- Claudia Novek, 30, from Sydney, NSW, always wanted a big family.
- But nothing could have prepared her to have them all at once!
- Now a mum to six girls under five, Claudia wouldn’t have it any other way!
Here Claudia tells her story in her own words.
Strolling around Central Park, New York, on holiday with my hubby Adam, then 26, we daydreamed about our future together.
‘I’d love a big family,’ he said excitedly.
When we married three years earlier, in December 2016, we agreed to wait a while before starting a family.
We wanted to focus on enjoying life together and travelling.
‘I can’t believe it.’
Now in January 2019, the timing felt right to start.
When I missed my cycle back home a month later, my heart already knew what the pregnancy test was about to confirm.
‘We’re pregnant!’ we said in unison, as two little lines showed a positive result.
At my six-week scan, tears streamed down my cheeks when the whoosh of our bub’s heartbeat filled the room.
‘That’s our little one,’ Adam gushed, in awe of the life growing inside me.
At 18 weeks we were overjoyed to learn we were having a little girl, and our parents were delighted to be expecting their first grandchild.
But by 37 weeks my legs were incredibly swollen, and my blood pressure was through the roof, so I went to hospital for a check-up.
Diagnosed with pre-eclampsia – a potentially dangerous pregnancy complication – docs kept me in and told me I wouldn’t be leaving until our baby came.
‘You’re having twins!’
Two days later, in November, I was induced to reduce the risks for me and bub.
Our beautiful daughter Alessia was born weighing 2.9 kilos.
‘Welcome little one,’ I cooed, Adam by my side.
‘I can’t believe it,’ he said, wiping away tears.
While I spent the next two days recovering in hospital, Adam took swiftly to parenthood, changing nappies, swaddling and rocking our bub to sleep.
Once back home, we slowly adjusted to our new life as parents.
While the days and nights were a blur, Adam was my rock.
When Alessia was 18 months old, we decided it was time to add another to our family.
‘We’re going to need a new car.’
Covid restrictions meant I went to my eight-week scan alone, while Adam stayed home with Alessia.
When the sonographer turned to me with grin, I had no idea what was coming.
‘You’re having twins!’ she announced.
‘Two?’ I quizzed, staring at the screen in disbelief.
By the time I arrived home, the shock had worn off.
Adam was over the moon with the news.
‘We’re going to need a new car,’ he laughed.
At 20 weeks, a scan revealed I was carrying two more girls.
‘Don’t be surprised if it’s twins.’
In January 2022, Emmy arrived first, followed by Evie two minutes later.
They both weighed 1.2 kilos. After I had a quick cuddle with the girls, who were six weeks early, doctors whisked them off to the Special Care Nursery.
Ten days later, we took them home to meet their big sister.
‘Babies!’ Alessia beamed excitedly to my mum, Loris, then 66, who’d been looking after her.
With three little girls, our hearts – and hands – were full.
While Evie was a patient bub, Emmy was the opposite – especially at meal times.
Thankfully, Mum was never too far away to help when Adam was at work.
When he was home though, as the bubs grew, he took his job of girl dad very seriously, making indoor cubby houses and taking the kids to the park – he even learned how to plait hair!
‘You’re having triplets!’
It was such a joy watching our daughters grow and play together.
A year and a half later, we talked about adding one more to our family to complete our brood.
Adam agreed and a few months later, we had a positive pregnancy test.
‘Don’t be surprised if it’s twins,’ the doctor said, seeing the soaring level of HCG – a pregnancy hormone – on my blood test results.
‘What’s two more?’ Adam joked. ‘We’ve done it before.’
But nothing could have prepared me for the news at my eight-week scan.
‘You’re having triplets,’ the sonographer said.
‘You’re joking?’ I blurted out in disbelief.
‘You’re joking?’
Back at home, Adam, who was there with the girls, had the same reaction.
‘Three babies!’ he exclaimed, realising we’d forever be outnumbered, even with help!
Around the 20-week mark, doctors confirmed all three bubs were girls.
Like the twins, they were fraternal, meaning multiple eggs had been fertilised.
Alessia, Emmy and Evie were so excited to meet their sisters, rubbing my belly all
the time.
In preparation, we applied to extend our three-bedroom house.
We also upgraded our car to an eight-seater and built flat pack wardrobes and cupboards to store their clothes and toys.
By 16 weeks I struggled to bear the weight of my enormous belly and wore a support band to ease the load. It didn’t provide much relief.
In time, I couldn’t stand or sit comfortably, and woke through the night unable to breathe from the pressure of the growing bubs in my chest.
In July this year, when I was 34 weeks and two days, Adam was by my side as I was wheeled into theatre for a C-section.
We were elated to meet our firstborn Nora, weighing 2 kilos.
Valetta came next at 1.9 kilos, followed by our smallest, Sara, weighing 1.6 kilos.
Back home, settling into parenthood with six girls under five hit hard.
Endless feeding, bottle prepping, sleepless nights and dirty nappies was only the start.
With three hungry babies, we go through around 150 bottles, and up to 210 nappies a week.
Now almost three months old, we couldn’t imagine life without them!
While their personalities are still developing, it’s clear to see that Sara, our littlest, is a real sweetheart.
Nora loves her sleep, while Valetta is a total cuddle bug.
The best big sisters, Alessia, now four, and Emmy and Evie, two, shower the triplets with kisses, and love reading their favourite books together.
We’d always planned on having a big family – we just didn’t expect to have them all at once!
