Every couple wishes to have children and raise them together. And no matter how many times you have undergone pregnancy, each experience is unique in itself. You may prepare yourself for a baby but still you can never be prepared enough for its unexpected twists and turns. An Australian couple Chloe and Rohan Dunstan experienced something similar when they were expecting their baby and went for their first ultrasound. The ultrasound surprised them as it showed that they were expecting not one baby but three babies! But besides revealing the good news doctors revealed something to them that led them to a dilemma. The doctors presented the Dunstan couple with an unimaginable decision that would turn their life forever. Continue to read to find out what happened during their visit to the doctor.
Chloe And Ro
Chloe and Rohan (Ro) Dunstan were a young couple residing in Perth, Australia. When Chloe turned 22 and Ro was 26, they had been together for eight years and married for three. The couple had three children who were all boys and below three years. The eldest one was Evan who was three, Otto was two, and Felix was one. The Dunstans always wished to have a big family, hence, they decided that they wanted to expand their family from five to six. Even though the decision was not tough for the family, but they had no clue that God had blessed them manifold.
Number Four
Chloe was a homemaker who stayed home and took care of kids and Ro was a baker. They both wanted to give a try to conceive another baby. Finally, they were financially stable enough to raise their family and wanted to share their love with one more baby. They had immense love for their three young boys but still felt like four was their “magic number.” As they already had three sons, they hoped their fourth child would be a daughter. But destiny had different twists for the Dunstan family.
Expecting Another Baby
A little later, the family finally got the good news that they were expecting another baby. The family was extremely happy to receive the news. No matter how many pregnancies a woman goes through, every pregnancy holds its excitement for her. Dunstan family could not hold themselves back to share the news with their friends and family. But among all the excitement, shocking news awaited them during the first ultrasound that would turn their lives forever. What happened next was beyond the wildest imagination of Chloe and Ro.
Six Weeks Pregnant
When Chloe was six weeks pregnant it was time for the Dunstans to get the first glance at the image of their baby. But when they went for the ultrasound, they saw not one, but two babies. The ultrasound tech told Chloe, “Okay so what I see is a baby over here and a baby over here.” In her response, Chloe started crying and shaking and said, “You mean like twins??" And before Chloe could ingest the news, the ultrasound tech broke the news that filled her with both excitement and fear.
Not Twins But Triplets
Before the parents could process the news of the twins, the ultrasound tech revealed a bigger and more exciting news with them. The tech said, "and there's another one here" Chloe and Ro were delighted with the news that they were expecting not one but three babies. But Chloe’s excitement was soon replaced with fear and she asked the tech, "That's it, right? There's no more?" The news of triplets shocked Chloe to the point that she was in tears and they were not the tears of happiness.
Experiencing Mixed Emotions
Ro and Chloe were experiencing mixed emotions. They both were overwhelmed with feelings of joy and fear with happiness. Upon hearing the news, Chloe was shaking and Ro was speechless. While they were excited to welcome the babies into the family, they were familiar with the complications and risks of multiple pregnancies including the risk of premature birth. The due date of delivery was September 22, 2015, but there were chances of premature birth. As Chloe and Ro had an idea that there were chances of complications, they were reluctant to celebrate. And there were still revelations to be made to them during the pregnancy.
Breaking News To Family And Friends
The expecting parents could not hold themselves back from sharing the news with their friends and family so they took some help from their three boys who made the announcement. Evan, Otto, and Felix posed with three baby dolls for an Instagram announcement post that read, “lots of chaos and lots of trouble all the fun is about to double. We are expecting not one, not two … but three little babies to join our crew!” While the Dunstans could not wait to make the big revelation about the triplets to their loved ones, difficult news was on their way.
Gender Of The Babies
After a few weeks, the moment had finally come when Dunstans were about to find out the gender of their babies. They could not wait to know if their dream of having a girl would come true or not. During their ultrasound, the family found out that their dream of a girl would come true as out of the triplets two were boys and one was a girl. While the Dunstans were overjoyed on the magnificent news because they were about to welcome triplets, they were still stressed.
Preparing For Triplets
For the next few months, the parents started preparing to expand their family of five into a family of eight members. Chloe started shopping for stuff for the babies including onesies, drinking bottles, pants, shirts, and hats. She even bought a home heartbeat monitor to hear the babies’ heartbeat. And she used to feel relaxed every time she found all three heartbeats at once. While the family was ingesting the news of having triplets, they would not have imagined the news that was coming their way in the second trimester scan.
Babies’ Growth
After a few months, Chloe and Ro went for a second-trimester 3D scan. The couple was both concerned and hopeful but they were not at all prepared for the news that their doctors broke to them that day. The shocking news was that the little girl was in danger. The scan revealed that the one boy was the biggest, measuring in the 80th percentile and his brother was just above the 50th percentile which were great measurements for triplets. Sadly, the girl was tiny, measuring in the 10th percentile which was a few weeks behind where she should be. At this point, the doctors presented an option to the couple that no parent should ever have to make.
