I was shocked when docs said I was ‘60 weeks pregnant’ – I was put on ‘sofa confinement’ and had to buy a £4K pram
MOST mums complain about their baby bumps at some point, with many expectant parents complaining about their tummies being too big or too small.
One Aussie mum was told by doctors that she was "60 weeks pregnant" though, thanks to the size of her extra-large bump.
When Silje Andersen-Cooke attended her ultrasound, the mum-to-be had expected her pregnancy to be pretty run of the mill.
Silje and her husband, Jordan, had been delighted to find out they were expecting a second child – having welcomed their son Mads only a few years before.
As the cool jelly ran over Silje’s stomach though, her ultrasound technician rapidly started counting the faint images on the screen.
“There is one here, and another one here, and one more here,” Silje told 7life, recalling the moment she learnt she was expecting triplets.
READ MORE in Parenting
The Canberra couple were in "complete shock", as multiple pregnancies weren’t common in either of their family and there was only a one-in-10,000 chance of having ‘spontaneous triplets’.
With a toddler already at home and her anxiety spiraling, Silje worried about her body’s ability to continue with the pregnancy.
Despite the foetuses being healthy, doctors warned that it was unlikely that all the triplets would survive and to prepare for that possibility.
As her body began to rapidly change, the ‘massive number’ of appointments took their toll on the mum and she was constantly monitored due to the ‘high risk’ pregnancy.
Most read in Fabulous
Medics even offered to ‘reduce’ the pregnancy, but Silje felt it was already ‘too late’ and had accepted the idea of having triplets – even if they didn’t all survive.
The couple also drastically changed their lives, upgrading their two-bed home and five-seater car to accommodate the triplets – which was eye wateringly expensive.
Even the pram took additional planning, with the proud parents struggling to find a three-seater pram and eventually ordered one from overseas – costing them $4,000.
As well as planning for her new arrivals and caring for her toddler, the mum worked up until the 30 week mark.
“My feet were so swollen; I had pelvic pain because of how much pressure there was; my weight gain...” Silje revealed, adding that she became confined to the sofa after medics put on strict bed rest.
Her constant discomfort continued and by week 34, doctors told the expectant mum that her stomach was measuring at 60 weeks gestation.
Just five days later, her little trio arrived by C-section and were born just two minutes apart.
First born Ava weighed just 1.8kg, with Teddy following close behind (2.1kg) and finally, Erik – who was just 2.3kg when he was born in early 2022.
Understandably, the mum was relieved to finally have her little ones and said: “It had been such a hard pregnancy, and to be there and snuggle all of them, and for them to be so healthy.”
Read More on The Sun
Over a year later, the family has adjusted to life with three babies and Silje now advocates for parents with multiple pregnancies.
Talk about a super mum!
