Triplet pregnancies can be absolutely terrifying. You feel so out of control. There are three little lives growing in your belly and you are told by all your doctors and OBs all the risks and all the dangers, you begin to feel like you are made of glass. Please no TTTS, please no preterm labour, please let my babies survive and be healthy. Each day was frightening, and each day was a milestone.
It was at the very beginning I was told that I only had a 30% chance of any ONE baby surviving and I’d be lucky to make it to 24 wks, and if I did, they’d monitor me till my body packed it in and then they’d (their words)” cut them out of me.” No idea what that old midwife wished to accomplish by saying that, but it simply terrified me!
I went home and started researching. All I found was c-section YouTube videos. I searched for weeks, and cried each day. I was horrified at how early they’d come and the medical procedures and intervention they faced in their first moments on earth. So I just kept looking. I knew I needed to let my babies cook as long as they could, and birth my babies as naturally as I could, so they had the best possible start to life. I wanted to give them the same beginning as I’d given my three boys. So I Googled, and joined forums, and asked questions to everyone I could find with a hand full of answers.
I joined a group for triplets, one that was Australia based, it was there that I found a few vaginally birthing triplet mums and I found another pregnant mum who was as committed as me. We found that any posting about our desires to birth vaginally was faced with terrible negativity. So we started a Facebook group Birthing Multiples Naturally. In that group we found like-minded people and shared information freely. I was on my path to meet my girls.
At every OB appointment I was bullied and told what I WILL be doing with my body. I WILL have a c-section, I WILL have it when they say. But I had armed myself with knowledge – for every bit of information they gave me to support their wanting to take my babies out early by c-section, I researched and found evidence contradicting them. I gathered all the information to make an informed and educated decision and stuck with it.
At every appointment I maintained that I would go to 36 wks or as long as the babies needed, I would have three heads down and I WOULD have a vaginal birth. and at each appointment I was scoffed. Even my sonographer would smirk and say “I’d be impressed if you made 30 wks”.
At 30 wks my three girls decided they’d all prefer breech, putting a smile on my OB’s faces as they smugly said…” well, you’ll be having a c-section now?” In answer, “no, I’ll go and have acupuncture and use positions to turn my babies”. You can imagine their responses. LOL.
Well I did. Chinese acupuncture and using “spinning babies” techniques and I found myself in hospital with two heads trying to both get into my pelvis. It was then they decided to keep me in hospital for the remainder of the pregnancy.
The bullying began. Strong, nasty, consistent bullying. Tag-teaming OB’s, doctors, nurses. They even had OB’s from their sister hospital come over to talk down to me. But I knew what was right for my babies. Id birthed three big babies before; I knew I could birth three tiny little triplets.
I kept researching, taking vitamins and minerals, magnesium for prevention if preterm labour, and doing my positions on the hospital bed. I missed my boys like crazy, but I was determined to keep this pregnancy going. Week after week I designed my birth plan, and week after week I terrified my OB’s. I built a strong relationship with wonderful midwives. I was looked after and treated with dignity by these amazing women who never doubted me. They helped me day to day with my teary days and my discomfort, they made a belly cast of my enormous belly, and helped me with my birth plan.
At 34 1/2 weeks I felt three sets of feet in my ribs! They did an ultrasound to check, and yes!!! Three heads down!!!!!! I wrote my birth plan out on a big piece of cardboard and pinned it to my wall. My OB’s walked in, saw it, turned white and walked out. Soon they came back with paperwork for me to sign. I was going to have a good birth. I believed in my body. I believed in my babies, and I believed in my midwives, who is decided would be delivering my babies and with no epidural using active labour.
At 35 wks I felt strange. I truly felt like my body had hit a wall. I asked for a growth scan as I believed that my babies had stopped growing. I felt something was not right. A few days later they did the scan and sure enough the babies had stopped growing and things needed to progress.
I decided to try bringing my labour on myself. I used everything. Every old wives’ tale, right up to stretch and sweep. Nothing!!!! Can you believe it, all that time fearing preterm labour and now I want it to start and it won’t!!! I tried and tried, but nothing but a few strong BH contractions.
So I decided that I had no choice but to induce.
I was terrified of induction. I was worried that one intervention would lead to another. I had a few friends, my sister and my husband with me after they gave me a strong stretch and sweep and broke my waters, and then they hooked me up to the synto drip. I walked around, bounced on the ball and rotated my hips, I laughed and joked and talked. I was scared, but this was my day! I was going to meet my girls.
