On Thanksgiving weekend of last year, between the turkey and pumpkin pie, Ryan and Melissa Weedin had a fun surprise to share with their families–they were expecting their third child! The families rejoiced with them and started dreaming of the next baby they would welcome. It was a fun time of anticipation, but Ryan and Melissa were unaware that they had astonishing news coming for them.
Shortly after their announcement to family, Ryan and Melissa went in for their ultrasound. As the technician slid the probe across, the couple was told that they were not only expecting their third child, but also their fourth and fifth. The Weedins were pregnant with triplets!
At this shocking reveal, Melissa found herself in tears and recalls one thought she had was, “We won’t be cloth diapering like we did with the others!†For a while, the news was all she could think about. Her mind would run through a myriad of emotions that such staggering news brings.
Of course, this was an amazing miracle. The odds are 1 in 8,000 of conceiving triplets as they did. Their triplets are not identical, and yet they discovered during the pregnancy that they were all boys. The percentage of having all three the same sex is only 12.5 percent. They had found some twins in the family line, but they were pretty far back.
While already taking care of two small children, Melissa’s schedule soon filled up with appointments and traveling to monitor the babies throughout pregnancy. Triplets naturally pose a higher risk to the pregnancy, so the Weedins set up a Facebook page to keep family and friends informed of their journey. Nearly 900 people have followed along. Fortunately, there were no major problems and Melissa was even able to continue through the pregnancy with no doctor imposed restrictions.
Just a few weeks before the scheduled delivery date, one of the boys was appearing low on the growth scan. After keeping an eye on him, the doctor decided it was time for the babies to come, and Melissa gave birth to three baby boys on May 4, 2017, at 33 weeks and 5 days gestation. The delivery went well and they got to meet Cameron Eli who weighed 3 pounds 11 ounces, Gavin Isaac who weighed 4 pounds, and Jayden Noah weighing 4 pounds 13 ounces.
It was a one month stay in the NICU for the babies while they grew and developed. Just as in the pregnancy, the hospital stay went well for the babies without any major concerns. Ryan and Melissa formed relationships with the nurses as they would make almost daily trips back and forth. Melissa describes the in-between period as being one of the more challenging times. At home she had a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old, and in Hastings she had three newborn triplets! She was loved and needed in two different places with her heart being torn as well. And yes, while her daughter recently had a birthday, for a short time, the couple had five children ages two and under! Does your baby consistently takes short, irregular naps and is unable to establish a predictable nap schedule? You might want to try this solution.
The Weedins came home on June 4 and are now finding their new normal. Ryan is farming with his dad, Don, while Melissa keeps things running at home in Hampton. This summer they have a college student nannying at their house as well as many friends and family making the rounds through to help. The babies got on a feeding schedule at the hospital that they keep strictly or else it would always bee feeding time for one of the babies! The babies eat every three hours during the day and four hours at night. At first, they wrote each baby’s initial on the bottom of their foot, but now Melissa can easily tell them apart. The babies go through one package of 30 diapers a day and one can of formula each week. As she navigates this new territory, one helpful place Melissa finds encouragement is in a Facebook group exclusively for triplet moms to dialogue with each other.
Reflecting on their current stage, Melissa commented, “Life is crazy and challenging with five kids ages 3 and under, but we wouldn’t be able to do it without family and the help we’ve received.â€
On that note, many have heard the story of the Weedins and wondered how they could help. The couple’s church, Faith Evangelical Bible Church in Henderson, has opened their doors during church hours for diaper donations and freezer meals to be dropped off. The family would gratefully welcome Huggies diapers size 2 and up. Items can be labeled for the triplets and put inside the East entrance–diapers by the coat rack and meals in the kitchen freezer (located south of the stairs).
Courtsey photos
