Pregnant Mom Of All Boys Wanted A Girl, Then She Got A Huge Surprise At Her Check-Up

The past few weeks at the San Diego hospital had all been in preparation for this moment. And when expectant mom Angie finally delivered a healthy baby girl, there were likely to have been overwhelming feelings of relief and joy in the room. But Angie didn’t have time to rest and spend precious moments with her new daughter. You see, there was more in store, as the medical team attending knew all too well.

Third One On the Way

Before the birth, Angie and her partner Gino had been the doting parents of two little boys. Then, however, the couple discovered that their brood was about to grow once again. Yes, Angie was pregnant – but little did she and Gino know that nature had a surprise in store for them.

Going To Need A Specialist

In the first few weeks, the pregnancy progressed just as doctors might have expected – but that all changed when Angie attended a routine check-up. At that appointment, her doctor Sean Daneshmand told the mom-to-be that she needed some specialist care. In order for her to be monitored, then, she would need to be admitted to hospital.

Safe In The Hospital

Angie’s journey was covered in a video by Sharp HealthCare that was posted to YouTube in 2012. And in the footage, Daneshmand explains why the mother of two had needed further attention, saying, “Unfortunately, at 26 and a half weeks [into the pregnancy], all of a sudden there was a fluid discrepancy... So, that was time to say, ‘Angie, we belong in the hospital now.’”

Triplets On The Way!

Furthermore, Angie’s pregnancy was considered high-risk. Why? Well, she wasn’t expecting just one baby but three. Yes, she was due to give birth to triplets, and with that prospect there were added risk factors that threatened to jeopardize the safety of her unborn infants.

Probably Premature

For instance, multiple pregnancies bring with them a greater chance of premature delivery. According to March of Dimes – a charity that advocates for the wellbeing of mothers and babies alike – in excess of 90 percent of triplets are born before 37 weeks. The average triplet pregnancy, meanwhile, lasts for just 33 weeks.

Dangers Of Being Too Early

And, unfortunately, a baby born before term runs a higher risk of experiencing issues with their health. There’s a likelihood that their vital organs may not be completely developed, for example, or that they may not have the capacity to swallow or suck. A premature child’s immune system may not yet be able to sufficiently respond to infections, either.

Yes, Three

But before Angie and Gino could consider the potential risks that their triplet pregnancy posed, they first had to come to terms with the fact that they were expecting three babies. In the Sharp HealthCare video, Angie admits, “I would wake up in the middle of the night and just kind of shake [Gino] and say, ‘Baby three?’ I mean, really? Three?’”

Keeping Track

The notion that Angie was expecting triplets also seemed difficult for Gino to get his head around. Trying to explain his partner’s pregnancy in the video, he says, “The one that’s by itself is... is it Camilla? Or Daniella?” After a tip-off from Angie, he confirms, “Daniella’s by herself... but I have no clue where she is.”

Dad Knows

Yet Gino shows that he does have some idea where the triplets sit in Angie’s womb. Pointing to each one on camera, he explains, “Daniella’s here… Anabella’s here, and Camilla’s here.” Angie confirms that Gino’s estimations are correct, after which he adds, “I kind of guessed, but I got it.”

Uneven Fluids

However, because two of Angie and Gino’s babies were sharing a placenta, there was a chance that one of them wouldn’t grow as big as the others. And when doctors spotted a fluid discrepancy, they decided that it was therefore time to act. In Sharp Healthcare’s footage, Angie explains of the findings, “[The medical team] saw that the liquid for Baby B was too low and for C was a little high.”

'Right Now Right Now'

As a result, Angie’s doctor had told the expectant mom that it was time for her to be admitted to the hospital. And the news seemingly came as quite a surprise. Revealing what her reaction had been at the time, Angie explains, “I said, ‘Wait! Right now, right now? And [Daneshmand] said, ‘Yeah – right now, right now.”

In Good Hands

So, 27 weeks into her pregnancy, Angie was admitted to the Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns. The healthcare facility claims to deliver a greater number of children than any other in the state, at almost 8,000 infants every year. Naturally, then, staff there are exceptionally skilled at dealing with both pregnant women and their babies.

