-first boy delivered in car at Annandale
By Tiffny Rhodius
The act of giving birth is most times described as a miracle. This miracle was experienced three times under extraordinary circumstances by a young mother from Berbice on Tuesday night.
Tricia Persaud, 22, of Woodley Park, West Coast Berbice delivered three identical baby
boys in her family car. One of the boys was born en-route to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) while the other two were born in the hospital’s compound.
Yesterday on her bed in the postnatal ward, a wide smile on her lips she recounted the events of the day leading up to her unusual delivery. She was shortly joined by excited family members including her mother, Sherry Roopnarine, who was with Persaud at the time of delivery. Roopnarine also shared what happened leading up to an event she will forever remember.
Tuesday was “like any normal day” says the self-employed mother who already has a two-year-old daughter. She was at her mother’s place, which is approximately a mile and a half from hers. Persaud said it was around six in the afternoon. She was only seven months pregnant and knew she was gong to have triplets.
“She come to me the afternoon. After she come, me see how every time she go washroom,” Roopnarine remembers. “So me say what wrong? She say ‘nothing.’” Roopnarine says that her daughter visited the washroom five to six times.
As Persaud continued to make regular trips to the washroom, Roopnarine said she went to lie down and complained of tummy pains. “Three times she mek me change the mattress from back bed to the middle,” Roopnarine recalls with a warm smile.
Persaud meanwhile recalled that she was “getting slight pains” and eventually her mother called up her uncle and father and together they left their Berbice home to journey to the hospital. “By the time she father reach, the uncle done put she in the car with she bag and everything,” Roopnarine added.
Together they left. The grandfather was driving, the uncle was in the front seat of the car and Persaud and her mother were in the back. They left home around 7.30 pm. as they passed through Annandale around 9 pm, Persaud’s water broke.
Roopnarine remembered exactly where it happened: “After Annandale where they do the two bridge, couple yards after is where it happen.”
“I didn’t have time to think. Before I could tell my mom my water broke I see a head,” Persaud said.
“After she tell me the water bag break I tell she tek off the underwear and there was the baby. He just slip out so easy,” said Roopnarine.
“I tell grandfather pass the tissue and we clean he up. That was a great experience!” Roopnarine said with reverence.
Persaud said after the baby was cleaned and wrapped up with his umbilical cord still connected, the pain had stopped. All the while her grandfather was still driving to the hospital.
The pain then started again – to attack and ebb, Persaud said. Eventually they reached the hospital. As the car turned into the compound of the maternity ward of the GPH, the second baby decided that he too wanted to join his brother on the outside.
“When we reach in the compound the second one foot come out. Then the nurse came down and help we. Then when he come out the third one come out,” Roopnarine recalled.
“So fast things happen!” the awe-struck grandmother added. Babies and mother were taken upstairs for further care at the neonatal ward following the births.
According a release from the GPHC, the staff could not risk more time in taking the patient to the delivery room. The triplets weigh 900g, 800g and 720g and are currently being incubator-nursed in the Neonatal Unit of the hospital.
“Everybody’s so excited they just can’t wait to get them home,” the glowing mother said. But most excited is the big sister. Oh yes, she’s very excited. She’s making space on the bed for her brothers,” Persaud laughed.
Big sister is currently at home with dad. She has not had the chance to see her little brothers.
While Persaud has not come up with names for her boys as yet, their grandmother jokes that they will probably need name tags to be identified.
And even with all the excitement in the family Persaud admits one thing, “I’ll have a full-time nanny.”
The healthy baby boys will be spending some time in the hospital before they can go home with their family. In the meantime their mother continues to count her blessings as she remains in awe of her children but says that she is prepared.