Handling Complications
As their little girl was not developing as she should, the doctor was concerned and told her about a heartbreaking possibility that her daughter would not make it. She was not getting the oxygen and nutrients which were essential to her survival in the womb. The doctor presented the expecting couple with an option of either continuing the pregnancy and risk losing their little girl or delivering all of the babies early and risk their lives.
The Unbelievable Choice
Coming up with a solution they can live with was an overwhelming decision for the couple. Even though the couple had two healthy baby boys who would benefit from staying in the womb for a few more months, their sister was not making it, and staying a few months longer was not an option left for her. But even the thought of letting the little girl go sent shivers down Chloe’s spine.
Taking The Hardest Decision
The time had come for the family to make a choice of either delivering or carrying the babies to term. Knowing that the only way they could save the life of their baby girl was to deliver the three babies prematurely, Chloe decided to take the hardest decision. In an interview Chloe said, “I will live with guilt for the rest of my life for being responsible for giving them a disadvantaged start at life—but I feel the guilt and sadness of letting her go would have been much greater … I just feel like she deserved a chance.” She further added, “This was the easiest and yet the hardest decision I've ever made.” But would the family regret their decision when the due date came closer?
Not Agreeing With Doctor’s Choice
Although it was not tough for the Dunstans to take the decision of delivering early, however, the baby girl who they named Pearl was still not doing well. Her growth was still restricted and her umbilical cord was not working as it should have been. The family was still struggling with the possibility of her not surviving. When the pregnancy reached 28 weeks, the doctor was not ready to deliver and wanted to put it off for another day or two. Even though Chloe respected the doctor’s choice and opinion, still she was not willing to risk her daughter’s life and decided to take her stand and her daughter’s by requesting that the babies come out immediately. After a long conversation between Chloe and her doctor, the doctor agreed to deliver the babies on the same date, even though she did not agree with Chloe’s choice.
Welcoming Triplets Into The World
Gratefully, Chloe’s decision to deliver the triplets early and go against the doctor’s choice paid off. On July 3, 2015, at just 28 weeks, the Dunstans welcomed their triplets into the world. Henry Magnus was the largest at just over 3 pounds, Rufus Murphy came in at 2 pounds 6 ounces, and Pearl was just 1 pound 5 ounces. Their family had now expanded from five to eight and even though they had health issues, Pearl’s health was most critical.
Critical Health Concerns
As the triplets were delivered prematurely, all the three babies were in need of blood transfusions but Pearl had the hardest time. The little angel had a PDA in her heart, pulmonary hemorrhage, a minor brain bleed, metabolic bone disease, and she was fighting an infection. She was facing problem in digesting milk as a result of which she had to be taken off feeds a few times. However, the major issue was in her liver and she was suffering from jaundice. She was even put on a ventilator in the initial days after her birth. Even though Pearl was out of her mother’s womb but still she was fighting for her life. The family was still in doubt if their daughter would be able to survive.
Born A Warrior
Fortunately, the PDA closed up on its own after Pearl was treated with medication for it and she did not need surgery. The infection too started clearing itself after antibiotics. The latest scan of her liver revealed that everything was getting better for her. Because Pearl was very small when she was born, her organs were underdeveloped and she was going through many potential problems. But the tiny baby was a warrior since birth and she was not willing to give up easily. Things finally started to get better for the little girl.
Staying in NICU
As the babies were delivered prematurely at just 28 weeks, they had to stay in the NICU until they were healthy enough to be taken home. The Dunstans couple could not wait to take their new babies home, but they had to take for a few more weeks before they could take them home to their three young boys. The Dunstans felt disheartened to not take the babies home, specifically because Pearl’s health was still not well.
Managing Time
Leaving the babies at the hospital was a tough decision for the couple. For the next few months, they had to manage their time between visiting their babies in the hospital and staying home with their other three children. On many occasions, they would visit the hospital separately to make sure their young children were not alone at home. The parents were struggling with the pressure of being present at two places at one time. In an interview Chloe said, “I think emotionally being pulled between home and the hospital is what's hardest of all. I feel like we aren't with the babies enough but I feel like we aren't with our boys enough.” She further added, “I just can't wait until they're all together with us at home.”
Welcoming Baby Boys Into Home
After spending nine weeks in the hospital which seemed like forever to the Dunstans, the moment had finally arrived when they could take their baby boys, Henry and Rufus, home. But the homecoming was still not complete because they still could not take their baby girl, Pearl home as she was in NICU. It was tough for the parents to leave their daughter at the hospital but they knew she had to be bigger and stronger before she could be taken home. Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait much longer before their whole family could be united.
