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She always wanted a big family, but three sets of twins within five years was never part of the plan.
The 37-year-old American mother, Kathleen Marie, gave birth to Julia and James (8) in 2015, Mikey and Marie (5) in 2018 and two-year-olds Luke and Leo in 2021.
All three sets, who are fraternal, were conceived naturally.
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The first set was a surprise, she says, and the other two were just a shock.
“The first time we found out we were having twins was very memorable. The ultra-sonographer pulled her wand away and asked if this was our first ultrasound,” Kathleen writes on her blog, Half a dozen twins.
“I thought this was a little strange and hoped everything was okay. She immediately put the wand back on my belly and told us, ‘Congratulations, you’re having twins’.”
She says seeing the note reading “it’s twins” that the technician wrote on the ultrasound print-out was the longest moment of her life.
“Everything slowed down. I started shaking and the first words out of my mouth were, ‘We’re going to need a double-stroller’.”
The second set of twins came along just a few years later.
When Kathleen and her husband, Adam Michael (35), got the news of the third set, Kathleen just couldn’t believe it.
“I thought, this is crazy. I felt so scared about another high-risk double pregnancy and delivery.”
As shocking as the news was, she was happy.
“I rushed into the waiting room, wearing my mask, and shouted, ‘I need you all to know I’m having my third set of twins.’ I saw the nurses’ eyes widen like saucers’”.
Kathleen and Adam have had to make quite a few adjustments to their lives. She admits she’s not a natural planner, but has had to become organised to make sure all the kids get through the daily schedule, especially during the school holidays.
She says she sometimes does four loads of laundry a day and uses a robotic vacuum, which she leaves on when they go to bed.
The family loves going on outings, although it takes a lot of preparation for one their size.
For a recent picnic, they packed 12 sandwiches, a packet of salami, two packets of cheese, a bag of carrots, a family-sized box of crackers and a bag of dried cranberries.
“Eating out is too chaotic and expensive so we tend to take picnics,” Kathleen says.
Adam cooks dinner every night for the family.
“We lean on each other because no one else knows what it’s like to raise three sets of twins,” she says.
And while raising only one set can be overwhelming, Kathleen says getting three times the love and cuddles makes it worth it.
“There are moments when I could laugh or cry and I choose to laugh,” she says.
“I focus on the cute and take things one minute at a time because if I blink, I'm going to miss it. I want to soak it all in. The home will be mess-free in a couple of years.”
SOURCES: INSIDER.COM, HALFADOZENTWINS.COM, THE-SUN.COM
