- When Mandi Oldani fell pregnant with twins, she felt twice blessed
- But when she fell pregnant with triplets soon after, she couldn’t believe her chances
- Now a mum to five little ones, Mandi’s hands and heart are full
Here Mandi tells her story in her own words.
Clinking our glasses of lemonade, my husband, Danny, then 27, and I were celebrating our first year of marriage.
‘Our first and last anniversary with just us two,’ I smiled.
It was July 2019 and we were over the moon to be expecting our first child.
But during our nine-week scan, we were in for a shock when the sonographer pointed out two sacs.
‘There’s two babies!’ she beamed.
‘There’s two babies.’
As they each had their own placentas, it meant they were likely fraternal.
We were speechless.
At 16 weeks, we were overjoyed to discover we were expecting two boys.
Elated, I got into nesting mode. I also upgraded my little hatchback to an eight-seater vehicle.
As my belly grew, so too did my excitement about meeting our sons.
Although I’d had a smooth pregnancy, in January 2020, at 34 weeks, I was admitted to hospital due to high blood pressure.
READ MORE: ‘I had identical triplets: ‘We change 126 nappies a week!’’
Diagnosed with pre-eclampsia – a potentially dangerous pregnancy complication – I was kept in overnight for monitoring.
By morning, my levels weren’t any better so I was wheeled in for an emergency caesarean to reduce the risk of reduced blood flow to the boys.
With Danny by my side, I felt a rush of love as our first baby, Beckett, was born, weighing 2.09 kilos.
His brother Benson arrived seconds later weighing 2.35 kilos.
After I had a quick peek over the blue curtain, the bubs were taken to the NICU for monitoring. Danny went with the boys while I was stitched up.
Taking my vitals, doctors discovered I had postpartum pre-eclampsia, meaning I had high blood pressure and excess protein in my urine.
‘Welcome to the world, little ones.’
So they gave me a magnesium infusion to bring my levels back under control.
The following day, I was wheeled down to NICU to meet the boys.
‘Welcome to the world, little ones,’ I said, as Danny placed both our beautiful boys on my chest.
Born happy and healthy, our twins still needed 11 days in the NICU before being discharged.
Once back home, we slowly adjusted to our new life as a family of four.
While Beckett was often unsettled, Benson was the opposite, feeding well and sleeping through the night.
READ MORE: ‘I had identical triplets: ‘We go through 126 bottles a week!’’
As Danny had to return straight back to work, our parents were never too far away lending a hand with bottle feeds and nappy changes.
When the boys were two years old, we felt ready to try for a third baby.
Falling pregnant a few months later, I felt so blessed.
But nothing could have prepared me for the news at my eight-week scan.
‘You’re having triplets,’ the sonographer said.
‘You’re having triplets.’
‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ I laughed nervously, while Danny, who was sitting next to me, went dead silent.
It meant we would have five kids under three!
Since multiples didn’t run in my family, the sonographer deduced I must have hyperovulation – meaning I released more than one egg per cycle.
In this case, since all the babies had separate sacs, it seemed that I’d released three separate eggs which had all been fertilised.
This time around I suffered severe morning sickness, but Becket and Benson, who were ecstatic to become big brothers, were there to comfort me.
‘Mummy’s always sick,’ they said, rubbing my growing belly.
At 20 weeks, we learned I was carrying two more boys, and one precious little girl.
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By now, the shock of being well and truly outnumbered had worn off, and we got to work converting the front room of our bottom floor into a nursery for the triplets.
In September 2022, when I was 34 weeks and two days, Danny was by my side as I was wheeled into theatre for my scheduled caesarean.
My heart burst with happiness when the first boy, Bayler, was born weighing 2.18 kilos.
Our princess Kole came next at 2.09 kilos, followed by our smallest, Boston, weighing 2.06 kilos.
Kole was able to come home at 14 days, Bayler at 16 and Boston at 30.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
Back at home, now as a family of seven, it took some time to settle into our routine of endless feeds, nappy changes and laundry loads.
Danny and I made the perfect team, and it was all hands on deck for feeding, nappy changes, bath time and cuddles.
And when Danny went back to work, our parents and friends were quick to pitch in and help.
Toddlers Beckett and Benson loved our newest arrivals, holding their hands, cuddling up on the couch and bringing them their favourite toys.
In one week, we’d go through 210 nappies, 168 bottles and do seven loads of laundry!
But seeing our brood learn to laugh and grow together made it all worthwhile.
While they do look alike, it’s amazing to see each child’s unique personality shining through.
Beckett, now six, is our rule follower, while Benson is more of a joker.
Bayler, three, is our goofy boy and Boston is a real cuddle bug.
Kole is the ‘mum’ of the pack and loves to dote on her brothers.
Whenever I’m out and about with the kids, I often get stopped.
‘That’s a lot of little ones,’ people comment.
With five sweet kids to look after and love, our hearts – and hands – are certainly full, but we wouldn’t have our life any other way!
