Annwyl, Wales, UK

I breastfed my triplets exclusively! I breastfed my first child so I knew I wanted to breastfeed again. People were skeptical about me breastfeeding triplets, and this drove my determination. My boys were born at 29 weeks plus three days, and it was so important for them to have breast milk!

After having an emergency cesarean birth, I started hand expressing within the first hour. I set an alarm to ensure that I expressed every two hours during the day and every three hours overnight. Seeing my teeny vulnerable babies in their little incubators drove my determination to provide them with my milk.

Being separated from the boys was hard, so having pictures/video links helped while I expressed. I also rotated muslin squares between us so that I could smell them and vice versa. This helped me while I expressed during the night away from my boys, too. Their smell on the swaddles kept me focused!

Twice during our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) journey my boys were split between hospitals over an hour apart! This was the hardest time and meant I was separated from two of my boys for a couple of days. During this time I kept up with expressing and ensured that all three of my boys had enough milk to take with them until we were all reunited.

Looking back, I feel my sheer determination really enabled me to successfully breastfeed my boys. They all mastered breastfeeding and made it home before their expected due date! Not once have they needed donor or formula milk. It required a massive commitment both physically and emotionally, but I am so proud of my achievement!

My boys are now 10 months old and are still breastfeeding.

Editor’s Note: Annwyl shares more of her family’s adventures on Instagram at www.instagram.com/triplets_and_toddler/.