When one twin or one or two babies from a set of triplets dies after birth, it's a traumatic and heartbreaking experience.
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There are several reasons why this may happen including:
- Prematurity: Premature birth, especially extremely premature birth, increases the risk of complications for twin and triplet babies. Premature babies are vulnerable to health issues due to immaturity of their organs or systems, leading to a higher risk of death.
- Cord accidents: Complications related to the umbilical cord, such as cord entanglement or cord compression, can occur during birth and may result in baby loss.
- Infections: Infections contracted before or during birth can affect one baby more severely than the other twin or triplet babies, leading to complications and an increased risk of death.
In some cases the exact cause of death after birth may remain unknown. Despite medical advancements and thorough reviews, certain factors leading to the death may never be known, which is very difficult for parents to accept.
It can be extremely challenging to comprehend losing one of your twins or one or two of your babies from a triplet pregnancy after birth, especially after welcoming your babies into the world. If your twin or one or two of your triplet babies have died days and weeks post-birth, it can be particularly painful to process what has happened after experiencing the hope that your twin or one or two of your triplets would live.
Losing a quad after birth
"The birth of our quads at just under 26 weeks' gestation and subsequent passing of our first born quad two days later seems a blur to me now, over eight years later."
Understanding why your twin or one or two of your triplets died
Some parents wrestle with feelings of guilt and self-blame, questioning if they could have done anything differently to prevent the loss. You may wonder if you missed any signs or if you could have protected your twins or triplet(s). It is not your fault. There are complicating factors, out of your control, which can result in the death of a baby. Where possible, understanding the medical reasons why your baby died or one or two of your triplets died, can help reduce some of the feelings of guilt and self-blame by reassuring you that you weren't responsible.
