Judit Minda may have grown up as a triplet herself, but she was shocked when doctors informed her that she would be giving birth to her own little trio.
“Finding out about being pregnant with triplets was… the most unexpected news I could have ever got,” Minda wrote on Instagram.
The 31-year-old mom from Norway had always wanted children with her partner, Glenn Undheim, but they were far from prepared when it came to having three babies at once.
“I had thousands of thoughts,” Minda told TODAY Parents in an interview. “I wanted them all, but I did not want three children at the same time. I thought about all the complications that could occur (with) a triplet pregnancy and I felt extremely scared and confused.”
But all of that started to change as she considered how much she’d enjoyed being a triplet herself. She’d grown up, close to her sisters, and she knew her own children would experience that same unique bond. Still, being one of three same-aged children has its challenges.
“Being triplets was often the best, but sometimes it could get terrible, too. We got compared all the time. We were not called on by our names — just referred to as the Mindas,” she told TODAY. “But most of the time it was amazing. And still is. I have gone through life having two best friends.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that triplet and high order births only occur in about 101 out of every 10,000 live births.
Minda decided to share her experience through Instagram. Every painful, difficult, and scary moment of it.
“The first 20 weeks were really difficult. I was extremely nauseous all the time,” Minda said. “Throughout the entire pregnancy, I struggled with high pulse and difficulty breathing.”
She suffered from a condition known as tachycardia, which causes the heart to beat too quickly. Her doctors recommended removing one of the babies to reduce the strain on her heart, but she and husband Undheim decided against it.
There were also concerns over the growth of the babies.
“Baby A could have more amniotic fluid around him but all seems to be fine with him…Baby B has not grown and the doctor was not satisfied with the blood flow in her umbilical cord…Baby C has not grown either and the blood flow in his umbilical cord wasn’t satisfying,” she’d said on Instagram during her 33rd week of pregnancy. “I was told that I did not need to be worried, but that it was time for a steroid injection which will enhance the babies’ lungs maturity.”
Thankfully, all babies appeared to be fine when they were born via C-section. It was Minda that suffered ill effects from childbirth.
“The days after the delivery were pretty tough, I have been fighting all kinds of viruses (sinus infection, flu, throat infection, cold) but that part is much better by now,” she wrote on social media after the birth. “Two days ago I got worse again and was set on antibiotics immediately due to post-cesarean wound infection. It is terribly painful and gives me fever and makes it hard to move around or even to turn in the bed.”
Now, five months later, both she and the babies are doing just fine. In fact, things seem to be just perfect in Minda’s life.
“The past 5 months have been filled with
Thankfully, her two sisters are helping out with the triplets, perhaps helping to preserve at least a little bit of her sanity.
“Having them by my side has given me courage, helped me through tough periods and made me realize that there is nothing in life I will ever have to face alone,” she wrote. “No matter what life will bring, I will always have two amazing [people] to count on.”