High Risk Pregnancies

The Sharp Mary Birch Hospital is well-equipped to deal with high-risk pregnancies such as Angie’s, too, with its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) deemed to be a world leader. Angie herself would be taken care of by an expert team of doctors, nurses and specialists during her stay at the facility.

'Anything Could Happen'

And owing to unexpected complications in her pregnancy, Angie would remain in the hospital for several weeks until the birth of her triplets. This meant, of course, that she had to be away from her beloved husband and boys, but all she could do for now was focus on her unborn babies. “Anything could happen between now and my due date,” she explains in the video.

It Isn't Easy

Paying tribute to the sacrifice the mom had made, Daneshmund adds on camera, “Angie spends weeks [at the hospital]. This is not easy. She’s got two kids at home. She’s got a husband at home. She’s got a life at home. But she does everything to make sure that these three babies do well. That’s powerful.”

Stories

But being away from home wasn’t the only hardship that Angie had to contend with while she waited for her babies to arrive. During her time in the hospital, she tells Sharp HealthCare, “We hear a lot of stories… You know, of triplets that don’t make it. Especially the identical twins. The body absorbs one of them.”

Home For Now

And while giving an update in the video, Angie adds, “I was admitted when I was 27 weeks [pregnant], and tomorrow I’ll be 30 weeks.” Still, both she and Gino had seemingly gotten used to the situation. Speaking to Sharp HealthCare, the dad-to-be explains, “The other day, one of the nurses called Angie, and I heard it through the speaker [and said], ‘Are you home?’ It sounded funny, but it is home.”

Dealing With Empathy

Toni Hicks from the Sharp Memorial Hospital’s Perinatal Special Care Unit has also revealed that empathy is key when dealing with women such as Angie. “They’re taken away from everything that’s normal,” she explains in the YouTube clip. “So by telling them, you know, ‘I understand this is really hard for you,’ that’s huge for our patients.”

Date Night

And while the experience had presumably been tough at times for Angie, it seems that her time in the hospital did bring about some unexpected bonuses. In one moment from the Sharp HealthCare video, she’s seen lying in bed with Gino sitting by her side. Laughing, Angie then explains, “It’s our date night that we never get at home.”

Touring The NICU

Meanwhile, to ensure that Angie was as prepared as possible for what would come after the births, the medical team gave the mom a tour of the NICU at the hospital. In the video, social work supervisor Karen Anderson explains to Angie, “Our goal is for you to see a little bit what the NICU looks like, ’cause it’s pretty likely that the triplets are going to end up there.”

Looking At The Course Of Action

Triplets often have to be taken to the NICU as they tend not to be carried to full term. Hicks explains further to Sharp Healthcare, saying, “The risk of having a premature baby is that their lungs are not completely developed [and] they could have brain bleeds.” As a result, it was of the utmost importance that Angie and Gino’s infants were looked after well.

Empowering Mom

So, while seeing incubated babies in the NICU may have been an eye-opening experience for Angie and Gino, it may also have reassured them that their triplets would be in the best possible place to get whatever assistance they would need. In the footage, Angie says of the unit, “I didn’t see it as a sad place; I saw it as a way of empowering me.”

34 Is the Goal

Before the time came for Angie to hand over her babies to the NICU, however, her doctors wanted her to get as far through her pregnancy as possible. That being said, they were still expecting an early birth. Daneshmand reveals in the Sharp HealthCare clip, “Right now, our goal is, alright, 32 weeks, 34 weeks. After 34 weeks, it’s icing on the cake.”

Putting Herself In Her Shoes

For Angie, her time in the hospital was therefore a bit of a waiting game. Luckily, though, she had people around her who understood her situation. It appeared, for instance, that the perinatal special care team’s Denise Frank had empathy for the mom. “I have four children of my own, and I try to put myself in that bed and remember, you know, what was most important to me,” she says in the Sharp HealthCare video.

Baby B

Nonetheless, the doctors were concerned that one of Angie’s babies – Baby B – would be significantly smaller than the other two. In the footage, Daneshmand explains, “Two of the babies are sharing one placenta. So, when that happens, there’s a higher chance of one of the babies not growing very well.”

