Natural triple pregnancy after premature birth
Having experienced one premature birth when contracting COVID-19, pregnant woman N continues to face a bigger challenge when carrying a natural triplet in 2025.
In May 2023, when pregnant at 32 weeks, pregnant woman N contracted COVID-19 and quickly experienced labor. After a day and two nights of fighting labor pains at the Central Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, she gave birth naturally to a premature baby boy.
That childbirth left a big obsession for the young mother. The history of premature birth always makes her worried if she continues to be pregnant.
By 2025, Ms. N suddenly became a natural triplet. For people who have given birth prematurely, carrying three fetuses at the same time is considered a very high-risk pregnancy, with many potential complications for both mother and child.
Faced with the existing risk, doctors once advised to reduce pregnancy to increase safety opportunities for the remaining fetuses. However, after much consideration, the pregnant woman decided to keep all three children.
From the 9th week of pregnancy, she began to be closely monitored during pregnancy at the Central Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. Doctors performed preventive cervical sutures from the 12th week to reduce the risk of premature birth.
By the 23rd week of pregnancy, many complications began to appear. Examination results showed that she had a short cervix and gestational diabetes. The young mother had to be hospitalized for treatment, blood sugar control and close monitoring.
The condition continued to become more stressful at week 25-28 of pregnancy. After examination at Bach Mai Hospital, the condition of gestational diabetes has not improved, while the cervix continues to shorten.
Fearing the risk of premature birth, doctors injected early lung maturity for three fetuses to prevent babies from having to be born ahead of schedule.
By the 28th week of pregnancy, ultrasound recorded that two out of three fetuses had polyhydramnios, causing increasing pressure on the mother's body. The pregnant woman was almost exhausted both physically and mentally.
On February 22, 2026, when the pregnancy was 29 weeks and 6 days, the pregnant woman suddenly had a high fever of 38.8 degrees Celsius and was being specially monitored. Although the flu test result was negative, the cause of the fever has not yet been determined.
In the early morning of the next day, the fever continued to rise to 39 degrees Celsius and she was transferred to the monitor room to continuously monitor the fetal heartbeat.
At about 6 am on February 23, the pregnant woman experienced severe uterine contractions. The emergency results recorded that the cervix had dilated 3cm, and the preventive sewing thread began to cause damage due to excessive pressure.
Faced with the risk of threatening the lives of both mother and fetus, the medical team quickly activated an emergency treatment plan, preparing for surgery and possible complications.
Immediately after that, the pregnant woman was transferred straight to the operating room to enter a life-and-death battle to keep all four mothers and children safe.
3 surgeries in less than half a month
The pregnant woman gave birth to three premature babies in her 30th week of pregnancy with weights of 1.4kg, 1.4kg and 1.2kg respectively. Immediately after the birth, doctors discovered that the pregnant woman was suspected of acute appendicitis - the cause of her high fever and prolonged abdominal pain before that.
An emergency inter-hospital consultation was immediately launched. Doctors from Viet Duc Friendship Hospital coordinated with the team of the Central Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital to perform the second emergency surgery to regain life for the young mother.
According to the doctor, if the three babies were not born early, her appendicitis could have become more dangerous in the next few days.
After giving birth, the three babies were transferred to the Neonatal Center for intensive care due to premature birth, respiratory failure and risk of infection. Meanwhile, the mother continued post-operative treatment due to prolonged fever for many days.
Thinking she had overcome the danger, a few days after being discharged from the hospital, the mother continued to be hospitalized for emergency treatment due to ovarian and fallopian tube torsion - a dangerous complication that could cause necrosis if not treated promptly. Doctors then performed emergency laparoscopic surgery to preserve the ovaries for the pregnant woman.
Three consecutive surgeries in less than half a month caused the mother's health to decline. However, she still rented a room near the hospital to persistently pump milk to send to her children throughout the treatment period.
After more than two months of special care, the babies gradually recovered. The first two babies were discharged from the hospital on April 24, the youngest - who had the most severe respiratory failure - also returned home on May 4.
The journey of Ms. N and her child is considered a difficult battle for survival, and also shows the timely coordination of doctors and the mother's will in the journey to save the life for the whole family.
