A mum who found out she was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with triplets just four months after ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ʙɪʀᴛʜ to her “ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ baby” has described parenting as “like a conveyer belt sometimes”. Vickie and Jamie O’Donnell from Abercynon said they had sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ for years before the birth of their “ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ” son just Phoenix last year. But thanks to some ʜᴏʀᴍᴏɴᴀʟ help, the couple were finally given the great news they were expecting “ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ baby” Phoenix, who was born last year. However, just months later, the couple were sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ to hear that they had fallen ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ again – and with triplets.
Violet, Tarney and Rhubie-Ann’s arrival in June this year meant that for just over a month, they were parents to four babies under the age of one. While it feels “like a conveyer belt at times”, mum Vickie said she loves her new parenting life and wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. Vickie said: “People see us walking towards them with the pram and you can see their faces glowing thinking ‘look it’s twins’! Then they see the third baby and they’re like ‘Oh my Gᴏᴅ, it is triplets! I honestly have no idea how many nappies we get through. The babies are all in different sizes too, so we have about three boxes on the go at any time. I absolutely love it though, I honestly would not change it for the world.”
Recollecting the moment she was told she was expecting triplets, Vickie, from Abercynon, said: “I was screaming. At first the woman said it was twins, and I said ‘I think you should look again because if it is twins what is the other one?’ And I was just sobbing.” The triplets, now three-months-old, were born seven weeks in advance due to ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs. He said: “I would say the hardest part is when all four of them want ꜰᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ at the same time. So if the three babies are ᴜɴsᴇᴛᴛʟᴇᴅ and want a ꜰᴇᴇᴅ, and Phoenix wants his dinner, that is definitely challenging. And I don’t like to hear them crying, that makes me worked up then, that can be quite challenging, but I am never on my own. I am always with my mam or if she has popped out she is always close by. We live with my mam and my dad, they are our super heroes.”
Luckily for the family, Phoenix loves his sleep, and often goes to bed at 7pm and doesn’t wake until 8am. This gives the parenting team a solid night dedicated to the triplets, who all settle and wake up at different times. Their usual night time routine sees Phoenix get ready for bed first. Once he is bathed and bedded, its time to move onto the triplets. Vickie added: “It all depends on who is the most ᴜɴsᴇᴛᴛʟᴇᴅ first really, so I will start ꜰᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ one then get them in the bath, then I’ll pass them onto my Mam or Dad or Jamie who will all be home from work by then so they can get them dressed and into bed, then I move onto the next one then the next one.”
Once settled in their cot, which they are still small enough to share, the babies sleep through most of the night, each waking at different times in the morning. She said: “Last night Violet went down at 8pm and then woke for a ꜰᴇᴇᴅ at 4am, then Rhubie-Ann woke at 5am, and Tarney woke at 7am. Sometimes I don’t get back to sleep after their night ꜰᴇᴇᴅs before Phoenix wakes up and we have to start the day. I don’t know what I would do without my mam, often I’m ꜰᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ two babies and she has one. I’m a twin myself so it makes me appreciate what it was like for her.”
Transporting all four children is another challenge the family face and Vickie admitted it takes her ages to get the whole gang into the car. Vickie added: “We have a seven seater, so its Phoenix in the back, the triplets in the middle and me and Jamie in the front. We have to fold down the back seat with Phoenix to fit the pram in for the triplets, and then Phoenix’s pram fits in the footwell. We are going to have to get a roof box or something as there is no room for anything else.” Vickie said she has loved the last three months being a parent to four children. She said: “The best part of it is just having them all. I just love them so much, I would not change anything.”
