First-time parents

AYSHA Bernice, Brianne Clarissa and Clay Irvin were the names chosen by first-time parents Hermese Alexander and her husband Dion for their three babies born at the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital on Wednesday morning. Dion said the first names coincided with ABC — the first three letters of the alphabet.

The babies were delivered via caesarian section and were about 30 weeks-old. The first was a girl who was born at 6.42 am and weighed 1.24 kgs; the second, another girl was born at 6.44 am and weighed 1.25 kgs while the baby boy weighed 1.3 kgs.

The Trincity couple welcomed their triplets into the world after trying for six years to conceive. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) was done at a private facility.

Commenting on the births, 33-year-old Dion said, “We are very happy. We have been trying hard to have children and to be blessed with three...we are very happy.”

Speaking to the media during a visit by Health Minister John Rahael yesterday, Dion said whatever challenges lay ahead they will “cross that bridge.” He said they will have support from “both sides of the family.”

Dion, a worker at PCS Nitrogen said Hermese’s side of the family had a history of twins being born. Hermese, 32, the human resource manager at TT Mortgage Finance Company, said she had been praying for twins.

The first time mother said she was told what to expect with IVF and knew that she had to get over a 30-week barrier. While there was some spotting in the first and second trimester of her pregnancy, she said it was “a fairly good pregnancy.”

Hermese said the nurses were good during her stay at the hospital. While the new mother will be spending a week in hospital, Neonatologist Dr Gary Yuille said the triplets will remain warded since they were born prematurely. The last set of triplets born at Mt Hope was in January.

Rahael congratulated the couple and presented Hermese with a bouquet of flowers.