Identical Triplets Came as A Surprise For This Palos Park Mom
Meet Cassidy Novak, Palos Patch's new parenting columnist.
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I'm very excited to be writing for Palos Patch and would like to use this first column to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about myself.
Originally from Florida, I moved up to the Chicagoland area almost six years ago when I married my husband Clif. Our love story is pretty unique from the beginning. We first met after being paired up in a wedding.
I met the love of my life only six months after I was in a life threatening boating accident. After the accident I had to undergo extensive brain surgery to remove a blood clot covering the entire right side of my brain. I was left with five plates and over thirty screws in my skull.
Doctors said that I might have trouble walking, posess a speech impairment or even undergo a personality change. But by the grace of God, I walked out of the hospital and brain rehab only 10 days after my accident! The surgeons called me "medically unexplainable." I knew then that the Lord wasn't through with me yet and he had a purpose and a plan for my life.
Fast forward through a few years of being happily married to February 5, 2010 It was on that day that I found out we were expecting. The news came as quite the shock considering we hadn't even been trying to get pregnant!
Then at our first OB appointment I heard, "Surprise! You're having twins!"
The news was not surprising to my doctor because of how sick I had been during the early stages of my pregnancy. I was soon diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, or chronic nausea, and even had to go into the ER to get on IVs after losing 22 pounds. My pregnancy was off to a rough start, and certainly not as I had dreamed it would be.
After four ultrasounds from three different doctors I was sent to a Maternal Fetal Medicine Multiples Specialist who quickly found "Surprise! Baby number 3!" At this point, there were no words to describe all that was racing through my mind. When I had imagined growing up and having a family, let me tell you I had never played with three baby dolls!
It was a reality check of how quickly our lives were changing, and of how far I was from my family in Florida. My emotions were on overload. But soon we embraced that the Lord gave us these three blessings to bring into this world and raise at this specific time.
Whether a child is planned or a surprise, early or maybe late, each one is truly a miracle and a gift from God. Our triplets- Cadence, Chloe and Cailynn - were welcomed into the world on August 29, 2010. They all weighed over four pounds. (Which is phenomenal for preemies and multiples).
We just recently found out the girls are all identical as well. The chance of having natural triplets is 1 in 8,000 births. The chance of having natural occurring identical triplets is less than 1 in 500,000 births, yet another reminder to us how much of a miracle our little ones are.
Each day is quite the adventure in our home and I look forward to sharing what I've learned during this exciting chapter of my life. Parenting takes a great deal of patience and love. Just know you're not alone out there, we all need advice and encouragement from time to time! Let's all hold on and enjoy the ride together.
With that spirit in mind I am pleased to be joining Patch as your new parenting columnist. I will write about issues that affect all parents, as well as offer advice from local experts. The idea is for this column to be a place to not only get local parenting insight, but also to offer your own experiences and advice. So feel free to jump in on the comment section and share your parenting experiences.
Originally from Florida, I moved up to the Chicagoland area almost six years ago when I married my husband Clif. Our love story is pretty unique from the beginning. We first met after being paired up in a wedding.
I met the love of my life only six months after I was in a life threatening boating accident. After the accident I had to undergo extensive brain surgery to remove a blood clot covering the entire right side of my brain. I was left with five plates and over thirty screws in my skull.
Doctors said that I might have trouble walking, posess a speech impairment or even undergo a personality change. But by the grace of God, I walked out of the hospital and brain rehab only 10 days after my accident! The surgeons called me "medically unexplainable." I knew then that the Lord wasn't through with me yet and he had a purpose and a plan for my life.
Fast forward through a few years of being happily married to February 5, 2010 It was on that day that I found out we were expecting. The news came as quite the shock considering we hadn't even been trying to get pregnant!
Then at our first OB appointment I heard, "Surprise! You're having twins!"
The news was not surprising to my doctor because of how sick I had been during the early stages of my pregnancy. I was soon diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, or chronic nausea, and even had to go into the ER to get on IVs after losing 22 pounds. My pregnancy was off to a rough start, and certainly not as I had dreamed it would be.
After four ultrasounds from three different doctors I was sent to a Maternal Fetal Medicine Multiples Specialist who quickly found "Surprise! Baby number 3!" At this point, there were no words to describe all that was racing through my mind. When I had imagined growing up and having a family, let me tell you I had never played with three baby dolls!
It was a reality check of how quickly our lives were changing, and of how far I was from my family in Florida. My emotions were on overload. But soon we embraced that the Lord gave us these three blessings to bring into this world and raise at this specific time.
Whether a child is planned or a surprise, early or maybe late, each one is truly a miracle and a gift from God. Our triplets- Cadence, Chloe and Cailynn - were welcomed into the world on August 29, 2010. They all weighed over four pounds. (Which is phenomenal for preemies and multiples).
We just recently found out the girls are all identical as well. The chance of having natural triplets is 1 in 8,000 births. The chance of having natural occurring identical triplets is less than 1 in 500,000 births, yet another reminder to us how much of a miracle our little ones are.
Each day is quite the adventure in our home and I look forward to sharing what I've learned during this exciting chapter of my life. Parenting takes a great deal of patience and love. Just know you're not alone out there, we all need advice and encouragement from time to time! Let's all hold on and enjoy the ride together.
With that spirit in mind I am pleased to be joining Patch as your new parenting columnist. I will write about issues that affect all parents, as well as offer advice from local experts. The idea is for this column to be a place to not only get local parenting insight, but also to offer your own experiences and advice. So feel free to jump in on the comment section and share your parenting experiences.
