A Journey of My Triplet Pregnancy – Week by Week

Since having triplets isn’t very common and people love to learn more about the experience, I really wanted to share the journey of my triplet pregnancy with you! In this post, I will take you through the weeks that I had scans, with some pictures and diagnosis. Every pregnancy is different, so keep in mind that the growth of my triplets will likely be different from yours.

I hope you find this post both informative and exciting to read, and if you have any questions about my journey, please let me know.

Although my pregnancy was uncomfortable and tiring, I was lucky. I didn’t have any major complications, no blood pressure problems or swelling in the extremities. I can’t say that I enjoyed my pregnancy though, because growing three babies at once isn’t easy!

In the last trimester, I can easily remember the sleepless nights, and the feeling of just wanting it to be over. At the same time, I knew that I wanted the triplets to stay inside as long as possible. What a contradiction!

When people would say, “enjoy your pregnancy,” I felt like it didn’t exactly apply to me. It wasn’t like I could relax, go shopping, preparing things, buy cute infant clothes… the list of impossible tasks goes on! However there was one thing I did enjoy: I always looked forward to my prenatal scans, and the ability to see how big the triplets had grown. I bet every mother is the same in that regard!

Triplet Gestational age

7 Weeks

This was the first time I met my obstetrician. I was prescribed medicine for nausea, and I was told to remain on my medicine and vitamins until a review at ten weeks.

I was also told to see a dietitian for dietary advice. We discussed the various risks of a triplet pregnancy, and the option to TFMR (Termination for Medical Reasons), which we declined. I also had a full blood test at this appointment.

8 weeks + 6 days

I had some bleeding, so I went for a scan.

Diagnosis: 

The medical record from this scan reads: Live intrauterine pregnancy. Fetal heart action present. All three fetuses have limb buds and appear normal. No intrauterine clot. Normal looking fetuses. No cause for the bleeding found.

Basically, this meant that I had a live pregnancy which had implanted in my uterus (not in any tubes), and that all three of the babies had heart beats and limb buds, and appeared normal. There were no clots found in the scan, so they didn’t find any actual cause for the bleeding. This can be common in any pregnancy, even for single babies.

11 weeks

I had an additional scan.

Diagnosis: 

Live intrauterine pregnancy. Normal looking fetuses.

This scan just showed that the babies still looked normal and they were all doing fine in the womb.

13 weeks

When I hit 13 weeks, I was given the NT (Nuchal Translucency) scan, that could show risks of fetal abnormality.

For each fetus: 

Nasal bone present. Fetal anatomy: skull/brain appears normal, heart appears normal, spine appears normal, abdomen appear visible, hands both visible, feet both visible.

Diagnosis:

All three fetuses: Normal looking fetuses at 13 weeks with a low risk for aneuploidy.

This scan went well, and it showed that my triplets were not at a major risk for chromosomal abnormalities. Each baby had the appearance of normal looking organs, and they all had visible limbs!

16 weeks

At 16 weeks I had an Anomaly Scan.

For each fetus:

Heart action present. Fetal movements visible. Amniotic fluid: normal. Cord: 3 vessels. Placenta: posterior high.

Fetal anatomy: 

The following were visualized and appear normal:

Head, brain, face, spine, neck and skin, chest, four-chamber view and great vessels, abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal tract, kidneys and bladder, extremities, skeleton

Diagnosis:

Fetus 1: Normal looking fetus, Normal Growth – smallest of the triplets and female

Fetus 2: Normal looking fetus, Normal Growth – male

Fetus 3: Normal looking fetus, Normal Growth – female

This scan showed that I was having two girls and one boy! Each of the babies looked normal, from all organs to extremities to skeletons. Also, the umbilical cords looked good and I had a good amount of fluid present . My placenta was posterior and high in the womb.

20 weeks

On this week, I had another Anomaly Scan.

For each fetus: 

Heart action present. Fetal movements visible. Amniotic fluid: normal. Cord: 3 vessels.

Fetal anatomy:

The following were visualized and appear normal:

Head, brain, face, spine, neck and skin, chest, four-chamber view and great vessels, abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal tract, kidneys and bladder, extremities, skeleton

Diagnosis: 

Normal looking fetuses

Overall, the babies looked great and no issues were found!

23 weeks

When I was 23 weeks along, I had a Fetal Wellbeing Scan.

For each fetus: 

Heart action present. Amniotic fluid: normal. Active fetus.

