This has begun to sink in

I've lost count on the number of occasions when someone has asked "how does it feel to be expecting triplets" or "how does it feel to have triplets"? Up until now the honest answer has been that we don't know. But I guess this is about to change.

Early on in the pregnancy we thought we knew that we were expecting twins. We had been to two separate ultra sound scans confirming it. At this point I was feeling quite worried of it all. Questions about twins and thoughts about everything that we needed to get one extra off filled my head. I definitely had more worried thoughts than I had positive thoughts in my head these days.

When we in May found out that it was triplets something happened to my thinking. I left many of the thoughts of all the trouble to come behind. I just couldn't imagine how everything would develop and be. Most people we talked with said things like "oh, that will be so tough" but very little was said why and how it would get tougher.

After the weeks passed I still couldn't imagine the trouble to come, but I started to get glimpses of positive things that could come. I got good help here by a colleague of mine who is a triplet. She told me of her time growing up, when she always had two good friends close by and always had someone who could understand how life is. I started to get images in my head of Christmas in 5, 15 and 30 years time; of how many hugs you can get from five kids; how many laughs that will come; how much fun the five siblings will have together; and so on. Another colleague has told me afterwords that she could see in my face that my thinking really had improved.

A very good help in turning the thinking around came through Facebook. There is a network of Swedish triplet parents there, and these lovely people have provided so much positive coaching and real life experience. Thanks guys!

Now when Elin, Oscar and Filip have arrived, they are all doing good, and I now know some of how it is. Tough, yes, but is it so much tougher than having one baby that don't eat enough? Sleepless, yes, but is it so much tougher than having a baby with colic? Some things are off course tripled, like when it comes to changing diapers, but many things can't be tripled. Feeding three babies at the same time just needs a bit of extra imagination and three bottles, it doesn't take three times as long.

And the laughs are definitely more frequent. And so are the smiles. And the photo opportunities are countless.

So, yes, this is getting to me and I realize it is for real. And the pros outweighs the cons already. This will be the trip of a lifetime.

Oscar and Filip are sleeping.

Elin is wide awake.