Is there anything as spellbinding, radiant, as a pregnant woman?
Call me presumptuous, but I’m gonna go ahead and say pregnancy, while clearly a gift when it’s all said and done, is kinda sh*t when you consider the nine months of discomfort and no drinking.
And while I’d never pit one pregnant woman’s experience against that of another, this mum-to-be in particular can’t be feeling a million dollars as she awaits the arrival of triplets.
What’s more, her three-baby bump has gone viral:
Maria, 36, is in the 33rd week of pregnancy and has been sharing pictures and videos of her bump for her followers on Instagram.
She and her Danish hubby already have a two-year-old son, but things are about to be kicked up a notch.
Maria documents her pregnancy on her Instagram, Triplets of Copenhagen, which boasts just over 20k followers.
The triplets will be born by c-section, as a natural birth would be too risky, according to doctors. Her due date is September 12.
There are only 150 sets of triplets born in the UK each year, with 1 in every 5000 pregnancies a triplet pregnancy. The triplet rate used to be about 1 in 10,000 maternities but this figure almost quadrupled between 1970 to 1998 with the introduction of assisted conception techniques.
This rate has fallen since 1998 probably due to the introduction of HFEA regulations restricting the number of embryos transplanted during an IVF cycle.
In the US, Less than 4% of triplet pregnancies are delivered vaginally. Having a c-section for multiple births is the most common way to go, and puts less stress on your body. Multiple babies born vaginally are at a higher risk of being properly monitored and cared for following delivery.
More than half of triplet pregnancies are pre-term, but the other complications found most commonly have much lower statistics. Anemia and gestational diabetes are both under 20%, and getting infection is only found 13% of the time.
The NHS writes, for anyone giving birth to twins or more:
It’s a good idea to discuss your birth options with your midwife or consultant early on in your pregnancy.
You’ll normally be advised to give birth in a hospital as there’s a higher chance of complications with twins.
There are usually more health professionals at a multiple birth – for example, there may be two midwives, an obstetrician and two paediatricians (one for each baby). You will already have met your obstetrician and midwives to discuss your baby’s birth beforehand, so they won’t all be strangers.
They add:
Lots of women think they have to have a caesarean section with twins. In fact, more than 40% of twin births are vaginal, and the process is similar to that of a single baby.
If you’re planning a vaginal delivery, it’s usually recommended that you have an epidural for pain relief, but you can discuss this with your midwife.
All the best for the birth Maria! Keep doing you.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