Diagnosis:

Fetus 1: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 494g (1lb 1 oz). The EFW is on the 25^th%

Fetus 2: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 610g (1lb 5 ozs). The EFW is on the 70^th%

Fetus 3: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 543g (1lb 3 ozs). The EFW is on the 45^th%

These scans showed me that again, the triplets were developing normally. I was told that the babies were between the 25th and 70th percentile for growth, so they were all within a normal range, which is always good news.

26 weeks

At 26 weeks I was given another Fetal Wellbeing Scan. This time they did not give me any scan pictures.

For each fetus: 

Heart action present. Amniotic fluid: normal. Active fetus.

Diagnosis:

Fetus 1: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 772g (1lb 11 ozs). The EFW is on the 20^th%. Low lying posterior placenta.

Fetus 2: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 951g (2lbs 2 ozs). The EFW is on the 70^th%

Fetus 3: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 809g (1lb 13 ozs). The EFW is on the 35^th%

By this time, the triplets had all gained some weight and were nearing, or just over, 2 pounds each.

28 weeks

At 28 weeks and I had another Fetal Wellbeing Scan.

For each fetus: 

Heart action present. Amniotic fluid: normal. Active fetus.

Diagnosis:

Fetus 1: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 1015g (2lbs 4 ozs). The EFW is on the 20^th%. Posterior placenta praevia.

Fetus 2: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 1419g (3lbs 2 ozs). The EFW is on the 80^th%

Fetus 3: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 1100g (2lbs 7 ozs). The EFW is on the 40^th%

Baby two had a growth spurt and was now up to the 80th percentile for estimated fetal weight! All three triplets looked great.

30 weeks

At 30 weeks gestation I had another Fetal Wellbeing Scan.

For each fetus:

Heart action present. Amniotic fluid: normal. Active fetus.

Diagnosis:

Fetus 1: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 1330g (2lbs 15 ozs). The EFW is on the 20^th%.

Fetus 2: Biophysically well fetus with some growth slowing. Est. fetal weight 1596g (3lbs 8 ozs). The EFW is on the 60^th%. Inaccurate measurements due to this fetus being posterior to fetus 3. However, there appears to be some growth slowing.

Fetus 3: Biophysically well fetus with some minor growth slowing. Est. fetal weight 1301g (2lbs 14 ozs). The EFW is on the 20^th%

At this appointment we became aware that there was some slowing in the growth of fetus two and fetus three. It was hard to get accurate measurements due to their positioning. At this point all three babies are just about 3 lbs.

32 weeks

At this appointment I was roughly 8 months pregnant. I had another Fetal Wellbeing Scan, but  no scan pictures.

Fetal Wellbeing Scan. No scan pictures.

For each fetus: 

Heart action present. Amniotic fluid: normal. Active fetus.

Diagnosis:

Fetus 1: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 1723g (3lbs 13 ozs). The EFW is on the 30^th%.

Fetus 2: Biophysically well fetus with normal growth. Est. fetal weight 1913g (4lbs 3 ozs). The EFW is on the 50^th

Fetus 3: Biophysically well fetus with some minor growth slowing. Est. fetal weight 1728g (3lbs 13 ozs). The EFW is on the 30^th%

This scan showed that all the babies were still doing good, and they were all just about 4 lbs. In weight. 

33 weeks + 2 days

I gave birth this day! We had originally aimed to have the surgery at 34 weeks gestation. However, due to a long public holiday weekend and the uncertainty of the situation, I decided I would rather have my doctor deliver the triplets than the weekend cover doctor. We moved the surgery date up just a few days to prevent that from happening.

Breech presentation (known prior to labour – elective caesarian).

Outcome: 

Live birth.

We happily announced the triplets’ arrival that morning.

Triplet 1 : Born 1815g  (4 Ib 0 ozs)

Triplet 2 : Born 2510g (5 Ib 8 ozs)

Triplet 3: Born 1855g (4 Ib 1 oz)

The triplets were just fantastic, with no need for Intensive Care.  All three went straight into regular nursery incubators to keep them warm for a while, then went into cots over the next two days. I stayed in hospital for six days & the bubs stayed for four weeks. Read about the birth of the triplets here.

Triplet Pregnancy Belly

20 Weeks

26 Weeks

27 Weeks

28 Weeks

30 Weeks

31 Weeks

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

Thank you for following along on my pregnancy journey. If you are pregnant with triplets, how is your pregnancy going so far? Do you have any complication? Did you do a 3D or 4D ultrasound scan to get a better view of your babies? If you would like, please share your experience in the comments below.  As always, thank you for reading my post, and I hope you enjoyed the story of my triplet pregnancy!