Happy to be pregnant again, Genna Knox thought about giving her first child, Liam, a little brother or sister. It wasn’t until the seventh month of pregnancy that the mother-to-be found out she was expecting… triplets.
This new child, she was waiting for him more than anything. Her son Liam was also happy to have a little brother or sister. But if Genna Knox had dreamed of this new life for four, she had not considered other scenarios.
In 2019, when she was entering her seventh month of pregnancy, Genna learned during a follow-up ultrasound that she was pregnant with triplets. A shock for the mother-to-be.
A normal pregnancy
In 2019 Genna was 39 years old. For this “late” pregnancy, the expectant mother had to undergo extensive prenatal testing to make sure everything would be fine. If she becomes pregnant, the blood tests will return to normal. The doctor then gives her the option to “waive” the nuchal translucency test and an NT scan in the first trimester. “I said, ‘Oh sure! “” Genna told the New York Post. “I was working full-time and it was just one appointment short,” she added.
A first surprise
A middle school teacher in San Diego, California, Genna and her husband Kyle get their first surprise during their 20 week ultrasound. During the examination, the midwife asks Genna if she is expecting twins. “I looked up and I could clearly see that there were two babies,” revealed Genna. At the time, Genna and Kyle panic about the logistics of having two newborns, but the excitement soon overshadows their worries.
A complete shock
At the beginning of the seventh month of pregnancy, the expectant parents decide to carry out a Four-dimensional ultrasound to show their future children to their families. But on this day, a big surprise awaits her. Genna and Kyle discover they are expecting triplets since the third baby was hidden all along. “I can hardly remember what happened back then,” Genna recalls. “I was totally shocked,” she added.
One baby hidden behind the other
” Hidden triple syndrome was not as “rare” as one might think. “When babies are very small, one baby can hide behind the other,” he explained. “Generally, the missing baby will suddenly show up at around 26, 27, 28 weeks,” he said. At 33 weeks, on March 21, 2019, Kaylee, Lily and Cecilia are born. The little girls will be placed in an intensive care unit for a few weeks but are now in excellent condition.