Born 36 hours apart, premature triplets are now home

Three brothers born extremely prematurely in Hanoi, Vietnam, have left hospital breathing independently and weighing more than 3.5 kilograms each. Their recovery followed an unusual delivery: one triplet was born first, while doctors kept the other two in the womb for about 36 more hours.

Phenikaa University Hospital shared the family’s story on 2 October. The first baby arrived on 11 June, at nearly 28 weeks of pregnancy, after the sac of fluid around him broke early. He weighed about 900 grams.

Doctors then used medication to reduce contractions and closely monitored the mother and remaining babies. The approach, called delayed-interval delivery, allows more time for babies’ organs to mature before birth. But it also carries risks, including infection, and could continue only while the mother and babies remained stable.

When strong contractions returned and the waters broke again, doctors performed an emergency caesarean. Four medical teams cared for the mother and received the two newborns, who weighed 950 grams and one kilogram.

All three babies needed intensive newborn care and help breathing. They gradually progressed from intravenous nutrition to tube feeding, then learned to feed by mouth. After about two months, all were breathing without support. They went home on 14 September and were reported to be healthy and gaining weight at follow-up.