A ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ left the couple Ali and Chris ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ. But soon after, Ali fell ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with triplets. And the perfect timing of their arrival shows Gᴏᴅ sent this special gift from Hᴇᴀᴠᴇɴ!
Ali and partner Chris, from Dublin a 31-year-old car salesman, could not wait to welcome a little brother or sister for Georgia. But sᴀᴅʟʏ, she ʟᴏsᴛ the baby when she was just five weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. Her dreams of a growing family were sʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ… but not for long, as she fell ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ again in January. Ali, admits she never imagined she would ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ so soon afterwards. She said :”It was a total surprise. We never expected it at all. I just did a ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛ because I felt ᴜɴᴡᴇʟʟ and I was getting ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ-ʟɪᴋᴇ sʏᴍᴘᴛᴏᴍs . I never imagined that I could have been ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ so quickly afterwards, but when I saw that it was ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴠᴇ it was such a shock. We went for an early scan at about seven weeks because I was so ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ after the ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ. I wanted some ʀᴇᴀssᴜʀᴀɴᴄᴇ to ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋthat the baby had ᴀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛ. It was such ᴀ sʜᴏᴄᴋat the time because ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs said they could see two ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs and told us we were having twins. My sister has twins, so I just laughed and said it ran in the family.
But, At 12-week scan on March 15 , I just couldn’t believe it. The sᴏɴᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜᴇʀ ran the sᴄᴀɴɴᴇʀ over my sᴛᴏᴍᴀᴄʜ and kept staring at the screen. Then they showed me that it was triplets and, sure enough, there were three ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs flickering on the screen. Chris was absolutely speechless. I was just ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ about how ʙɪɢ ᴍʏ ʙᴜᴍᴘ was going to get! The ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs said that two of the triplets were sʜᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ and they hadn’t been able to see that when I’d had the early scan at seven weeks. They had been able to see one of the ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs, but the other one was behind it, so they thought I was only ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with twins. But at the 12-week scan, the babies were bigger, so they could see all three of them. It was ᴀ sʜᴏᴄᴋto go from thinking I was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with twins, to being ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with triplets. But I think because I’d sᴜғғᴇʀᴇᴅ the ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ of the ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ, I just took it all in my stride and was calm about everything. The fact I was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with three babies instead of just one, or even two, didn’t faze me at all. I just wanted them to be born healthy – that was the most important thing after sᴜғғᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜs ʟᴏss. I wanted them to sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ.”
Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴀ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴇʏᴇ on Ali since they deemed the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ʜɪɢʜ-ʀɪsᴋ. Everything was going well until 31 weeks when Ali’s ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇʟʏ. Ali said :”It all happened so fast. My ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀs ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ and I was taken into ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ where I was ᴍᴏɴɪᴛᴏʀᴇᴅ.” Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ᴛʀɪᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴏʟᴅ off but it became clear those triplets were coming. At first, the ᴇᴀʀʟʏ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀʏ upset Ali O’Leary and Chris Deasy. Ali felt like her body was ғᴀɪʟɪɴɢ her again. That is, until she and Chris saw the significance of the triplets’ birth date. Three ᴛɪɴʏ ʙᴏʏs — Lenny, Ted, and Bruce — arrived on August 2nd. The same day the couple’s ʟᴀᴛᴇ baby was ᴅᴜᴇ. She said :” When I realised they had been born on the same day that the baby I ʟᴏsᴛ was ᴅᴜᴇ, it was so emotional for us. But then I realised that it was meant to be. We see them as a gift from ʜᴇᴀᴠᴇɴ – and they are our three ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇs.” Their arrival on that ғᴀᴛᴇғᴜʟ ᴅᴀʏ ʟɪғᴛᴇᴅ the ᴘᴀɪɴ of ʟᴏsɪɴɢ a baby and the date now has a new significance. Treasured tots Lenny, Ted and Bruce spent their first eight weeks at Holles Street Maternity ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ before the couple took them home to meet five-year-old sister Georgia. Now, 7,000 nappy changes, 11,000 burps and 500 laundry loads ʟᴀᴛᴇr, Ali and Chris are preparing to celebrate the first birthday of their ‘three little men’.
She said :” I’m sɪᴄᴋ to my teeth of changing dirty bottoms. When it came to feeding it was one bowl, one spoon, for the three of them. We got a special holder for their bottles where you can do the three of them at the same time. We had to get three new car seats – three of everything. My sister has five-year-old twins so I was sort of aware of the expense. But it was still ᴍᴀᴅɴᴇss. We had Georgia’s original buggy and got another double buggy, then we bought a triple buggy second hand. We bought two new car seats, but then the one we had was different so they wouldn’t all fit, so we had to buy another car seat too. I would love gorgeous big Moses baskets and matching cots and all the rest – but we were lucky our neighbour gave us one cot and another friend gave us a second. The generosity of people has been ɪɴsᴀɴᴇ.”
She added:” Sister Georgia loves them, her and Bruce are best pals. The identicals are a pair, and Georgia and Bruce are a pair. She enters the room and he’s besotted with her. She is mammy number two. Absolutely not. I was done at two, I just happened to get two, three and four. Now, I’ve four healthy, happy kids and I couldn’t wish for anything more. When they are older we will tell them the significance of their birthday and how extra special it is.”
