This Christmas was a special one for a young Monifieth couple – the first with their triplets after a devastating loss last year.
Lois Cathro and Craig Mudie celebrated their first festive season with bouncing baby boys – Myles, Oliver and Archie.
The triplets were born on March 9 – almost exactly a year after their first child, William, was stillborn on March 24, 2020.
Devastated
At the time Lois and Craig, both 29, described it as the “worst day of their lives.”
Just under a year later the couple welcomed their triplets into the world – an event that doctors described as a one in 42,000 chance.
Lois said: “It has been quite a year but the boys are doing brilliantly well.
“They have all gained weight with Myles weighing 16lbs 12oz, Archie at 16lbs9oz and Oliver at 15lbs13 oz.”
At birth, Archie arrived first, weighing 3lb 11oz, Oliver came less than a minute later, weighing 3lb 5oz and Myles was born last, weighing 3lb 6oz.
Despite having to do everything in threes, Lois are now in a good routine.
“We have three high chairs and I just go down the line at feeding time,” she said.
“Everything has got a lot easier and it has helped a lot with the boys sleeping really well through the night.”
Back to work
Lois has also now managed to go back to work at her job as a teacher at Inverbrothock Primary School in Arbroath.
She said: “The boys even have three grannies which helps a lot – my mum Wilma, Craig’s mum Mhairi, and Craig’s step-mum Gail.”
Craig said he had also had a lot of support at his job as a quantity surveyor and had been able take time off work to get the family into a routine.
He said: “We’re getting better at getting organised.
“At the start even going out for a walk was a mission.
“We would feed the boys but by the time we then got them all ready to go out for a walk it would be nearly time to get them fed again.
“Now they are on solid food it makes it much easier because they don’t need fed so often.”
Lois added: “We know that as time goes on it will get easier but we don’t want to wish this time away.
“It is very special and precious to us and we want to take the time to appreciate it and make the most of it and enjoy the boys at this stage – especially after what happened before.”
Fundraising
Since the triplets were born, Lois and Craig have been fundraising for the Tayside branch of baby bereavement charity SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society).
They said they wanted to do something to thank everyone at Ninewells Hospital who helped them when William died and also to remember him by.
The couple set an initial target of £500 but within hours they had raised more than £4,000. The total is now more than £11,000 and is still growing.
Recently Lois went along to the premises of Dundee Contract Services where she received two cheques of £500 each – one for SANDS and one for the neo natal unit at Ninewells Hospital.
Lois’s uncle, Gordon Hunter works there and he and his colleagues raised the money because they were all so touched by then family’s story.
Lois said: “We are so grateful to everyone who has raised money us.
“These cheques take our overall total to over well £11,000.
“The doctors and midwives were so caring toward us and I also received bereavement counselling through Ninewells which has and continues to be an invaluable support.
“We also felt we wanted to do something positive in memory of William.”
Dark and painful time
Lois went into labour with William at 39 weeks gestation on March 24 last year, the morning after lockdown was announced.
“Because of lockdown I had to go into hospital myself, Craig wasn’t allowed to be with me,” she said.
“It was a difficult and dark and painful time.”
The heart-breaking stillborn was caused by a problem with the placenta, causing the blood flow to be cut off from William.
Archie, Oliver and Myles were born at 32 weeks on March 9, after an anxiety-filled pregnancy and countless checks and scans.
Donations to Lois and Craig’s fundraising can be made at justgiving.com/fundraising/lois-cathro1
