When Bianca Aiono RoƄertson found out she was expecting triplets, she hoped to give birth naturally. That was despite feeling a little terrified about having three kids and coming out of a 43-hour marathon with the first.
Having undergone fertility treatment to have a second birth with her husband and Peter, a multiple birth was always a possibility. However, Sunshine Coast’s mother had only entertained the idea of twins, so she was taken by surprise when she learned triplets were on the way. “(I felt) a mixture of awe and terror, it was surreal,” she said.
Scans confirmed that there were three children, however an early pregnancy test strongly indicated that Bianca would have more than one. “When I took the pregnancy test, it should have come up a week or two pregnant because it was a day before my period was due,” she explained. “It happened two to three weeks almost immediately, instead of the usual three minute wait – the hormone levels were so high. Also, my progesterone had been around 30-40 at that precise moment, and this time it was 106! And, she was so sick, within weeks of getting pregnant.”
With experience delivering triplets, the doctors agreed with Bianca’s plan to deliver her children naturally. And as a wellness coach and former athlete, Bianca was familiar with pushing her body to the limit and the power of maintaining a positive mindset. However, the doctors warned Bianca that she would not be able to carry the little Maverick from her. She was also told that she would be going home and that she needed a full time caregiver. “None of those things happened,” she said. “In some ways it was easier than the first time because my body went from athlete to pregnant to mother of one to mother of four, that was an easier transition.”
Bianca says that her experience as an athlete and wellness coach helped her avoid pregnancy, to a degree. “I have a very high threshold of resistance and I am resistant to the point of being shocked and a little unreal,” she said. “It helped me in that sense, but it also meant that my expectations were a bit high. For example, he still thought that she looked like she was pregnant with one, even though others thought it was huge! I was able to tolerate it until I realized how heavy I was really carrying and then it took my breath away. Mindset plays a huge role in staying positive and navigating through all the obstacles, so that helped a lot.”
Bianca gave birth to her three children, all vaginally as planned, on August 21 last year at 34 weeks. Indiana Leilani, Dakota Mereana and Hendrix Sione were born within 25 minutes, weighing 2.19kg, 2.95kg and 2.2kg. Indiana came headfirst, Dakota was a breech and Hendrix was a standing draw.
Bianca said that the laƄor, which lasted nine hours, was actually easier than she had anticipated. “I received an epidural from the time my water was removed so they could manually rotate my legs if necessary,” Bianca explained. “The hardest part was the induction with a balloon catheter; I had to step on the gas for that. In fact, I expected it to be much more difficult, but the vaginas were smaller, it was my second time and this time I had an early epidural.
Bianca said it was an amazing experience. “I guess I was in work mode too, so I didn’t relax or enjoy the moment too much. I only had quite a few seconds with my daughters for the first 24 hours and then I was able to hold them the next day,” she said. “It was a complete turnaround: not having two girls at once, talking to my son, and then realizing that just because I had been skin-to-skin with these girls, I still had to take care of another one who hadn’t had her mᴜmmу still, that was packed!
Two and a half weeks passed before the triplets went home with Bianca, Peter, and their older brother Maverick. With four children under the age of four, adjusting to a routine was difficult. “You just have to be flexible and instinctive,” Bianca said. “It’s hard because it’s so much fun to rest, it’s like they’re on a string and one wakes up as soon as the other goes to sleep, and that happens all day.”
Bianca said the relentlessness and strain of caring for three little mothers (and one toddler), and being logistically unable to breastfeed them all like she did the first time, has recently passed. However, she loves all the hugs, kisses and smiles from her three children and she says it’s best to know how much more joy is to come.