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“Is it possible not to hire a nanny? I’d say
yes, but if you’re ALONE, the situation gets much more
complicated!!!
We certainly need help, at least from one person. With triplets,
you need help for the most common everyday tasks, whether
it’s to bottle-feed, push a stroller, or many others.
My babies came home when they were 5 days old. They were
healthy but pretty vulnerable. During the first three months,
a nanny helped us during the day. At night, there were nurses
working alternate days. We believed these professionals would
be able to notice if there were something wrong with the
babies, while we tried to sleep for some hours. One of the
nurses noticed that Vitória had hypothermia.
It was not easy to accept the fact that I really needed help
and that not always this help would come from a person emotionally
connected to me. Therefore, it was hard to find the “perfect” nanny
and accept this fact.”
 “In
my case, I didn’t have the opportunity to go for walks
and shop for my babies. I was on complete bed rest, and even
then, I felt really sick. According to my physician, Dr.
Arnaldo, I had all the symptoms a pregnant woman could have – after
all, they were three. If I crossed my limits, it’d
be much worse for me and my babies. So, a friend of mine
came up with a great idea – she suggested that I should
go to these fares of products for pregnant women and babies.
I found everything I was looking for in a single place and
in a single day. I bought furniture, strollers, clothes size
XS, blankets, comforters, bibs, shoes, etc.”
NURSING
I bottle-fed the three babies at the same time, during the
day. I’d sit them in their bouncer, prop the bottles
against a pillow or anything else, and they’d drink
the milk, under my supervision, of course.
At night, I’d feed them separately. I took turns with
my husband. He slept during the night, while I stayed with
my babies in their bedroom. I slept from 6 to 11 a.m., when
he went to work.
GOING OUT BY CAR
The inside of our car is a mess! There are a lot of cloth
and disposable diapers. When we leave, I bring a cookie jar
and a fruit jar. A CD with children’s songs is a must
and so are infant car seats.
RESTAURANTS
It’s terrible to take them to restaurants. It’s
such a mess. Once we went to this restaurant, and when we
were leaving, I looked back at the table we had sat at and
I was scared! The towel had disappeared; there was food all
over the floor and basically, my husband and I hadn’t
eaten anything. It was unpleasant.
 “You
have to be very practical. Things will be different from
what your friends have told you, but with time, you’ll
realize that some things are similar.
It’s absolutely wonderful to have triplets. In the
beginning (when you find out about it), you get scared. You
cry (a lot) for no reason at all, but during the pregnancy,
you get used to it. As soon as they’re born, you think
you won’t be able to give the attention each one deserves
and needs. Later, you realize it was the best thing that
could have happened to you: it’s a gift, a blessing.
It’s delightful, not because they’re yours but
because they’re triplets.”
NURSING
The babies will usually take turns between being breastfed
and bottle-fed. You breastfeed 2 babies while the other
is bottle-fed. Each baby must, in his turn, be fed in only
one breast.
FEEDING BOTTLES
If you want to prepare them right before feeding your babies,
keep the boiled water in a thermos. If possible, make your
babies get used to bottles at room temperature.
Smile because you’re a special person. Don’t
blame yourself for having left your job to stay with your
beautiful babies…. And don’t blame yourself for
not having left your job to stay with your beautiful babies…the
more you do, the more you feel you didn’t do enough,
and blaming yourself for everything won’t help or change
anything…so realize that this feeling is OK and that
you are normal and that is just one feeling among so many
others you have. Each person has his own limits, do everything
you can within your limits – respect yourself, your
children (giving them the 3 important things: love, limits
and routine, which means confidence), and your husband, who
must know that he’s important and of great help to
you, mother of triplets… he must have already realized
that he’s the father of triplets and that he’ll,
indeed, have to work. Try to show him the pleasure of changing
a diaper, giving a bath or bottle-feeding. In case he dislikes
one of these activities, that’s all right…respect
it and ask him to help you by doing something he likes, OK?
It’s important for him to feel that he’s part
of the family in every aspect. This will be better for you
too because you should NEVER refuse help!
If you ask me what the greatest challenge of being the mother
of triplets is, I’ll say that it’s to provide
for such different needs at the same time. They’re
three beautiful and truly distinctive human beings, there… at
the same time, they need and expect different things from
you… respecting the differences and loving them with
the same intensity but in different ways…wow! That’s
not easy, but this is precisely why I’m so grateful
for this opportunity every day, for the confidence placed
on me and for the privilege to be Sophie, Tommy and Gabbeh’s
mother.
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Cláudia