Once contractions were established my friends and my sister left so that I could focus. I concentrated on feeling my little sweetheart lowering to my cervix. Aneyah was the leading baby. We had a head monitor on her, (which I wasn’t struck on, but it was needed) I stayed standing until I physically couldn’t any more. They had me famining just in case, and I was completely exhausted. I’d brought berocca with me but was not allowed to have it in case they needed to intubate me in an emergency. So I got up on my hands and knees on the bed. The contractions were so strong now. People were starting to fill my room, but I used gas and concentrated on blocking them all out and just feeling my daughters lowering.
As I began to push, Aneyah’s heart rate started dropping. I could feel her head at my cervix and could not seem to push her through. One of my midwives checked and said that my cervix just wasn’t letting her through, so she helped. While I pushed, she gently helped my cervix over her head, it worked. I turned around to sit up with my knees up at the end of the bed. It was time. Before I knew it my little princess’s head was crowning. Two more pushes and Aneyah was out and placed on my chest. My beautiful, amazing little girl, screamed for just a moment then just looked at me. I was in love. She was so beautiful. My husband cut the cord, and before I knew it I was feeling the need to bear down again. They passed Aneyah from me to my husband and I started to push. Another head started to lower through my cervix and crown, the OB decided to help by breaking my waters, as he went to do so, I beared down, and with a beautiful twist, my waters exploded all over him. A moment that gave me a good laugh! Just 15 minutes after her sister Kalanee arrived into the world and straight to my chest. Such intense love. Another perfect beautiful wonderful little girl who screamed for just a moment then snuggled into my arms. Complete love. But I could only hold her just a moment, because I had one more special person to concentrate on. Lealah. I passed Kalanee over to one of my midwives and put my hands above my third little princess. It was much harder to push with her. I could not feel my stomach muscles because they’d stretched so much, and all that space and one tiny little baby, but I held my hand above her and beared down. My waters broke as she was crowning and she literally came out in one slurp with what seemed like a bucket of blood. Lealah was placed immediately on my chest and I was given the scissors to cut her cord. What a moment. She gurgled a little and I passed her over to be checked. Immediately afterward, I felt the need to push again. My placenta had come away early and was chasing Lealah out.
The placenta was so big; it was two that had shared and one that was fused. It felt like another baby, and it was at this point that someone in the room decided to joke about a possible fourth that had gone unseen. I was quite unimpressed.
I did lose quite a decent amount of blood, but the body is amazing. My haemoglobin was actually higher after than the day before. It seems all that bloating was my body preparing.
They were: Aneyah – 4lb 7oz, Kalanee – 4lb 9oz; and Lealah – 4lb 11 oz. The first two were 15 minutes apart and the second and third were 12 minutes apart. They were 35.6 wks, and all head down. My entire labour was calculated at 4.5 hours.
My three girls were very quick to pick up breast feeding. They had no formula from the moment they were born. We had a little jaundice from being four weeks early, but they were healthy and strong. After just five days we all left the hospital fully breast fed and mummy’s little princesses. Today they are nearly six months, still exclusively breast fed and doing amazingly. I have three beautiful boys and three beautiful girls. I feel like the most blessed woman in the world.
Recommended Reading
One Woman’s Successful Frank Breech Vaginal Hospital Birth
The Birth of Sicily Rose {Postpartum Hemorrhage, Vanishing Twin Syndrome}
Birth Of Elsie {Homebirth Story With Siblings}
A Mother Will Overcome {I Am Strong}
My Fearless Birth {Home birth turned hospital}- A Beautiful Family Home Birth/Baby Caught by Grandmother {Graphic Emergence Photos}
The Birth of a Bus {Really}- Birth Story of Ace {Homebirth Transfer to Cesarean}
Finally, Relief! {A Painful Pregnancy, Spinal Injury}
Logan’s Birth Story {Med-Free Hospital Birth}
311 Comments
ethel lijoi
love this. Im expecting triplets and ALL drs look at me w a crazy eye when i tell them i will birth natural..i have had every eye roll..every senario about them going breech and you will deliver one vaginally and the rest by c section…blah…blah…i was told my hospital has done ONE vaginal triplet birth in 15 years..i told them they are LONG over due 😉 wish me luck and good health!
Becky Castle Miller
Good luck, Ethel! May your birth be as wonderful as this mom’s was!
kirsten
Trama Triplets birth is on YouTube, amazing 🙂
Erin
I LOVE THIS BIRTH STORY!!! The mama did such an incredible job.
Katie
Ethel you will do amazing!!! Sending you all the positive natural birthing energy I can muster!!
Mary
W.O.W. Thank you for sharing your strength and being an AMAZING Inspiration to all Mama’s!!! This makes me smile hugely!
