After trying to have a baby for six years, an Australian woman was excited to learn that she would be having triplets. Following four sad miscarriages and over US$15,000 (11,300 pounds sterling) in IVF costs, they welcomed triplets into the world.
Leonie Fitzgerald, a business owner from Brisbane, Australia, became a mom to three perfect girls at the ripe age of 44.Despite being told she had low progesterone, which had caused four terrible miscarriages, she remained optimistic.
But Leonie and her husband, Peter, 51, took a leap of faith and tried for a baby one more time with the help of IVF in January 2020.
They struggled through a “long, frustrating, and a little heartbreaking” period when they couldn’t have kids. Once it was confirmed that they would have triplets, the parents were excited and shocked at the same time.
“We were hoping for one baby, knew two might be a possibility, but had never even thought about three,” Leonie said.
The woman did her best to avoid any kind of stress during her pregnancy. Unfortunately, her pregnancy was not smooth all the way.
“I had terrible morning sickness, and my specialist put me on bed rest for my entire pregnancy. I was high-risk due to my age and because I was carrying multiples and had had four miscarriages previously,” Leonie shared.
Leonie was scheduled for a cesarean delivery at 33 weeks. However, she sensed that she needed to check herself into the hospital as soon as possible two days before to her admittance date.
Triplets Liliana, Isabella and Charlotte Fitzgerald had a traumatic start to life — they were born seven weeks early while their mother was in a medically induced coma.
“I was raced to deliver the triplets, and I was then transferred to the ICU while I was still asleep,” Leonie said. After the treatment was completed, the mother awoke two days later and got to see her babies for the first time.
The couple became proud parents on Aug. 23, 2020 as they welcomed their triplets: baby Charlotte, weighing 4 pounds 2 ounces (approx. 1.87 kg), and identical twins Liliana and Isabella, weighing 2 pounds 6 ounces (approx. 1.07 kg) and 3 pounds 5 ounces (approx. 1.5 kg) respectively.
“I was so happy we were all alive and had been in the hospital. It was overwhelming to see my babies in NICU. They were tiny, and there were three of them!”
After a few days, Leonie was moved to the maternity ward, where she continued to recover and was soon discharged. The triplets were also ready to come home after 34 days.
“We spent almost six years trying for a baby and it was devastating to say the least,” Leonie said.
“It took nearly three years for me to fall pregnant naturally at 41, we were elated but our joy soon turned to sorrow when I miscarried at 13 weeks.”
“God’s delays are not God’s denials. There is so much love in the house, and always someone to cuddle. I love watching them interact with each other, and I feel very honored that they chose me to go on their journey with,” the happy mom concluded about the amazing gift of life she has received.
The parents cherish every moment they spend with their triplets because getting to this point was so challenging and there were times when they questioned whether they would ever have their own children and a large family to care for and love more deeply every day.
