A mother of triplets talked about her hard daily routine, which includes pumping three liters of breast milk every day.
Tanya Hall, who is 33, has identical triplets. She has to change their diapers 30 times, do four loads of laundry, and feed them 30 times. Her partner, Kris, who is 44, helps out where he can.
They beat odds of 200 million to one when, after a hard pregnancy, they had three identical triplets in April 2019.
The babies were born six weeks early, on April 26, 2019, at 31 weeks, which was not what was expected.
They were born at the Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre in Burney, Lancashire. Since then, Kris and Tanya have had a hard time taking care of their large family.
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Tanya had to have laser syndrome surgery at 19 weeks pregnant to separate the blood cells on the surface of the placenta.
This is done with a laser because two of the triplets had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
The rare condition can be fatal because there is only one placenta for all of the babies. This means that one baby gets too much blood flow and the others don’t get enough.
The surgery went well, and all three boys were born healthy. Austin was born first at 8:50 p.m. and weighed 4 lbs 1 oz. Rupert came next at 8:52 p.m. and weighed 2 lbs 11 oz. Ethan came last at 8:54 p.m. and weighed 2 lbs 9 oz.
Now that they are three years old, they are healthy and strong. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the boys go to daycare, and on Mondays and Thursdays, their grandparents watch them.
On Fridays, the boys’ mother doesn’t have to go to work, so she can take care of her three boys.
‘Austin is a good boy who takes pride in being independent. Ethan is the youngest, but he is the leader. He knows what he wants and is not afraid to try new things.
‘Rupert is very smart and full of life. He likes to be alone. He even moved out of the room with the three beds and into the extra room.’
‘Austin and Ethan both choose porridge, but Ethan chooses cereal without milk.’ As a special treat, their mother will make pancakes, and each triplet will have a key role.
One boy will measure the flour, another will pour the milk, and the last one will break the egg.
‘They all fight over who gets to crack the egg, so since there’s only one, I have to switch between the boys every time,’Tanya said.
It’s time to go outside and play after breakfast. The boys love to explore the woods near their house.
By noon, the boys are back home for dinner. They love the classic combination of potato waffles, beans, and eggs.
The youngest, Rupert, is the most open-minded about food and will try anything. Ethan, on the other hand, is the most hesitant to try something new.
The boys love to help clean up, and they often help sweep, brush, and even vacuum.
At 1 o’clock, it’s time to take a nap, and at 3 o’clock, it’s time for more fun.
If the weather is nice, the family will go outside for more fun, but if it’s bad, they’ll stay inside and do things.
Tanya loves to bake with the three of them, and they often make gingerbread men.
They have a big, medium, and small cutter that they use to make a mother, father, and three children.
‘It’s like a military operation,’ Kris says.
The boys’ favorite show is Paw Patrol, and they can’t wait to sit down and watch it. They have favorite episodes, like the Christmas episode in the middle of summer.
Tanya says, ‘They have so many bath toys, but all they want to do is play with water in a jug.’
‘They are also crazy about a pencil case that they take into the bath with them and fill with water.’
The triplets’ bedtime is between 7 and 8 p.m., but it can take longer to get them to sleep. Tanya said, ‘Bedtime isn’t always a walk in the park.’
‘They can recite all of Julia Donaldson’s stories by heart. When my friend read Austin a bedtime story, he corrected her when she got the words wrong, which was so funny.’
The boys sleep in the same room, which has a cot bed for each of them. Two months ago, in June 2022, Rupert decided to sleep alone and moved into the spare room.