Alexia is the mother of very premature triplets: Nya, Aaron and Zélie, now 4 years old. If this situation may seem frightening for many future parents, the young woman manages her daily life with disconcerting ease. Alexia reveals her inspiring testimony to us and tells us about her pregnancy, her childbirth and her daily organization.
After an obstacle course to get pregnant, Alexia learns that she is expecting triplets. Surprising news that she welcomed with great joy. “I couldn’t explain why, but I was sure I was expecting twins. When I found out there were three, I was surprised, but I wasn’t scared at all!”, remembers Alexia. From the outset, the doctor exposed the couple to the risks of a pregnancy of triplets and advised them to do an embryo reduction. “He explained to us that I could lose one or two embryos and that would be medically lucky. But for my husband and me, it was clear, it was out of the question that we eliminate one of our future children. So we kept the three“, she continues. From her atypical pregnancy to her birth, she tells us about her experience as a mother, and her daily organization:
A very close pregnancy follow-up, with an ultrasound every 15 days
A pregnancy of triplets requires very close medical monitoring, with an ultrasound every fortnight. But overall, I had a great pregnancy. In total, I only had two false alarms that led me to go to the hospital. At 5 and a half months pregnant, the obstetrician gave me a control ultrasound during which he checked the weight of my babies. They all three weighed more than 500 grams, which was very reassuring, but my cervix was not satisfactory.
“I was told that if I gave birth before 24 SA, no one would be resuscitated”.
The doctor then forbade me to go home and gave me injections to promote the maturity of the lungs. I live near Toulon, I was transferred the same evening to the Hôpital de la Conception in Marseille where I was told that if I gave birth now, no one would be revived. Resuscitation is only possible if the baby weighs 500 grams and the mother is 24 weeks old. I was at 23 SA+3 days. Only 5 days were missing before we could resuscitate my babies. In the end, I lasted two weeks, I gave birth at 25 SA+3 days.
“My triplets stayed a month and a half in intensive care, then in intensive care and neonatology”.
Even though I had three bags of water and three placentas, I always knew I would give birth by caesarean section. Vaginal delivery is extremely rare in a multiple pregnancy. The obstetrician nevertheless offered to deliver his first baby vaginally until he realized that he had turned in a breech. At that moment, I heard him shout code red! I had to deliver all of my babies. Fortunately, my triplets were born healthy. All had a Apgar score satisfactory and knew how to breathe on their own from birth. They stayed a month and a half in intensive care, before going to intensive care and finally to neonatology. Three and a half months after their birth, I was able to go home with Aaron and Zélie, but Nya had to stay a few more weeks.
“After the birth, I managed the triplets on my own.”
The very great prematurity requires a very consequent medical follow-up. I wanted to go back to work, but it was quickly made clear to me that it would not be possible, because the medical appointments took up a lot of my time. My military companion left on a mission shortly after, I was managing the triplets on my own. I breastfed them for nine months and cooked everything at home.
Medical appointments have become less frequent over time. Until the end of the first year of life, visits were very limited given the fragility of the triplets. Then everything went back to normal, we did a lot of things with them and we acted like we had only one, it was very natural. We did not lock ourselves in, we saw people.
The triplets are 4 years old: “the organization was more fluid when they were very young”
Today, Nya, Aaron and Zélie are 4 years old and go to school. During their first year of life, they were cared for one day at the crèche, one day with the nanny and one day by the family. I would say that the organization was more fluid when they were very young. I gave them the bath, to eat, I changed them afterwards and I took them to the same place. Since they walk, you have to have your eyes everywhere! Especially since they have very different characters, but get along very well.