Real Life Miracle triplets: My boys’ fight to survive
Tanya Hall fell pregnant naturally with three babies – but then she got devastating news
You never know how you’re going to cope with life’s toughest situations until you’re there, facing them head-on. For me, having a family was something I thought would come naturally – and go smoothly – so when I fell pregnant in September 2018, I envisaged the next nine months would be filled buying baby clothes, decorating the nursery with my husband, Kris, and rifling through baby-name books.
Only, at six weeks, I had a small bleed so I was booked in for an emergency scan. At the appointment, Kris gripped my hand as we watched for any signs on the sonographer’s face, but she smiled, and assured us the heartbeat was strong.
The relief soon turned to disbelief as the sonographer explained the second heartbeat was strong, too. I glanced at Kris, seeing the look of confusion mirroring my own as we asked to confirm what we both thought we’d just heard – we were having twins.
It was only then that the sonographer’s expression shifted slightly as she told us she was going to ask a senior colleague to take a look at the ultrasound. My mind raced.
Natural event
Moments later, a consultant appeared, and asked us whether we’d used IVF. ‘I only ask as it’s unusual to be expecting triplets naturally,’ she said.
Triplets? I burst out in laughter as the doctor confirmed we were expecting three identical babies. ‘You can stop counting now,’ I joked. She smiled, but then her expression turned serious as she explained the risks associated with multiple pregnancies, including twin-totwin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) – an imbalance in blood flow between the babies, causing one to get more nutrients than the other. If it was serious, one baby could get too big and suffer heart failure, while the other could be underdeveloped.
Stunned, Kris and I struggled to take it in as the consultant added that one option would be selective termination to protect
‘YOU CAN STOP COUNTING’
the health of the remaining babies. I knew I’d never be able to do that. So, instead, we were sent away with leaflets and booked in for another appointment. Despite the dire warnings, we started to get excited.
Scans every few weeks checked on the babies’ growth, and by 16 weeks we found out we were expecting three boys. Sadly, the consultant told us there could be signs of TTTS, and we needed weekly scans to monitor.
We tried not to worry, and decided to hold a gender-reveal party, which really helped to keep our spirits up. Things stayed the same until the 19-week scan, when the consultant’s face turned pale as she explained that the babies were at stage-three TTTS. One of the babies was
getting far more blood than the others.
I begged the consultant for options. Laser ablation surgery could close some of the blood vessels leading to the bigger baby. But the operation was extremely dangerous and could cause miscarriage.
We didn’t have much time to think it through, as the surgery needed to be done immediately if any of the babies was to survive much longer.
Early labour
What’s more, we were told my cervix had shortened, so there was a strong chance I’d go into early labour.
The surgery could only be done in a special clinic in London, so we drove the seven-hour journey immediately. A specialist team was waiting for us and prepped me for surgery.
After a local-anaesthetic injection, a tube was inserted through my belly to allow a camera into the womb. Then the doctor used a laser to close the blood vessels around the baby. It felt like a popping sensation in my stomach, making me feel light-headed.
An hour later, it was over, and I couldn’t stop shaking from the adrenaline. I felt a few contractions, but the doctors assured me this was normal.
But I was terrified that I’d miscarry all three of the babies.
The next morning, I had more scans, and, afterwards, the surgeon said everything had gone as well as it could have. Not wanting to risk the babies’ health any further, I was told to stop working and, at 24 weeks, was admitted to Hull Women & Children’s Hospital for bed rest. Being away from home was tough, and even though Kris visited every day, I missed him terribly. I should have been at home adding the finishing touches to the nursery, but I was stuck in a hospital bed just willing my babies to survive. My friends and family did their best to try to keep my spirits up – and miraculously, by 25 April, at 31 weeks, I still hadn’t gone into labour. That afternoon, a scan showed that one of the babies had stopped growing, so I was booked in for a caesarean.
Kris was by my side as doctors delivered Austin, our biggest baby, at 4lb. Hearing him cry made me wail with relief, and I was allowed to kiss him on the head before he was taken to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit.
Rupert followed shortly after, weighing just 2lb 11oz, then the smallest, Ethan, arrived, a tiny 2lb 9oz. They were rushed off to be put in an incubator before I could meet them, but they were here, and that was all that mattered.
Three boys
The next morning, when I’d gained some of my strength back, Kris wheeled me down to see the babies. They looked so small and fragile, hooked up to feeding tubes and heart monitors, but, thankfully, they didn’t need breathing support.
Days later, they were strong enough to be taken out of the incubators, and I could give them a proper cuddle. And at six weeks, they were finally discharged. I felt nervous as we buckled them all into the car – now was when the chaos really would start – but for the first time I felt like a normal mum excited to take her babies home.
The first few weeks were relentless. As soon as one baby was fed and changed, it was time to move on to the next, and they very rarely all slept at the same time. Our parents helped out a lot, and I’m not sure how we could have coped without them. Still, no matter how tired I was, I counted my blessings every day. Now, the boys are a year old. I dress them up in matching outfits and coo over every milestone as they get bigger and stronger. Rupert wants to be moving all the time, while Austin loves a cuddle, and Ethan’s favourite is bath time. I can already tell they’re going to be best friends – or at least, I hope so! We are so lucky, and I’ll never take my little boys for granted. They are my miracles.