National Siblings Day Holds Special Meaning to Leonie Fitzgerald and Her Miracle Triplets

National Sibling Day Miracle Triplets triplets National Siblings Day preeclampsia

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Apr 14, 03:00 am

Photo: (Photo : Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

For Brisbane mom Leonie Fitzgerald, National Siblings Day is a beautiful reminder of how blessed she is to have her miracle triplets alive and well and how fortunate her three daughters are to have each other's company.

Leonie told 9Honey Parenting that the triplets may have arrived early under traumatic circumstances, but her miracle babies share an unbreakable sibling bond. Liliana, Charlotte, and Isabella's journey in this world started when they were born via emergency cesarean section seven weeks early after their mother, Leonie, was placed in a medically-induced coma due to her having a seizure.

Leonie said it was a Code Blue situation and that she unexpectedly had a seizure in the ward. She was immediately raced to the operating theatre to save all their lives, and the miracle triplets were urgently delivered.

Miracle triplets now happy and healthy one-year-olds

Leonie said it was very overwhelming when describing the first time she saw her triplets in the Neonatal Critical Care Unit at Mater Mothers' Hospital in Brisbane. Leonie said that she was still coming off the medication from the ICU when she saw her daughters, so she was very groggy at the time.

Leonie told 7News that nothing could prepare her for the moment when she saw her miracle triplets hooked up to machines with tubes everywhere, noting that it was all quite surreal. The good news, according to Leonie, is that after spending more than a month in the ICU, the miracle babies are now happy and healthy one-year-olds.

The Fitzgerald triplets were born while mum Leonie was in a coma. Their obstetrician says Mother's intuition' may have helped keep them safe - ABC News ⁦@MaterNews⁩ https://t.co/YUjEqnGFSd
— Janelle Miles (@janellehmiles) April 9, 2022

From lying in incubators and being tube fed, the girls now run around, cuddle with each other and chase their dog Belle around. Leonie believes the girls' traumatic birth has brought them even closer together, and they now share an unbreakable bond. Leonie added that the girls will now grow up in each other's pockets, and for her, she is just grateful that they will have the chance to have such a special relationship with one another.

Leonie could not help but be emotional when talking about her triplets, as the road to having them in this world was not easy. Leonie and her husband Peter have been trying for the longest time to have a baby, with the couple suffering four miscarriages in six years.

Pre-eclampsia nearly kills Leonie and her three daughters

The moment they have long been waiting for finally arrived in January 2020 when their first scan revealed that they were expecting triplets. One of the transplanted embryos had split, giving Leonie and Peter the shock of their lives.

The pregnancy was difficult, especially with Leonie already 44 years old. She spent six months on bed rest with a cesarean scheduled for the 33rd week. A day before the operation, Leonie suffered preeclampsia, a serious medical condition where high blood pressure results in seizures.

Doctors immediately put her into a drug-induced coma and rushed Leonie in for an emergency cesarean delivery. The girls were tiny, with Charlotte, Isabella, and Liliana weighing 1920, 1590, and 1190 grams, respectively, according to a report by ABC.