Surprises are fairly common in the neonatal intensive care unit. But even long-term staff at the NICU at Allegheny Health Network’s West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield haven’t seen the statistical rarity that’s in the unit now: four sets of triplets at one time.
The four sets arrived within a span of a little over two months. The first set came into the world on April 2. Then, three of the sets were born on consecutive days — June 10, 11 and 12.
And the hospital is expecting one more trio to check in.
Hospital spokeswoman Nikki Buccina confirmed that this is the first time in the last decade that Allegheny Health Network has cared for four sets of triplets at the same time.
“One year, I feel like we had several (sets of triplets), but that was seven or eight years ago — but not all in the NICU at one time,” said Dr. Sangeeta R. Bhatia, neonatologist at Allegheny Health Network. “It was throughout the entire year.”
According to the government data website USAFacts, in 1998, around 19 in 10,000 babies born in the U.S. were triplets or higher-order multiples. By 2023, around seven in 10,000 were.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention links the decline in multiple births to changes in the assisted reproductive procedures, including transferring fewer embryos.
There are three types of triplets. Fraternal or non-identical triplets develop when three individual eggs are fertilized by three separate sperm. Identical triplets develop when one fertilized egg divides into three embryos after conception.
The third scenario arises when two individual eggs are fertilized by separate sperm and one of the resulting embryos divides into identical twins while the second embryo develops into a non-identical third baby.
Most triplets are born prematurely, which can mean they have respiratory, feeding or other medical issues. Some need oxygen and others may require a feeding tube or might need surgery.
They must gain weight before they can be discharged from the hospital.
These four sets of babies were born between 24 and 34 weeks.
According to Raising Multiples, a website for parents of multiples, 93.8% of triplets are delivered via cesarean section. There can be close to two dozen medical professionals in the operating room.
“It takes a whole team,” Bhatia said. “Everybody plays a role. Bedside nurses are crucial to the success of the babies because they are there for every feeding. The NICU is just the beginning part of the journey.”
During that journey, medical staff often get to really know the babies and their families, said Dr. Jessica Henry, Allegheny Health Network neonatologist. She said she’s attended first birthday parties and high school graduations, maintaining a relationship for years with the NICU families, who become like family.
Henry said one of the babies she cared for was born at 26 weeks, when she was doing her residency in Arizona. Henry attended the baby’s first birthday party, high school graduation and college graduation. The woman is now an author and Henry purchases her books and gives them as presents.
In the NICU, Henry often suggests that a father place his wedding band on a baby’s arm or leg to show how small the baby was.
“We can remember what bed space some of the babies were in,” Henry said. “That’s pretty neat. We celebrate their successes. It makes my day when I hear good news about the babies.”
Often, the parents and babies return to the developmental clinic at West Penn and that can bring back stressful and challenging moments from those early days.
“Sometimes when they walk across the bridge (from the parking garage) they start crying because they haven’t been back in four months,” Bhatia said. “When we see our (NICU) graduates in the developmental clinic (months after they leave the unit) that to me is a very happy time because you see them at six months to a year and you can see that they’re succeeding in their goals outside the NICU.”
During the long days in the hospital, Bhatia said she suggests parents go for walks outside to get fresh air. She advises parents to go home and rest at night.
They can watch their babies through cameras while at home.
There is a lot to process with a new baby, let alone multiples, Bhatia said. Parents can become overwhelmed. She said she makes sure to keep an eye on the fathers during delivery, too.
“There are a lot of things that go into the parents’ emotional well-being that I don’t think everyone always thinks about,” Bhatia said.
The triplets born to Sydney Barnes, 35, and Grant Barnes, 44, of McDonald, came into the world at 24 weeks and 6 days on April 2. The fraternal siblings are a girl, Junie, and boys Frankie and Teddy. They declined to be interviewed for this story.
‘Worth the wait’
Two of three couples interviewed said they were initially told they were having twins.
Monica Wilden recalled feeling “pure shock” at an appointment where the third baby was seen. She made the doctor call her husband, Matt Wilden, 35, to tell him.
“My husband was speechless and I was in shock,” Monica Wilden said. “And it was even crazier to find out they were all boys because we also have a 7-year-old boy at home.”
Monica Wilden, 37, from Indiana, Pa., delivered triplet boys on June 11 at 33 weeks. Dean was 4 pounds, 5 ounces; Charlie was 4 pounds, 1 ounce; and Griffin was 3 pounds, 12 ounces. Griffin and Charlie are identical.
Their brother Easton checks on the triplets via the NICU camera (children must be 12 or older to visit the NICU).
“Originally, it was shock and a little bit of anxiety, but now I am relieved knowing they are happy and healthy,” said Matt Wilden.
