Angie and Gino
Angie and Gino met, fell in love, and got married. They wanted to wait until they married to start a family, and shortly after, they had their first child, a son. They were thrilled by the new addition to their family, and soon after, started talking about having another child. Also, they wanted their little boy to have a sibling, so they tried again. The couple was thrilled when they found out that Angie was pregnant again. Deep down, they hoped that they were going to have a girl, but mostly, they just wanted to have a healthy baby. When their second son was born, Angie and Gino felt blessed. They were thrilled that their sons would grow up together and become best friends. For Angie and Gino, things were perfect.
Wanting Another Child
When their youngest son was just 2-years-old, Angie and Gino started talking about having another child. They both wanted a girl, and they were thinking about trying again. Raising two rambunctious boys wasn’t easy, but the couple wanted all of their children to be close in age. If they were going to try for a little girl, they wanted to do it soon. When Angie found out that she was pregnant again, she didn’t keep it a secret that she was hoping for a little girl. The couple wanted to have a healthy baby, but if it was a healthy girl, they knew that their family would be complete.
Regular Check-Ups
Angie went to all of her check-ups with her husband by her side. In the early weeks of her pregnancy, she and her babies were getting a clean bill of health. Things seemed to be going exactly as Gino and Angie planed. During one of their checkups, Angie’s doctor, Sean Daneshmand, told her that pregnancy was considered to be high-risk. Angie and Gino started to panic, thinking that there was something wrong with their baby. What the doctor said next shocked the couple.
Triplets
When the doctor told Angie and Gino that they were going to be having triplets, they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. They wanted to have a baby, but they never imagined that they would be having three. Right away, Angie and Gino knew how much work it would be to care for triplets, but they were thrilled. They always wanted a big family, and having triplets would make them the parents of five children. Best of all, they were all girls. For Angie and Gino, it was a dream come true.
Sharing a Womb
The doctor told Angie that her pregnancy was relatively rare. Two of her babies were sharing one placenta, and the other had her own placenta. The couple was told that this wasn’t a significant problem, but it could have its disadvantages for the babies. According to the doctors, the size of one of the babies could be hampered, and wouldn’t grow to be the size of the other babies she was carrying. The doctor let the couple know the other complications that their babies could suffer, which had Angie and Gino worried. They just wanted to have three healthy baby girls.
Potential Problems
When the doctor told Angie and Gino about the issues that their babies could face, they both began to worry. Not only could Angie go into early labor, but the triplets could also be born with underdeveloped lungs or suffer from brain bleeds. The babies could have also suffered issues after birth, so Angie had to be very careful. With the help of her specialist, she hoped that she wouldn’t need to worry about any of these problems. The worries of what could happen to her daughters resulted in Angie being very stressed out. Since stress is not good for an expecting mother and her unborn babies, Angie’s medical team did everything they could to ease her fears.
The 27th Week
Angie did everything she could to keep herself and her babies healthy. When she was 27 weeks pregnant, her belly was getting very large. During a doctor’s appointment, she was told that she would have to be admitted to the hospital. They told her that there wasn’t enough fluid in her belly. Angie was admitted to Sharp Memorial Hospital’s Perinatal Special Care Unit in San Diego.
Worries
Like any expectant mother in her situation, Angie began to panic. She knew that she had to stay calm and try not to stress out. She knew that it would be harmful to her babies, so she tried to remain calm. Gino was right by her side, trying to keep her calm. Angie wasn’t only worried about the babies in her belly; she was also concerned about her sons at home. She hated being away from her little boys, but she didn’t have a choice. She knew that she had to do everything that the doctors said to make sure that all of her babies would be born healthy.
Toni Hicks
One of the nurses who cared for Angie and her babies was Toni Hicks. She had been working in the Perinatal Special Care Unit for quite some time, and she was used to caring for frightened expectant mothers. She says that when a woman is faced with potential complications like Angie was, that they need someone to motivate them and help them stay positive. Toni understands that these mothers are taken away from everything that’s normal to hem, which is very difficult. She says that it is even more difficult when the mother has to leave her children behind at home.
Toni understands that frightened expectant mothers need someone who will listen to them and offer a shoulder to cry on. She says that there is much more to her job than administering medication and monitoring the mothers and their babies. Toni and her co-workers also need to be there for mothers.
