Added: 09/20/2005 |
Triplets, Three Times the Risk, but Three Times the RewardFor those who are actively trying to conceive, few things can excite a woman more than the discovery that she is expecting. Along the same vein however, nothing can intimidate an expectant mother more than the realization that she is expecting triplets. Though the initial worry is usually generated by thoughts of feeding and caring for three babies at one time, the real concern should begin with the physical risks of the pregnancy itself.
Three times the babies generally equals three times the strain on a woman's body, making consistent, specialized prenatal care a necessity in these cases. Any multiple pregnancy, once it is discovered, will involve more frequent prenatal visits, generally every two weeks to adequately monitor the mother's health and the development of the babies. Carrying triplets creates a higher risk for all pregnancy related problems, including high blood pressure (known in pregnancy as pre-eclampsia), increased possibility of miscarriage, placental abruption (when the placenta detaches from the uterine wall prior to deliver), or fetal growth restriction. Expecting triplets does not necessarily mean that one of these problems will arise; it simply means the expectant mother needs to take extra care to try to avoid any of these issues.
Increased nutritional needs are perhaps the easiest matter for these mothers to handle up front. Healthy daily calorie requirements increase per expected child, as does the necessary fluid intake and need for rest. Those women anticipating a multiple pregnancy of any kind, be it triplets, quadruplets, or even more, will often find their activity level drastically reduced in the final months leading up to delivery. This reduction may involve shortened daily activities, strict bed-rest, or even hospitalization if her obstetrician deems it necessary. Low birth weight is an expected side effect of these types of pregnancies, as predicted birth weights decrease with each additional baby. Quadruplets, for instance, would have an even lower average birth weight than triplets, triplets a lower average than twins, and so on.
Though natural childbirth may still be an option for mothers of triplets who have experienced little to no complications throughout the previous nine months, many obstetricians prefer to deliver any type of multiple pregnancy via cesarean section. While this option is clearly more invasive to the mother to be, it allows for quick delivery of the babies, and quick examination of those babies by waiting pediatricians should they need any specialized care.
Once home with three new additions, the exhausting work of daily care with begin, and more often than not additional help from family or friends isn't just helpful, it's a necessity to see that everything gets done. Feeding and sleeping patterns may vary from infant to infant, and with triplets, there is always a one in three chance that someone will be unhappy at any given time. The easiest way to survive is to simply enlist the help of as many others as possible, sleep whenever possible and take things one day at a time. A multiple pregnancy, while certainly creating added risks and responsibilities, also creates multiple miracles in the end.
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