Rocio Cruz
I love your strenght and determination. I wish I would have researched and fought harder to naturally birth my twin girls. Now I know it is possible to birth multiples and not let my doctor bully me into setting my c-section date. He basically said that no doctor in my area would allow me to try a natural birth. That scared me so much that I just gave up and went with it. I really hope and pray that my next birth is natural multiples or single.
Patsy
Your are a true inspiration to all moms! I wish I wouldn’t have let my doctors talk me down to a C-section. I don’t even know you and I am proud of you. I have 2 boys and 2 girls and all I can say is YOU GO GIRL!
Delia
that was such a beautiful and inspiring story! What a brave and strong mama those beautiful children have!
Ruth
This is so beyond amazing!!!!!! This mama is sheer strength. WOW.
Emily Wood
I loved your amazing story! Good for you for staying strong and knowing what you and your girls needed. You are a truly amazing inspiration. Thank you for sharing. Enjoy those 6 beautiful children you have been blessed with.
birgitta lauren
Oh My Goodness!! What a story! What a Workout! A Marathon to say the least. I’m in awe. The Magic of Childbirth, the Magic of the amazing female body & maternal intuition and trust of what can be done.
However, from a prenatal fitness pro: you will need to plank for the rest of your life. 🙂
Kati
I love this amazing birth story. God made our bodies to birth children. I am so touched to hear this. You were so strong to stick to what you wanted and knew what was right. Love this!!!
JolandaCorbijn
Why all the bullying tactics. I’m so glad you had the birth you wanted and amazing midwifes to help you. Lots of love, hugs and kisses!
Rhondda Evans Hartman
You are my hero!! What a heartwarming birth story.
You are the epitome of the perfect Natural Childbirth Mother … you knew what you wanted and made a plan for it to happen. It took enormous courage and conviction for you to succeed. The whole Obstetrical industry was against you. What a strong amazing woman you are! Congratulations! You are the best example of what I teach in my book,”:Natural Childbirth Exercises for the Best Birth Ever”. WOW!!
Casandra Howell
Your story is inspirational.. I am at the beginning of my journey with my triplets, due sometime in February… And my choices of where I can go are limited, and I am already hearing that the drs never allow natural birth.. I intend to challenge them and change their minds… I have already had nine natural births including 1 set of twins.. I see no reason to cut me open now, if it is not truly necessary.
Nicole
I just saw your comment and realized that you must have had your babies by now?? Just curious how everything went! So these babies make 13 kids for you??
Dee
Wonderful story! Refreshing to see a young woman who thinks for herself! Congratulations on a beautiful family! I wish more moms would research and choose this much safer alternative to birthing than being “managed” by negative professionals.
Momma C
OMG!! I worked in l & d for almost 3 years and I have never seen triplet born vaginally or naturally!!!!Congrats, you are my hero!! go girl!!!
Kim
Such an inspirational story! I wish I had heard this prior to birthing my triplets 3 years ago. They are lovely & their mama is amazing.
Kimberly
What an amazing, inspirational birth story! Congratulations on your beautiful babies and on staying strong and standing up for what you wanted.
bianca
Awesome!! Good on you!
Kimberley
You are amazing and inspirational to other mums and mums to be, so many mums are told what to do and dont push back, I hope your story can influence others to speak up. I have 1 daughter and had a home birth with her despite my midwife and family/friends not thinking it was a good idea. 7 and a half hour labour all natural and best experience of my life. I am so glad I trusted in my baby and my body. You are brilliant and your children are beautiful!!!! x
Elizabeth
Gave birth 100% naturally to a healthy baby boy in March (my first baby) – got my share of eye-rolling and questioning of my judgment just with one. So very impressed and inspired by your story! It (almost) makes me want to have another baby. ALMOST. 😉 Happy for your girls – they’re better off because you were true to yourself and to them!
mary
congratulations on your beautiful triplets , I have a question that is stupid but I really need to know . Did you do anything to prevent stretch marks? And if yes will you please,please ,please let me know what? I just really don’t want to get any my husband doesn’t really like me to get any,I know I can’t control what its going to happend to my body but if I can get rid off the ones I have and prevent more will be really nice. Please let me know.
Ashlee
I am expecting triplets in July, I am so scared we used no meds or anything to get pregnant and so far it’s been a scary road. I’ve had a lot of bladder issues but all three are doing well and hearts beating great. Your blog has helped so much I read it all while I couldn’t sleep half the night!
Autumn Beck
Congratulations! I pray you get the birth you dream of! It is possible! <3 <3 <3
Ezme Gaze
Wow, just WOW. Absolutely inspirational. What a woman you are. I simply cannot find the words to express how amazing you are.
