Travis, Grayson and Max were very unwell after being born (Picture: Collect)

An emotional mum of triplets has told how she believes in miracles after her three baby boys beat the odds to celebrate their first birthday.  

When Kirsty Dow, 33 from East Lothian, Scotland gave birth, she thought it would be the most wonderful day of her life. But minutes after being born both she and her triplet boys – Grayson, Travis and Max – were fighting for their lives. 

‘I’m an emotional wreck – I can’t believe how far we’ve all come – and that we all are all here celebrating their first birthday,’ Kirsty told Metro.co.uk.

‘I’m so thankful – we are really lucky to be alive.’ 

Kirsty, who is married to Darren 37, learnt she was pregnant with spontaneous triplets at her 13 week scan.  

‘I had a hunch I might be having twins – like my brother – but it was such a shock when the sonographer said: “There’s three babies!”. I just kept saying, “There’s not! There’s not!”

Kirsty and Darren with their sons in hospital (Picture: Collect)

Baby Max needed even more care than his brothers (Picture: Collect)

‘I was scared, thinking, how will I look after three?’

Kirsty had a smooth pregnancy, but gave birth via caesarean section at 32 weeks after scans revealed Max was not growing properly. Her adorable triplets, Grayson, Max and Travis were born within five minutes of each other.

But immediately after their birth, the boys were rushed to ICU with breathing difficulties. Shockingly, they were followed by their mum, who had suffered massive blood loss, heart problems and was unable to breathe as her lungs filled with fluid. 

Kirsty explains: ‘The boys all came out crying, which was the most amazing feeling, but they needed oxygen to help them breathe. Then all of a sudden I couldn’t breathe.

‘The room was spinning and I couldn’t see or hear properly – I was pretty out of it and woke up in intensive care with photos of the babies next to me.’ 

In order to stop her blood loss during birth, Kirsty had been pumped with fluid – which entered her lungs and left her struggling to breathe. At the same time her heart was dilating. 

The boys had breathing difficulties at birth (Picture: Collect)

‘We knew having triplets was going to change our lives but we could never have anticipated everything we would face,’ says Kirsty. 

Kirsty spent a night in intensive care where she had multiple heart scans before it was concluded that her symptoms were due to the strain of the triplet pregnancy.

She also learnt her blood pressure was high because she had undetected preeclampsia – a condition which can be fatal to both mothers and babies. 

In addition, she was told that identical twins Travis and Max had Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome – a serious condition resulting in the transfusion of blood from one twin (the donor) to the other (the recipient) in the womb. Travis was bright pink while Max was very pale and both needed blood transfusions. 

‘The early days in NICU were terrifying,’ says Kirsty. ‘We had to take it hour by hour. One minute they would be fine and the next alarms going off. We were so grateful for each day they made it.’ 

Kirsty had to wait several days before she could hold her boys. ‘Having the first cuddle felt absolutely amazing – the best thing ever.

Kirsty says her children have made her believe in miracles (Picture: Collect)

‘But I felt scared to hold them – especially Max – I’ve never seen a baby so tiny and there were so many monitors and wires everywhere.  

‘I was worried they wouldn’t know I was their mum.’ 

Neonatal staff gave Kirsty and the triplets fabric squares so they should smell each other’s scent, and put together a box containing the babies’ hospital wrist bands, tiny cpap masks and footprints.  

While Travis and Grayson started to turn a corner, Max developed e-coli and sepsis before he was even a week old. ‘One minute he was fine, the next I learnt he was bleeding into his lungs,’ says Kirsty. ‘The doctor said: “Call your husband, we don’t know if Max is going to make it.” 

‘I’m so in love with them and feel so lucky,’ says Kirsty.

‘I will never forget that day. There were so many doctors and nurses, and it was terrifying watching him go on a ventilator. All I could do was keep holding his hand, I felt helpless.’ 

Travis and Grayson were also treated for sepsis but were able to go home after a month. Max needed multiple blood transfusions and hernia operations, and remained in hospital for another seven weeks. 

‘The hardest thing was walking out the door and not having Max with me,’ said Kirsty. ‘It was really hard caring for two at home while going back and forth to the hospital. I felt so far away from Max and guilty all the time. 

‘We were elated when we could finally all be together.’ 

All three boys are now back at home. They have individual personalities and are at different stages of development. 

Kirsty and Darren are thrilled to be celebrating with the boys at home (Picture: Collect)

‘Travis is the loudest – the boss – if he wants something you know about it,’ says Kirsty.

‘He has a very distinctive, high pitched scream and is trying to walk. Grayson is ultra chilled and smiley and loves babbling and watching his brothers. He has a genetic condition affecting his heart and development, but is doing really well. Max is a real giggler. He amazes me everyday with everything he’s overcome in his life and he has the best laugh I’ve ever heard.

‘Max is deaf and looks so cute wearing his hearing aids. He has started physiotherapy and Darren and I are about to learn sign language.  

‘They are all so funny and make me laugh so much. I am so in love with them and feel so lucky.’ 

The triplets had two birthday parties with family and friends and a visit to soft play to mark their milestone birthday.  

Twins Trust is the only UK-wide charity dedicated to improving the lives and wellbeing of families with twins, triplets or more. 

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Minutes after birth, they were fighting for their lives.