The boys, who were conceived through in vitro fertilization, have “definitely been worth the wait” after years of infertility, said Monica Wilden, who teaches kindergarten at East Pike Elementary School in the Indiana Area School District.
“The boys are thriving,” she said. “They have a lot of hair and are super cute and snuggly and growing every single day.”
Monica Wilden said the nurses, doctors and staff have made the family feel welcome.
“You can tell everyone cares,” she said. “It has been hard, but good. The nurses encourage you to help with everything you can. I’ve been here every day, so it’s just amazing to see the changes. The NICU world is a different world — there are lots of alarms and beeping noises that make you a little hesitant, but the nurses are very reassuring, and it is comforting to know that there are cameras where we can check in on them.”
Easton was double the weight and double the size of the triplets.
“I don’t think I’ve ever held a baby so small,” Monica Wilden said. “That’s been a little bit different, but they all look like (Easton), so that’s crazy too.”
First-time parents
Mallory Quinn, 29, of New Castle, was originally told she was having twins. She said that after she learned she was carrying three babies, she was scared about going back for another ultrasound.
She and her husband, Corrigan “Corri” Quinn, 31, had tried to get pregnant for five years and had done in vitro fertilization in the past. They had a miscarriage before conceiving the triplets naturally.
They are first-time parents to fraternal triplets, one boy and two girls. Caden weighed 2 pounds, 15 ounces; Rory weighed 3 pounds and almost 3 ounces; and Eliana weighed 3 pounds, 2 ounces.
They were born at 31 weeks on June 10.
The triplets are the best Father’s Day gift ever, Corri Quinn said.
“When they are together, they seem to reach for each other,” he said. “I think they missed each other because they were together (in the womb) for so much time.”
On the day the babies were delivered, Mallory Quinn came for a routine appointment. When her blood pressure was found to be high, her doctor decided to proceed with delivery that same day.
“I was just expecting to come in for my appointment and go back to work,” said Mallory Quinn, who works for the Laurel School District as a secretary. “It was all really crazy, but everyone kept me really calm, and it was a good experience.”
And her husband made it in time for the delivery.
“I still don’t believe that I have triplets,” Mallory Quinn said. “It probably won’t hit me that I have three babies until we bring them home.”
A gift from grandma
Julia DeFrancisis, 34, of South Fayette, and her 34-year-old husband Jeff DeFrancisis, wanted a little sister for their 3 ½-year-old son, Luca.
They blessed him with three: Lena, Clara and Mila were born on June 12 at 34 weeks. Lena and Clara are identical. The babies weighed between 5 pounds, 1 ounce, and 5 pounds, 3 ounces at birth.
“I was quite shocked,” Jeff DeFrancisis said. “We were hoping for a girl and we got three girls.”
Julia DeFrancisis said she had kept her suitcase packed and in her car for weeks, in case a doctor’s visit suddenly turned into delivery day. She also credited the ultrasound technician for thoughtfully breaking the news that she was carrying triplets.
“I was by myself and he was like, ‘So I think I’m seeing two,’ and I’m like, OK. And then he’s like, ‘I might be seeing a third one.’ I said, so did you just soft-launch that for me?”
The technician asked if she was a teacher or a therapist. When she said she is a licensed mental health practitioner, he said in this experience, people in those professions stay the calmest.
The babies were conceived naturally with a little bit of divine intervention, Julia DeFrancisis said. Her grandmother had passed away six months before she became pregnant and the couple had talked about wanting another baby.
“And then I get pregnant … with, wow, triplet girls,” said Julia DeFrancisis. “A gift from (my grandmother).”
Their son was 7 pounds, so holding very small babies is a different experience, she said.
She said she’s learned the importance of keeping the babies on a feeding schedule, noting that waking the babies for feedings is a new experience she didn’t face with her older son.
“The nurses and doctors and the staff here give you a lot of confidence in being able to do things and they give you enough independence to care for your children, but they are also right there in case you are unsure,” Julia DeFrancisis said. “We are fortunate enough that they can all be in a little pod together.”
The parents said their homes are ready and lots of relatives and friends are prepared to assist with the three babies.
They realize this is all new and will be an adventure for the couples and their triplets and older children. They are still processing it all, they said.
The dads are all in awe of their wives. Matt Wilden called his wife a rock star. Corri Quinn said his wife is the strongest woman he knows. Jeff DeFrancisis used the word amazing to describe his wife.
The mothers had seen each other in the NICU but hadn’t officially met until June 19. Now, they are members of a special sisterhood.
“I think it’d be nice to keep in touch with them,” Monica Wilden said.