Hannah
I too am expecting triplets, babies #4-6 for me. I found the group Jess mentioned “birthing multiples naturally” the day I discovered they were triplets and I would not have another homebirth. I am so thankful for this group and moms like Jess!
Emily
Mazal tov to you! What a fantastic story of courage, hope, and faith. I live near to where the Dionne Quintuplets were born in 1934… vaginally and at home. We have forgotten so much about how capable our bodies are.
anna
You are so amazing an strong, mama! You have brought.6 perfect lives into this world – incredible. You are an inspiration to never lose faith in ourselves or our bodies as women. Many blessings to you and your beautiful family
Adrienne
This was a beautiful post and a beautiful story!
Heather
I don’t understand one part, you say at the beginning of induction they broke your waters. Then the first baby is born, then after tht you say they break your waters and it explodes all over the doctor. How exactly does that work? Did the babies have different sacs?
Doula Becca
Yes, generally each baby has a separate bag of waters. Sometimes identical multiples share a sack but not usually.
Kerstin
What you’ve done ist just impressing. Not only give birth like that, you also breast-feed all three and for more than 6 month. That is amazing! I like it very much! Good luck to all of you!
Sabrina
You are one amazing woman!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m sitting here, sobbing, because you are so brilliant and I’m so happy for you that you could give birth the way YOU wanted and felt was best for your daughters. My son was born with a cleft and because of that they didn’t let me have the birth I wanted even though that was complete rubbish – and I wasn’t strong enough to object. I had a normal birth, a good one I find, also thanks to the midwives on duty who helped me gave birth to a wonderful son.
So now you’re such an inspiration for me!
Also, you look so amazing! Six children and you look fresh-faced and pretty!
Lara
What a wonderful and beautiful woman!!! Amazing pictures!!! ♡♡♡
Kate
You are an amazing woman. Thank you so much for sharing your story. That’s all I can say. XOXO
Todd
You truly do have one of the most amazingly beautiful triplet bellies I’ve ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sarah
What an amazing story. I had 4 babies all natural ranging from 8 lb 14oz to 10 lbs 7oz. One a water birth. I still get grief about not using pain meds. I try so hard to push natural on friends and family but to no avail. I will say having been a doulah 4 times it helps the mom steer away from getting meds. Though I’m not trained I can tell her it’s going to be alright and that I’ve done it. All 4 went natural. So sad our society has become one of intervention but maybe with some convincing we can change people’s minds
Jenny
This is my favorite birth story ever. I’m keeping this one for inspiration.
Bree Lowe
Amazing, is all I can say!! Well done!
Emma
Wow! You are amazing 🙂
Marissa
Your story is so beautiful – full of strength and determination! Thank you for sharing, it made me cry!
sue
truly an an amazing women, I was one of the honoured midwives to support and share this incredible experience with jess. It was an honour and inspiration as a women and a midwife to meet a women like jess, someone who had so much trust in her body and its ability to birth her beautiful babies. A highlight of my midwifery career 🙂 amazing muma
Tessa
What an amazing story and an amazing person you are. I’m interested to hear what the OBs and doctors had to say afterward. Foot in their mouths?
Marcia
Well Done Mama! Sticking to your guns & you made me cry xxx
Carla
GREAT job momma!!! What an amazing story! You have an absolutely beautiful family!
Vanessa Guilford-Cosenza
Amazing story, trust the body, keep the mind focused and miracles happen! So proud of you that you held firm in your commitment to yourself and your unborn children, despite the negativity (MDs) around you! Your strength and endurance emotionally and physically is nothing short of amazing! Thank you for sharing and all the best to you and your beautiful family.
Kim Ryan
What a wonderful woman you are. You SHOULD spread and empower all multiple birthing women with your story. Such a joy to read! Thanks for sharing
tasha
Best natural birth of triplet, I can say you’re the best mum by God’s grace. First pregnacy n triplet does it contradict natural birth.
Erin
Im speechless as to what to say to you. You are amazing. Period.
Lynda
Hi I’m so inspired by your journey with the triplets! I just found out I’m carrying “spontaneous” triplets – monochorionic triamniotic triplets. My husband and I are very excited but also so very terrifed as this is my first pregnancy. At my first (8 weeks) u/s baby “c” was measuring at a smaller growth rate -a week behind baby A and baby B. I have another scan in a week but I’m terrified b/c I’m nauseated all day and night and cannot eat a single thing. I would love some help on how you kept all 3 babies until 35+ weeks as that is what I plan to do. I want them in as long as I can keep them.
Jess
this story is amazing! good on you for doing what you felt was right for your babies!
Farrah Salman
What a seriously amazing story. Love to see a Mama owning and trusting her body. You are an inspiration to women around the world. Congrats.