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Development of Lockdown Babies
Parenting

Development of Lockdown Babies

All the girls were born very well, premature at 33 weeks.

They spent some time in the NICU and we go back for check ups to make sure everybody is developing the way they should. 


We recently had a check up with the paediatric consultant for Callie, Minnie and Quinn and this one was a little different.


We are used to hearing how well the girls are all coming along, reaching milestones quickly etc. 


However, there a few things that need a little extra attention, so we will be going back in February to see what progress has been made. 


Callie is a little parrot, she can mimic and repeat certain sounds and words, but doesn’t quite understand what she is saying. She struggles to identify words to people or things, like mommy and daddy. But we can tell already she is very clever, she likes to figure things out, like how best to get the toy out of that box and you can see the concentration on her little face. She doesn't really play with her sisters because she likes to do things her own way and no sister will get in her way, but she really loves a cuddle. 


Minnie has yet to say a word. She is usually as quiet as a mouse, unless she gets upset. She has the happiest little face and is a real dare devil. She loves to be swung around and tipped upside down and has A LOT of energy. You should see how quick she moves! She’s an independent little soul and is very happy to just toddle around and not really interact with her sisters. She struggles with recognition too, like Callie. Learning to point is a little hard for her too right now, she’s busy trying to keep up with her sisters. Sometimes, things seem a little too much and she pops her hands over her ears but isn’t distressed.


Quinn is such a smiley little girl, she’s so carefree and good natured. She's like a little doll, sitting so dainty and ladylike. Quinn is also a little daredevil like Minnie. She loves to swing high and absolutely loves to be tickled. Quinn was the first of the triplets to start babbling. Probably around 9 months old, she started saying baba and using her little voice. And then it just stopped, but she did call me mama and recognized that I am mama! I will be waiting patiently to hear it again. Otherwise, she doesn’t seem that interested in talking that much, or pointing and does get a little frustrated when we are trying to figure out what she’s looking for. Like Minnie, she finds things a little overwhelming and pops her hands over her ears. 


These things were not on my radar for worrying about and even now it’s just a big hoeing concern. There are a ton of autism spectrum disorders in my family and it wouldn’t come as a blow to me when if any of my kids were diagnosed with anything. 


I made the decision to give up my job in the hair salon so I could dedicate my time to my family who need me much more than the salon does. I want to put in that extra little effort at home and get the girls socializing in crèche for a couple of hours a week, see how we go. 


I’m obviously not a medical expert, but I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about. From doing my own little research, sensory processing seems to stand out a little. But these girls were born in lockdown, they haven’t been socialized a lot and there are three of them to give attention to as well as our pre-teen who is getting to “that age”. I think they will thrive in crèche and make a few new friends and learn some skills off them. 


I am grateful for our paediatric consultant for being conscious of this and if there is a cause for concern, early intervention is great. 


How do you think the lockdown has affected the our little people's development?

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Emma L

I’m an Irish mammy to 4. A working mother of daughters and partner to David. My girl gang are identical triplet baby girls (15 months old) and an 11 year old tween. After a rocky road to get pregnant, 10 years after becoming a young mum we welcomed spontaneously conceived triplet miracle babies into our family during a global pandemic, lockdown and under heavy maternity restrictions meaning I did a lot on my own.
We are navigating our new normal coming out of the lockdowns and getting back to work as a hairstylist and exploring the world.

I’m sharing our journey along the way. The highs, lows, tips and tricks

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