Babies A, B, and C
Because Angie was pregnant with three babies, they each had to be monitored separately. It isn’t uncommon for one baby to thrive more or less than the other two. For doctors to monitor each baby independently, they label them as baby A, baby B, and baby C. In Angie’s case, it was baby B who was struggling. She wasn’t getting enough fluid and was struggling because of it. During an ultrasound, the doctors found out that baby B was smaller than her sisters, which they believed to be the result of the lack of fluid. Sadly, all Angie and Gino could do was hope and pray that all three of their babies would be born healthy and grow up to live long and happy lives. The waiting was a lot for the couple.
32 Weeks
Angie remained in the hospital for weeks while Toni and her doctors monitored her closely. Angie and Gino were told that the longer the babies were able to stay in the womb, the better their chances would be of being born healthy. They didn’t want Angie to go into labor before her daughters’ lungs, and other organs were fully developed. Angie’s doctor told her that he was hoping that she could carry her triplets for at least 34 weeks.
If she could make it until then before going into labor, her babies would have an excellent chance of survival. Angie made it to the 32-week mark, and her doctors were optimistic. The fact that she carried the babies this long was great, but they were still shooting for 34 weeks. When Angie was 34 weeks and one day pregnant, she went into labor. The doctors didn’t try to stop the labor because they were satisfied that babies were strong enough and healthy enough to thrive out of the womb.
C-Section
Many mothers deliver their babies naturally, but since Angie’s pregnancy was considered high risk because she was having triplets, her doctor chose to deliver her babies via C-section. Her doctor told her that a C-section was best for her and her babies, and Angie didn’t try to argue. She wanted to do whatever it took to make sure that her daughters would be alright.
The Births
When the doctors and nurses helped to deliver all of the babies, Angie didn’t have a chance to hold them. Each of the babies had a team standing by, who began working on them immediately. They had to make sure that the babies were breathing and stabilized. Angie says that this was the scariest part of the whole pregnancy. She couldn’t see what was going on, so all she could do was pray for her little girls. The doctors had to put extra effort into opening up the babies’ lungs. Gino and Angie felt helpless. Once the teams had their individual babies stabilized, the triplets were transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit. There, they would get the additional care that they needed.
The ICU
Angie and Gino already had names picked out for their three daughters, Camilla, Anabella, and Daniella. The babies were all stable when they got to the ICU, but there were still things that the doctors needed to check out. The babies were small and predisposed to other complications, so everything had to be checked out before the girls could get a clean bill of health. The girls had to be handled carefully, and a close eye needed to be kept on all of them.
Seeing Her Babies
Since Angie had just had a C-section, her doctor told her that she would need to get some rest before meeting her babies. After a few hours, it was time. Gino wheeled Angie to the neonatal unit, where the babies were closely monitored. Angie took one look at her daughters and began crying tears of joy. She wanted a daughter for so long, and finally, seeing them was a moment that she says she will never forget as long as she lives. She had only been away from her daughters for a few hours, and she already ached for them. Being able to see for herself that they were alright was amazing.
Anabella
When Angie and Gino arrived in the ICU, little Anabella had her eyes open. She looked up at Angie, and it warmed her heart. Gino held her for the first time and said that he felt an instant connection. The couple spent time with each of their babies individually, and they were thrilled that they were all going to be okay.
A Clean Bill Of Health
It took some time, but finally, Angie and her three daughters were discharged from the hospital, and they were going home. Angie couldn’t wait for her two boys to meet their new sisters. When they got home, the house was filled with family and friends who were waiting to meet the new additions to Angie and Gino’s family.
Lots Of Help
When Angie got home, she needed a lot of help. Anytime a mother has a C-section, the recovery time is long. Caring for just one baby after a C-section is hard enough. Caring for three newborns and two young boys was a lot for her. Fortunately, she had plenty of people around her who were willing to help. Angie says that it seemed like right when she was finished feeding all three babies that it was time to start all over again. She was exhausted and slept every chance she got. Angie knew that she would need her strength if she were going to care for her five children.
Well Worth It
This mother of two prayed for girl and got something unexpected. She got three girls. As difficult as her pregnancy was, and as exhausting as it was caring for her daughters, Angie says that she wouldn’t want it any other way. She and Gino may not have planned for five children, but now that her babies are here, they are a blessing.