The Waiting Game

But only time would tell how Angie’s triplets would fare, and until they were born, all doctors could do was take things as they came and hope for the best. And Angie was all too aware of the risks she faced. Talking on camera, she reveals, “We could have contractions that we can’t control. We may do an emergency C-section. For us – we don’t count the weeks here, we count the days.”

Three Little Stars

Angie continued to rack up the days until she was just over 32 weeks into her pregnancy. Then her labor got underway. In the Sharp HealthCare video, she reveals, “I’m four centimeters dilated already, so it’s time.” Proud dad Gino adds, “Three little stars will be born tonight.”

Planning For A C-Section

Then, when it became clear that the triplets were soon to arrive, Angie’s medical team made all the necessary arrangements to give them the best possible start. Daneshmund reveals, “Angie’s babies are going to be born via Cesarean section because of safety concerns.” That way, the doctors would be able to keep the delivery under control.

Delayed Meeting

Angie is understandably excited to meet her girls, saying on camera, “As soon as they’re born, I almost feel like it’s a dream, so I just want to touch them or give them a kiss and make sure they’re okay.” But, unfortunately, the expectant mom wouldn’t get to have those first intimate moments with her new arrivals – not right away, at least.

A Team For Each

Speaking ahead of the triplets’ births, Daneshmund explains, “Each of the babies is going to have their own advanced life support team. As soon as Angie’s babies are delivered, they’re passed through a window. There’s a room adjacent to the operating room where the babies are assessed, helped with breathing, stabilized and then transferred to the NICU.”

Whisked Away

The birth of Angie and Gino’s triplets is captured in the Sharp HealthCare video, and in the footage, you can see the tiny babies being handed over to their specialist care teams as their mother lies helpless on the operating table. At one emotional moment, Angie also sheds a tear as she says of the infants, “I didn’t get to see them.”

Stabilized Breathing

Yet even despite her anguish, Angie knows that her babies are in the best possible hands. And after the triplets arrive, their doctors assess them, help with their breathing and stabilize them. Then, after the newborns have received some assistance in opening up their lungs, they are transported to the NICU.

Taking A Backseat

All the while, Angie and Gino are forced to take a backseat as the team care for their three new daughters, Daniella, Anabella and Camilla. Speaking of the parents’ difficult situation, nurse Alina Harper says in the video, “I really empathize with the parents that have to have their babies and be separated from them.”

Predisposed To Complications

However, that brief separation from their parents is in the triplets’ best interests. Daneshmand explains, “We still have to remember that these babies are still small, and they still are predisposed to other complications and, again, long-term morbidities. But, so far, we’re excited that everything has turned out very well.”

'It Feels So Right'

The video cameras are still rolling, too, as Gino wheels Angie up to the neonatal unit. There, they can meet their babies properly for the very first time. And as she holds one tot close to her chest, the mom simply utters, “It feels so right.” She also wipes a tear from her cheek as she and Gino share in the special moment.

Reunited

Then, with one of her babies still held to her chest, Angie explains what has been going through her mind since the birth. “[I had] only a few hours apart from [the triplets], but I really missed them,” she says. “So, it feels good to be reunited.”

An Intimate Moment

And for staff in the NICU, moments such as these may make their job worthwhile – particularly when they too can get to share in a family’s joy. In the footage, Harper says, “I love to see the initial contact between mommy and baby. I always look for that moment that’s just theirs, that I get to be a part of.”

A Beautiful Feeling

Gino too is happy to meet his triplets properly for the first time. And as he holds his daughter Anabella close, seeing her open her eyes appears to delight him. She looks straight up at her father, creating an instant bond, and when Gino describes his emotions at that moment, he says that it is “beautiful… [a] beautiful feeling.”

Dream Come True

So, thanks to the team at Sharp Memorial Hospital, the triplets have had the best possible start in life. And while Angie’s pregnancy may have been far from straightforward, it seems that it was worth it, as it has produced three cherished daughters. The babies’ doting mother admits, “It’s truly a dream come true to have them come into my life.”