Triplets a miracle of nature
Published: August 16, 2007
New Zealand — Thirty toes and thirty fingers, six bright brown eyes and three little noses all add up to a one in a million event.
Nestled in cots at Papakura Maternity Hospital are three little boys identical in all but nature.
For Manurewa woman Taasha Toetoe and her partner the triplets are the jackpot but to the medical world they’re a rarity.
While triplets themselves are rare, identical triplets occur only once in a million births.
Ms Toetoe found out she was expecting three babies instead of one on November 17 when she was nine weeks pregnant.
“I was smiling from ear to ear. I thought I?d won the jackpot.”
At 34 weeks pregnant her midwife and doctors decided it was time for the naturally conceived babies to make their entrance into the world. The Manurewa mum was scheduled for a caesarean on June 7 at 11am at Middlemore Hospital.
But before she drove herself to the hospital she watched her 10-year-old daughter play basketball, running up and down the side of the court encouraging her on.
At 11.58am, 11.59am and 12.01pm, one after the other, the boys were removed from the womb, surprising the parents who were expecting two boys and a girl.
The unnamed boys each weighed 2kg and spent only two days in neo-natal care before being transferred to the wards.
Mum and babies were later transferred to Papakura Maternity Unit, creating history there.
Charge midwife Robynne Hubbard says in 15 years at the unit these are the first triplets.
“All have gained weight, are thriving and are just about ready to walk out the door,” says Ms Hubbard.
Both Ms Toetoe’s daughter and three-year-old son were born at the unit and she was thankful to return to the ’supportive’ unit with her new additions.
As word has spread about the triplets’ arrival local companies and residents have been donating all kinds of goodies to help the family. The help and support is overwhelming and Ms Toetoe says she is thankful for it.
Support is something the now mum-of-five will never be short of with her family rallying around her to help out.
Even the triplets’ great-grandmother, who is 85 percent blind, walks over to help feed them after her morning swim.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: