When Rebekah Mann, 24, a tech consultant, and her husband Patton, 28, a project engineer, learned they were expecting, they were overjoyed. But at her seven-week visit, they received the surprise of a lifetime—not one baby, not two, but triplets.
“I’ve always wanted twins,” she said. “So, it was a great surprise. We were shocked when they saw a third baby, but we were excited for whatever having triplets was going to mean for us.”
Triplet pregnancies, known medically as multiple gestations, carry significantly higher risks for both mom and babies. But with the right care team, early planning and a lot of patience, their journey became a powerful example of resilience.
Facing High-Risk Pregnancy with Specialized Care
At 20 weeks into her pregnancy, Rebekah underwent a routine anatomy scan in which all three babies looked healthy and strong. “In fact, the triplets measured on the larger side of their percentiles which they told me was a sign of healthy growth,” Rebekah recalled.
Joey A. England, MD, a fellowship-trained maternal-fetal medicine specialist and assistant professor with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, is affiliated with Children’s Memorial Hermann at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center, where she cares for women, like Rebekah, with high-risk and complex pregnancies. With advanced experience in multiple gestations, preterm labor and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, Dr. England understands the intensive care and coordination these pregnancies require.
“Triplet pregnancies demand a high level of coordination and vigilance,” Dr. England said. “The risk of preterm birth is six times higher than in a singleton pregnancy, and mothers of multiples face increased risks for complications like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and hemorrhage.”
Those risks became real when Rebekah went into preterm labor at 29 weeks’ gestation. The team at Children’s Memorial Hermann at Memorial City was able to stop her labor, and under Dr. England’s care, she was admitted for hospital bedrest and continuous monitoring. “We wanted Rebekah close,” Dr. England added. “With triplets, things can change quickly. Keeping her in the hospital allowed us to respond immediately to anything unexpected.”
For nearly three weeks, Rebekah remained hospitalized. "Every night I thought to myself, ‘Okay, I’ve managed to keep them inside for another day,’” she said. “I made it thanks to Dr. England. She is one of my favorite doctors. She is attentive, a great advocate and fun to chat with. She helped make a difficult experience so much easier.”
As her stay continued, Rebekah began having trouble breathing. Tests confirmed she had developed preeclampsia, a complication marked by high blood pressure and organ stress. Left untreated, it can cause serious, even life-threatening, complications for both mother and babies. With careful monitoring, the team focused on keeping her stable long enough to reach her planned delivery date.
Rebekah’s Cesarean section was scheduled for 32 weeks and five days, and against the odds, she made it to that exact time frame.
Arthur arrived first weighing 4 pounds, 10 ounces. Henry came next, matching his brother’s weight ounce for ounce. Their sister, Ella, weighed 3 pounds, 11 ounces. Each came out crying, a sound that told everyone in the room the babies could breathe on their own.
“I was scared,” Rebekah recalled. “I knew their lungs weren’t fully developed. Babies born that early often can’t breathe on their own, so hearing them cry was a huge relief.”
Life in the NICU With Triplets: Learning, Growing and Overcoming Setbacks
The triplets spent 58 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). For the first five days, all three required full respiratory support. Then, two of the babies transitioned to a nasal cannula and one was able to breathe room air. They began with feeding tubes and gradually learned to eat on their own. By the time they went home, right around their original due date in early September, none of the babies required medical support.
But the journey wasn’t without setbacks.
A few weeks after one of the babies was discharged, he experienced an apnea episode at home and was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. After a week of monitoring and tests, he was transferred back to the NICU at Children’s Memorial Hermann at Memorial City to rejoin his siblings.
Rebekah said the NICU staff quickly became part of their family. “The doctors and nurses were great,” she said. “They taught us everything we know about babies, including how to change diapers, read stress cues and understand developmental milestones.”
She remembers countless team members who were always nearby to help. Kayla from Speech Therapy helped identify feeding challenges, while Alexandra from Physical Therapy offered gentle support when the babies were crying. “It felt like Alex was prioritizing my kids, even though I knew she had so many babies to care for,” Rebekah said.
Frank Abene, DO, a neonatologist affiliated with Children’s Memorial Hermann at Memorial City, played a central role in their care. “Dr. Abene was so helpful in navigating our entire situation,” Rebekah said. “The coordination of care among the neonatologists, therapists and nurses helped us feel supported every step of the way and gave us the confidence we needed as new parents of triplets.”
Home at Last
When the triplets finally went home, they were healthy, feeding well and gaining weight steadily. By the three-month mark, Arthur weighed 11 pounds, Henry weighed 12 pounds and Ella weighed 10 pounds. “My biggest hope,” Rebekah said, “is that they love each other, and we grow to be a family that loves hanging out together.”
For families like Rebekah and Patton’s, the NICU was a life-changing experience. It’s a place filled with uncertainty and hope, exhaustion and joy. It’s where new parents learn resilience one day at a time.
“All the NICU nurses and doctors at Children’s Memorial Hermann at Memorial City are angels on earth,” Rebekah said. “They helped me become a mother and made sure my children came home healthy. I’m forever thankful.”
Learn more about MFM and NICU services at Children’s Memorial Hermann at Memorial City »