The last week has been a complete whirlwind since announcing my pregnancy. First off, thank you to everyone who sent emails and Facebook comments. I lost track of the number of prayers said about Mr. Skry and I!
Now onto the fun stuff. I asked people for the best advice you could give me being a first time mom and there were definitely some common themes. A lot of you said patience is the key. Trust my instincts and try to stay calm even though some days may be chaotic (I’m guessing 90% of my days will be chaotic with 3!!!). Another common piece of advice: cherish every moment. Many of my friends with children say time flies by. So I fully plan to keep a baby book, a camera and a video camera nearby…I don’t want to miss out on those special moments! That also includes lots of hugs and kisses, which I’m sure they’ll be sick of by the time they hit their pre-teens. I also want to mention a lady I talked with at the grocery store. She had the cutest advice for me: It’s ok to bribe every so often! I love this one because I remember be bribed when I was little. I remember going to get shots at the doctor and being told I could get a barbie doll if I didn’t cry. You bet I didn’t cry!I have to admit, I thought I would get a few nasty comments mixed in with the well wishes. I have gotten used to the fact that not every viewers is going to like me. I fully expected an email of “I wondered why you were getting fat”. Didn’t happen (woohoo!). And while I did get hundreds of sweet comments, there were a few that had me scratching my head….and I thought I would share them with you.
“Triplets?!? Woah, glad it’s you not me!”
This comment I’ve heard a ton. I have even overheard some coworkers saying, “So glad I’m only having one, not three”. It hurt my feelings the first time, but I know that people mean well by it. Triplets will definitely be a handful, but my husband and I are thrilled. As I’ve mentioned before, we’ve tried for kids for years. If you ask anyone who has struggled getting pregnant, they will tell you a baby is a miracle. I look at it as getting three for the price of one! I know we have an uphill battle with my pregnancy and then having three babies the same age. But, I know we can handle anything, you just have to keep a positive attitude!
“Triplets?!? Are you going back to work??”
This one cracks me up. I have also heard this question a ton. Plain and simple, the answer is YES. I’m having three children, yes that will be a ton of work, but how do you expect me to pay for it? Both Ryan and I have to continue to work in order to support our kids. While many people enjoy being a stay at home mom, I won’t have that flexibility. But the good news, I absolutely love what I do and love working at WAND. I look forward to finding a good balance between work and home….and also look forward to some adult interaction in between the constant diaper changes and feedings.
“Triplets?!? Did you use fertility treatment???”
Boy that’s quite a question to ask a stranger! But, I’ve been very open about my pregnancy, so I didn’t take offense to this one. Last week I mentioned how difficult it was for me to get pregnant, so I was happy when I got emails from viewers sharing their similar stories or asking questions about it. Triplets are a rarity, so it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that people would assume we had help (though twins sure do run in our families!). I was told I had a 10% or less chance of getting pregnant on my own, so you can guess the route we went (wink wink). By the way– next Thursday I’ll be sharing my very personal struggle with infertility. I’ll be writing a blog post that I hope you share with other and will also talk about it on the news.
Bottom line, I’m adjusting to life as a circus act or freak show. Triplets are obviously not very common, so it’s been entertaining to see reactions from people. Are we scared? Sure. The thought of figuring out a feeding and changing routine can be overwhelming. Figuring out how I can work if I end up on bed rest, is definitely scary. But everything works out in the end. We are thrilled to be bringing 3 bundles of joy into this world and are so excited to join the small club of other triplet parents!
This post was originally published on my Skry’s the Limit blog at www.wandtv.com on April 25, 2013