A handful and a blessing

More than a handful: Rena (right) and Adam initially had one helper for their kids but they now have three.

Couple longing for kids enter parenthood with surprise triplets

KOTA KINABALU: After four years of trying, Rena Kashelda Diego and Adam Singh Chal received news that they would become parents.

Little did they know that this bundle of joy would come in a set of three.

The 39-year-old first-time mother said the news came after a few miscarriages.

“We were determined with the pregnancy. I found out I was having twins in my eighth week. Four weeks later, I went to the doctors again. At first, I panicked because the doctor looked puzzled, and called a nurse for a second opinion.

“I kept asking why because I feared the worst. I was not ready for another miscarriage. He then turned the ultrasound monitor towards me and asked me to count the dots. I told him I don’t know.

“He told us that I was pregnant with triplets. I was lost for words and Adam’s legs went weak and he had to sit,” Rena recalled.

She added that initially, she went to a private clinic, but after learning that she was going to have triplets, she was advised to go to a government hospital instead because multiple pregnancies could be risky.

“I have nothing but praise for the doctors and nurses at Hospital Likas.

“They were very thorough with me and my babies, not because I was a special case for having triplets, but just for being a pregnant mother. They do the same with other mothers too,” she said.

On May 1 last year, the proud parents welcomed daughters Margaret Maria at 10.36am, weighing at 1.05kg; followed by Myrakell Edriadne a minute later weighing 1.2kg; and son Markell Diego (1.3kg) at 10.38am.

“I underwent a caesarean delivery because my girls were in a breech position. There were three incubators waiting for my babies because they were born premature.

“It was later discovered that Markell had some complications with his lungs. Thankfully, he has recovered well now.

“We could only take them home after two months when doctors were satisfied with their conditions.

“The next three months were hard for us because we did not have anyone to help. It was just Adam and I, and sometimes my mother in the day.

“At night, it was the two of us with the three cranky babies,” said Rena, adding that she breastfed her babies until they were eight months old.

Being working parents, Rena, a government servant and Adam, a 42-year-old business owner, said they decided to get helpers for the babies, adding: “We started with one, but she nearly quit because it was a handful. Then we took another one, but that was still not enough. So now we have three helpers.”

The trio even have their own TikTok account, #KakayTriplets, which Rena said was only meant for her to document their journey, but had somehow gone viral.

She said having triplets broke her own family record – she is the first to have three babies at once, and her daughters are the first pair of identical twins.

“My father’s brothers are twins and I have five sets of twin cousins, who are all fraternal twins,” she explained.

Looking forward, the couple just want the best for their children.

“I will give the world to them, they are my life. I just want them to stay healthy and grow up to be good people,” she said.