Family’s Reunion
After spending 11 weeks at the hospital, Pearl was finally healthy enough to be taken home and reunited with the rest of her siblings. The family was thrilled to carry their baby girl to their home who was finally healthy. Pearl was a miracle baby who managed to defy all the odds. On her homecoming Chloe took it to Instagram and wrote, “Today is the best day … The day our family is finally complete. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives as a family of EIGHT! We are so happy and so blessed!!!” After being born on July 3, 2015, the triplets were finally reuniting on September 18, 2015 after over 3 months. And the miracle has not ended yet.
Finally Home
The special fact about these babies were that all the babies were home before September 22, 2015 which was their original due date. The triplets were finally healthy enough to leave the hospital and be by themselves. The couple always had hoped that Henry and Rufus would be home before due date but they thought that Pearl would be staying in the hospital for a bit longer. Pearl who was way smaller than her brothers was finally sleeping next to them, and the triplet’s older brothers could not wait to bond with their siblings.
Bonding Among Siblings
Triplets were now finally home and luckily had no health concerns but Pearl was still on medications which mostly included extra vitamins to maintain her health. Chloe and Ro were always occupied in feeding, changing, and putting babies to sleep. Besides, they had their elder three sons as well to take care of. Fortunately for them their elder boys loved feeding and holding their little siblings. The three boys in that way were a helping hand to their parents.
Viral All Over Social Media
Chloe recorded her whole journey throughout pregnancy and childbirth and posted it all on social media. From the first ultrasound to finding out Pearl was underdeveloped to delivering babies to finally welcoming them home, Chloe let the whole world into her journey. In the present day, the family’s Facebook page titled Chloe and beans has more than 50,000 likes and Chloe’s Instagram with the name Chloeandbeans has 415,000 followers. The family even started a YouTube page with the name Life and Beans that they joined in March 2016, which has about 250,000 subscribers. Besides sharing with the world the struggles of multiple pregnancies, the Dunstans didn’t hesitate to ask for help along the way.
Seeking Help
When Chloe and Ro planned another baby, they had not imagined that they will have three. While Chloe and Ro financially prepared themselves for four children, six came out to be a surprise for them. So, they asked for help. With the help of some friends, they developed a fundraising page called Chloe & Ro’s Journey To A Whole Lotta Love on Indiegogo to help them better take on the financial responsibility of adding three more members to the family. They even connected to some donors by sharing their story with them. To sum it up they raised $6,030 and used the amount to buy essentials for their newborns like childcare, car seats, cots, blankets, bottles, wipes, and diapers.
Accepting Support Of Others
There is no denying the fact that asking for support and help from others takes courage and strength but sometimes it can make all the difference. In the case of Dunstans, they did not take the generosity they received from others for granted, even if it took some time for them to realize that there is nothing wrong with asking for help. In an interview, Chloe said, “It's taken some time to learn that accepting help is nothing to be ashamed of and we are really very grateful for everything we've received, and the emotional support has been amazingly overwhelming and wonderful,” “Every day I'm amazed by how kind and generous and caring people can be, even people that have never met you. It's really just so beautiful.” She continued. They had one more blessing coming their way.
Expanding Family Again
The triplets grew up to be happy and healthy children and in May 2020, Chloe announced that she was expecting again and this time she was pregnant with twins. Henry, Rufus, and Pearl were going to be elder siblings now. In July 2020, triplets celebrated their fifth birthday and on Oct 28,2020, the family of 8 welcomed their twins to finally become a family of 10. Cosmo Wilfred had a bodyweight of 6 pounds 6 ounces and Sylvie weighed 5 pounds 1 ounce at the time of birth. Now, Pearl was no longer the only girl child in the family.
The Repercussions Of Their Decision
The Dunstans were presented with a choice of either delivering early or to take a risk and continue with the pregnancy and they went with the former option of delivering prematurely. But do they have any regrets about the decisions they made? Chloe in an interview revealed, “I feel guilty for having the boys delivered when they were growing so well in the womb. But Pearl would have died if we didn't deliver early, so I will never regret that,” “I do remember briefly considering the alternative of letting her go so her brothers could continue to grow strong and healthy and have the best start in life, but now that she's here, my heart hurts at the thought of not having her in our lives.” She further added.
Upbeat Ending
It is incredibly overwhelming to see the love in the Dunstan family and to hear about triplets who were strong enough to defy all odds and finally grew up to be healthy children. Even though it was Ro and Chloe’s decision to deliver the babies early, we can’t deny that the doctors and nurses fought really hard for the birth of the triplets. They gave them extensive care which helped the parents throughout their journey. The parents portrayed a lot of faith and determination on their part too. This uplifting story and its upbeat ending would not have been possible without the collaborative effort of so many people.
