Skip to content

Triple the risk, and the reward

First triplets born to Prince Rupert family in 25 years
web1_PR.TripletHaldaneFamily.SL
Contributed/ The Northern View Parents Robert Cooper, Charlene Haldane and grandmother Cecily Moore with triplets, Noel, Jennifer and Sebastian.

For the first time in 25 years a set of triplets was born from Prince Rupert.

The longest serving physician and specialist in the city, Dr. Marius Pienaar, is in his 25th year as an obstetrician-gynecologist and he has delivered many twins, but he’s never seen triplets until now.

The likelihood of having triplets, without fertility treatment, is one in every 6,400 births. With fertility treatments, the risk of having triplets and quadruplets increases 400 times.

“Triplets are a complication. It’s always wonderful when you see the three happy babies and it’s a success story. But generally there’s a lot of dread when you diagnose because of the risk,” Dr. Pienaar said. “The biggest complication of triplets is prematurity. They are generally born 30-32 weeks, not an age we prefer to have babies here because we don’t have the pediatric neonatal care.”

That’s why he sent the Cooper-Haldane family down to Vancouver at 24 weeks to await delivery there. Charlene Haldane went down to Vancouver with her mother Cecily Moore on Feb. 14. Her partner, Robert Cooper joined them on April 4 and a day later Charlene delivered the triplets by cesarean.

Noel was born at 1.8 kg, Jennifer was 1.3 kg and Sebastian was born at 1.4 kg.

For the first few weeks, the babies were kept in an incubator in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). They babies are still in the NICU but out of the incubator, and they’re steadily gaining weight.

“With the babies, it’s like a triangle and all sides have to be balanced. They have to maintain their own heat, and feed from mom but now they’re hooked up to little machines to monitor their vital signs and that has to stay steady. Those are the three main triangles that have to jive,” Cooper said.

For 10 years, the couple tried to have children before they leaned on fertility treatments. Haldane was shocked when she found out she was pregnant with triplets.

“I was shocked and stunned for an hour, then I got excited and happy,” she said. “Dr. Pienaar said they don’t have the equipment and care for the babies at the Prince Rupert hospital so they wanted me to come here.”

The past couple of months have seemed long for Haldane but she’s grateful that her mother was by her side the whole time.

The family is still at the Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver until the triplets are strong enough. When they finally do return, they’re sure they’ll have lots of visitors from their extended family.