Newborn Identical Triplets

While the birth of newborn identical triplets is certainly cause for celebration, the stress of handling three infants at once can be overwhelming.

According to the March of Dimes and the National Center for Health Statistics, the past 20 years has shown a dramatic increase in the occurrence of multiple births in the United States. The reasons for this increase vary, but they are mainly associated with the age of the mother and fertility drugs. The chance of multiple births increases for women who are over the age of 30, so obviously this plays a direct role in more multiple births occurring. Fertility drugs play a major role in more multiple births as well, as does in vitro fertilization (IVF). In fact, about 45 percent of births that are considered "assisted reproductive techniques", such as fertility drugs and IVF, are twin births. Seven percent are triplets or more.

According to research, the odds of having newborn identical triplets range from one in 500,000 to one in 100 million depending upon which study you read. While about 50 percent of twins are born prematurely, more than 90 percent of triplets are born preterm. When you multiply the worry for a premature baby by three, stress is bound to occur!

Newborn identical triplets will typically spend some time in the hospital after birth. How much they need depends upon how early the babies were born, what complications occurred during labor and delivery, and how healthy they are. In some cases, one or two babies may be released earlier than the others. While this may be a blessing, it can also compound the emotional turmoil that parents are already going through. While they are excited to be taking one or two of their babies home, it will also be difficult to leave one behind. One parent will usually stay, while the other one goes home. For a mom who has just experienced childbirth, the stress can certainly be overwhelming. Once all the babies are safe and sound at home, however, the nonstop routine of meeting all of their needs begins!

The two most important tips for parents of triplets to remember are to accept all the help you can get and establish a schedule as soon as possible. Life with triplets will certainly be different from the life you had before. While you may be madly in love with your sweet babies, you'll also be exhausted, overly emotional, and at times absolutely overpowered by the sheer demands of feeding, diapering, and loving your three tiny bundles of joy.

Well-meaning friends and family members may casually tell you to call if you need them. You, in turn, never pick up the phone for fear of imposing on their own busy schedules. Without any help, you and your husband are left to handle the babies on your own. Now is not the time to be too proud to ask for and accept help!

• Create a chart (preferably before the babies are born and you have more time), and ask family members and friends to sign up by dates and times once the babies are born and safely home.
• Have someone be in charge of coordinating the schedule of people who are coming to help. This should not be your job! You'll have to much on your hands to deal with!
• Be sure everyone knows his or her specific role. People can't be any help if you don't tell them what to do. They should be familiar with baby supplies, feeding schedules, etc.

Once your babies are a bit older, you probably won't need as many people to help you. At this time, you can adjust your schedule accordingly.

The single most important step you can take when handling newborn identical triplets is to create a schedule.

• If one baby wakes up to eat, wake the others up to feed them as well.
• Check every baby's diaper at the same time.
• Try to get them on the same nap schedule.
• Don't be overly quiet. You want your children to get used to noise while they sleep.

It's also a good idea to create an identification system. Identical triplets can be difficult to tell apart. One of the best ideas for identifying them is to assign a color to each child. Dress them in that color each day. Be sure all of your helpers understand this system as well. Some people have their triplet girls' ears pierced with a particular color stone. This works well until the baby is old enough to try and pull the stone out! Basically, you need to develop a system that will work for you.

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