My Story of Motherhood

It was November 2013 when my husband and I moved out of India for a professional assignment abroad. We were very excited to lead lives as expats and looked forward to a refreshing change. It was my husband’s birthday when we landed in the new country. 

We celebrated his birthday at the airport; I gifted him a massage at a Spa in the airport. Yeah, he needed it after such a tiring and long flight journey!

 

We were happy to arrive and soon started to settle down. I began to taste the life of an expat’s wife. I enjoyed shopping at the best of malls, traveled around the new city, and just loved the sights, smells, and sounds of the new place. I joined American and other expat women's clubs too and participated enthusiastically in ladies’ potlucks and parties.

 

However, after a point, I started to get over all these and began to look for a job. Unfortunately, I didn't get one easily, and I started to have self-doubts.

 

Meanwhile, we moved to a new house in a very posh, lush green locality. It was a beautiful house where the window displayed the sight of a swimming pool and a beautiful lawn. I loved every bit of it and realized how a lot of people would envy such a life.

 

After a long time, I picked up cooking again, and started making round ‘chapatis’ for a change!

 

There was something, however, that had begun to trouble me. My age was fast catching up and we didn't have babies. It was already ten years of our marriage. I remembered what a very good friend and guide had shared with me once, that kids are very important to take the relationship of husband and wife to the next level.

 

After great reluctance, I tried IVF - a painful and scary procedure. I gained some weight and felt strange within my body, but I went ahead with it.

 

It was June 2014 when I got to know that I'm pregnant. It was very big news for all of us. My HCG was very high and the doctor said I am expecting multiple babies. I was very excited and my happiness doubled when I heard that I was pregnant with triplets, which was very hard to believe.

 

I was doing good for a little while, and then the difficult phase of my pregnancy started. Regular episodes of vomiting, cramps, not eating very well continued off and on till November. I did not feel well at all and got admitted to the hospital in the same month. 

 

In all this while, I was really supported by my husband. In the whole journey, he stood by me. My in-laws also really supported me. I still remember how when I wasn't able to eat due to the pain at the hospital, my mother-in-law fed me with her own hands. I am totally blessed to have such a kind mother in law.

 

I was soon admitted to the operation theatre for delivery and knew that I was going to be given the injection to numb my spine. I was scared but I just wanted to save my children which I always longed for. I kept quiet, took a deep breath, and took my God’s name, and just slept. After some time, I saw my three babies and then I saw my husband smile and fell unconscious again.

 

When I woke up, I was scared to see my babies; they were so tiny like puppies rather small birds. I had tears in my eyes. I could hold them in my palm. I could hold all of them together on my chest at one time. They were in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). They had so many contraption wires all around them as if they were in a cage.

 

It was not a good sight at all. The sound of monitors was so scary. Bradycardia is a medical term used when the heart rate is lower than the normal heart rate. Every time the heart rate fell, I used to panic. I kept on calling the nurse and she used to listen with a stethoscope. I even bought myself one when the kids came home. I had become a paranoid mom.

 

They said you should try to give them your milk. I was wondering if the babies cannot suck my breasts, how will I produce milk? They were very tiny. They were only 29 weeks old as I had delivered in my seventh month of pregnancy. We were lucky we were in a country with a world-class medical care facility. The hospital was very well equipped and had a very competent team of nurses and doctors.

 

The hospital staff came to my rescue. A lactation consultant was sent to me. She taught me how to express milk.

She started by trying to simulate my breasts. Remember the kids were born preterm. The breasts needed to be stimulated because in a normal course the child would have sucked and asked for milk. We had to do it with the hands and it was indeed a task rather amusing if I think of it now, on a lighter note. My doctor told me to express colostrum. It was a painful process to take out a few drops of my first milk. It is supposedly very healthy for babies as it is enriched with antibodies. They needed it to fight all the infections.

 

They filled the few droplets of milk colostrum in a syringe and carried it to the NICU for my babies. My babies were still in the special incubators. Every time my husband took the milk there was a nurse to receive it with a smile.

 

So, as you can see my experience of giving birth to the triplets has really increased my knowledge by multifold. 

 

My husband's colleagues from work and some of our friends came to see us. They didn't know what to say. They congratulated us but were really surprised to see such tiny babies. Every day at NICU was most eventful. The Doctors kept ordering Ultrasound, Babygrams, X Rays, Cranial scans, and blood tests. Amongst the chaos, there were a few moments of joy, especially when the babies used to smile. The nurses and doctors taught us and advised us to do KMC (kangaroo Mother care). It is believed to be a very effective therapy for babies especially preemies. Preemies is the term used widely for are pre-term babies.

 

There was an interesting episode of breastfeeding audit at the hospital in which I was interviewed and was asked about the benefits of breastfeeding. The auditor was very impressed by my knowledge. The doctor said you can write a book on Triplets. I used to laugh at that time as my sole aim at that moment was to take my babies home. The bill of the hospital was rising. My husband and myself were stressed. Thankfully our family had sent us some financial help and we could manage the expenses. 

 

After two months in NICU, one of my daughters was released in January and then my son and then my other daughter. When my first child came home, it was a very exciting and proud moment for all of us. We had hoped that now our life would normalize, but it turned out to be just the opposite. She would not sleep the whole night. My mother took complete responsibility of her. She kept awake all night just to make her sleep; it was indeed a very tough time. At that time, we had no nurses, nanny, or caregiver to take care of her. We thought we could manage on our own. 

 

After few days, my son and my other daughter were discharged from the hospital. Seeing the three children sleep in one crib together was a beautiful sight. I was waiting for this moment for a long time.