughter 7 months ago, and has been passing clothes along to us. I'm thinking I'm going to be too busy too coordinate their outfits, as long as their dressed appropriately and happy, then I'm happy too!

@Mugcake They were natural! 😃 Theo was 4.8 pounds, Quinn was 5.1 pounds and Lydia was 4.9 pounds. So they were 14.8 pounds all up 😩

@Notimeforahaircut There is definitely so much love in our house, DH and I constantly remind each other how blessed and lucky we are, we wouldn't change a thing xx
I haven't had comments like that with the trio yet, but when my eldest were young, people thought they were twins and I heard comments like that constantly 🤦‍♀️ I've definitely had other triplet parents feel they get some attention, but I personally don't mind, I love my babies and want to tell everyone about them!! 😊😂