Ballynahinch woman’s shock turns to joy as her triplets are born

Ballynahinch woman’s shock turns to joy as her triplets are born

2 December 2015

WHEN Zoe McTeer attended her doctor with abdominal pains last spring, she was delighted to be told she was pregnant.

The 39 year-old mother-of-one, from Ballynahinch, had virtually given up hope of extending her family and thought her cramps were due to a flare-up of Crohn’s Disease rather than an early pregnancy symptom.

Following three tests to confirm her pregnancy, her surprise quickly turned to shock when she learnt she had not one or two, but three babies on board.

Calm and pragmatic, Zoe continued to work with her husband Mark in their courier business until she was 30 weeks pregnant.

Four weeks after beginning her maternity leave, on October 11, their family doubled overnight with the arrival of triplet girls.

After some time spent in special care while their feeding was established, little Hanna (3lbs 14oz), Charlotte (3lbs 10.5oz) and Jessica (4lbs 2oz), are now settling in at their Ballynahinch home with their two year-old sister Kaylea.

With up to 27 bottle feeds and a similar number of nappy changes every day, Zoe admits the days fly by as she cares for her three new babies.

Although she thought she was as prepared as possible for their arrival, stocking up on dozens of nappies and buying a triple buggy in advance, Zoe says they have nonetheless been caught out more than once by the logistics of living with three tiny newborns.

While Mark changed their car to a bigger model once she found out she was carrying triplets, the couple has since discovered their pram will not fit into the boot once the four car seats for their girls are in place.

And on the rare occasions Zoe has ventured out on foot with her girls, she has been unable to fit through most shop doors as her pram is too wide.

“We thought we were prepared but we now realise that either the girls fit into the car or their pram goes in but not both at the same time,” said Zoe.

“A smaller pram is about £1,000 so what we do now is Mark stays at home with the girls while I go out.”

Despite these minor setbacks, however, Zoe is thrilled to have so unexpectedly become a mum of four.

“It is funny how it all turned out after going to the doctor that time,” she said. “I did not even think I was pregnant and the doctor tested me three times to confirm it.

“Then, because I was having pains, they believed it might be ectopic and I was sent for an immediate scan.

“I phoned Mark to tell him I was pregnant and on my way for a scan and although he wanted to come I told him I would be grand.

“Six hours later it was confirmed I was pregnant but that it was too early for doctors to detect any heartbeats.”

It was two weeks later, Zoe recalls, that a midwife finally broke the news of the triple pregnancy.

“The midwife looked as surprised as me when she carried out the scan and she later told me that was the first time that had happened to her in 25 years,” she said.

“After she spotted the first two heartbeats I noticed the third. It was the last thing I expected because even though my sister had eight year-old twin boys there are no other twins or triplets in the family.”

In a happy coincident, the twins’ due date was Zoe’s 39th birthday, November 25, however they arrived six weeks early after she went into labour.

Following a C-section, the girls spent a couple of weeks in hospital where staff helped set a routine in which the girls feeds are staggered to help Zoe.

“Life has been busy, feeding, changing, washing, feeding, changing, washing,” she says.

“But it has been good. I thought I was getting a bit past it and wasn’t going to have any more so I was just enjoying Kaylea.

“But although this has been a surprise, it has been a great one. But I don’t think there will be any more. I think this will finish me.”