Since giving birth to the triplets, Thao admits her daily routine is erratic, completely dictated by the babies. If they are well-behaved, she can lie down by midnight. If they are fussy, she might only catch some sleep by 1:00 or 2:00 AM. Yet, like clockwork, she wakes up at 5:30 AM to get the older children ready for school.

"Compared to raising the first five individually, caring for three baby boys at once is much harder. I've become used to 'eating while standing and sleeping while sitting'," Thao shared.

The mother of 8 children

Thao and Tran Van Sinh, 37, married in 2012. They spent a long time working in HCMC. In 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the couple returned to their hometown and pooled their savings to buy a container truck so Sinh could work as a long-haul driver.

"He drives North-South routes and through border gates. Whenever he has a moment, he comes home to visit. Despite the distance, he always calls to care for us," Thao said.

Thao had healthy pregnancies and smooth natural births for her first five children. Each time, both her mother and mother-in-law took turns helping, so it wasn't too overwhelming.

During her sixth pregnancy, an ultrasound initially suggested twins. The news brought both joy and concern for her health. She attended regular check-ups and bought baby supplies in pairs.

However, at 33 weeks, she went into sudden labor and required an emergency C-section. During surgery, the medical team discovered she wasn't carrying twins, but triplets. The first two weighed 2.1kg, and the third weighed 2kg.

Thao was stunned by the news. "When I regained consciousness, the doctors explained that two were identical twins positioned so that one hid the other, making them difficult to detect via ultrasound. They said this is a rare case. Fortunately, all four of us were safe," she recalled emotionally.

Her husband was away for work when she gave birth. Upon hearing the news, he rushed home in a state of extreme worry.

Post-surgery, Thao lost a significant amount of weight. This was her first C-section, making the recovery much more painful than her five previous natural births.

Sinh felt deeply for his wife, but as the family’s breadwinner, he couldn't take a long break and had to return to the road. He encouraged her to stay healthy while he worked to provide for the children.

With both sets of grandparents and many siblings living nearby, the family took turns helping. Thao’s 60-year-old mother-in-law stays overnight to help with bottle-feeding and childcare.

"I grew up in a family of seven siblings. We weren't wealthy, but we loved and protected each other. Now that we're grown, we care for our parents together - it's very warm. That's why I like having a big family," Thao explained.

"As long as the children aren't sick, every day is happy"

Thao said the triplets are quite good, but managing eight children at once is a "battle."

In the middle of the house, three hammocks are hung in a triangle so the mother can easily swing all three. At night, if one wakes up crying, all three will scream in unison. The older children also struggle to sleep through the noise.

However, after over half a year, the five older children have "matured tremendously." After school hours, the three boys aged 13, 12, and 9 can cook, sweep the house, carry the babies, and help their mother with her online shop. The fourth son, only 6, knows how to prepare milk and rock the hammocks. The fifth child, a girl, alerts the adults whenever the babies cry.

"My biggest fear is when they get sick," Thao confessed. There have been nights when, seeing all the children coughing at once, she felt helpless and cried. But she tells herself to stay strong. She knows her husband is working hard for a better life.

With help from relatives, Thao has found time to sell goods online. She calculates that the family's living expenses are about 30 million VND per month, with one-third dedicated to the triplets.

"Raising eight children isn't easy, but we try to be fair to all of them. Just seeing the eight of them playing together every day makes me happy," she shared.

Linh Trang