Bringing children into this world and growing your family is a beautiful, exciting journey for any expecting mother, but it can also get daunting without the unknown elements and questions you may find yourself having. Here are 10 triplet pregnancy facts you need to know!
01
High-Risk Pregnancy
All pregnancies with 3 or more children are considered high-risk. The extra complications and demands from your body create a situation different from a single child term, so additional care must be taken. 5/100,000 births are triplet or higher.
02
Choose a Doctor
The best doctor to trust during your triplet pregnancy is called MFM Specialist, which stands for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. They are much more experienced in the field of high-risk pregnancies and have additional schooling in the area than most OB/GYNs.
03
Fetal Reduction
Fetal reduction, as controversial as it is, does happen in some circumstances. Medical history, risks, and personal beliefs on the subject will all come into play when considering reducing the number of fetuses developing. Every doctor, like every patient, will have a different view.
04
Bed Rest
Being placed on bed rest around or shortly after the 20th week mark is very common, but there are different types of restriction in place. Each triplet pregnancy will vary, and some women may be able to stay relatively active throughout the duration.
05
Why the Left Side?
In any pregnancy, laying on your left side is promised to do wonders for your body and improve the pregnancy. It adjusts the placement of your uterus so it no longer presses into two major blood vessels, and it can help minimize side-effects like dizziness and shortness of breath.
06
The Delivery
In the US, Less than 4% of triplet pregnancies are delivered vaginally. Having a C-section for multiple births is the most common way to go, and puts less stress on your body. Multiple babies born vaginally are at a higher risk of being properly monitored and cared for following delivery.
07
Common Complications
More than half of triplet pregnancies are pre-term, but the other complications found most commonly have much lower statistics. Anemia and gestational diabetes are both under 20%, and getting infection is only found 13% of the time.
08
Different Delivery Dates
Sometimes the birthdays can be different! As crazy as it sounds, there is even cases of twins and triplet being born in different years or centuries! Deliveries that happen around midnight can cause this, or a condition called delayed interval delivery.
09
Delayed Interval Delivery
In a delayed interval delivery, one or more of the babies is born preterm, and the body then stops the labor processes. Depending on the length of the term, doctors may induce or suggest you wait a little longer to birth the other.
10
Post-Partum Depression
Post-partum depression is found 29% of the time in American mothers of multiples, and can be found as late as 3 years after delivery. No matter where you’re from, it’s important to stay aware of your mental state. Other factors that increase this chance are the same for any new mother, and include financial state, lack of support, and existing emotional conditions.
Newly equipped with this information about triplet pregnancy, you can turn your focus around from stressing to caring for yourself. Remember that everything written is for informational use only. Any specific concerns should be taken to your doctor. Any other questions or facts you want to share? Leave them for us below in the comments!
