In sunny Southern California, a young couple named Angie and Gino Colonna wished for a baby girl and their dream became reality… in ways they never could have predicted! Although they already had two sons and were perfectly happy, they wondered what it might be like to add a little girl to the family. Read on for the amazing story of this couple and the wild adventure that life took them on.
From The Beginning, They Wanted To Have Children Together
Some married couples choose not to have children, for various reasons. Others like to wait a while before bringing kids into the dynamic. Still others have their hearts set on parenthood from the very beginning, and this was definitely the case with Angie and Gino.
It wasn't long after their marriage that they welcomed a baby boy into their family. And less than two years later, they were blessed with another healthy son.
The Picture Of A Happy Family
Angie and Gino were well-suited for parenthood. You could even call them "naturals" at being a mom and a dad. They enjoyed every moment of parenting their two growing boys and raising them to be decent human beings.
To the Colonnas, nothing was better than watching their children grow and learn. Every new milestone the boys accomplished brought Angie and Gino new happiness and pride. Life was pretty good for the family of four.
But Something Was Missing...
Even though they appeared to have the perfect little family, and even though they were happy as could be with their two boys, Angie and Gino couldn't help but think of adding a baby girl to the brood. They were certainly happy for all their blessings, but why shouldn’t they bring another child into their happy home?
The married couple began to pray that they’d have a daughter, the sooner the better.
Could It Be?
Angie took a pregnancy test and got a very happy surprise. She was overjoyed that the test was positive – she was going to have a third baby! She and Gino were delighted as they tried to guess whether they would be blessed with a girl or a boy.
As long as the baby was healthy they'd be happy, but they’d both been wishing so hard for their boys to have a little sister. Their prayers were answered! The doctor delivered the good news that the new baby was indeed a girl.
When It Rains, It Pours...
As one might imagine, Angie and Gino were pretty darn excited to learn that they'd be having a daughter. But the ultrasound revealed something else that they would never expected, not in a million years.
The doctor gave them the life-changing news with a look of disbelief on his face. Angie wasn’t pregnant with one girl… but three! The couple was now expecting triplets, all girls. They simply couldn’t believe it.
An Unusual Pregnancy
Beyond the shock of learning that they were going to be parents to three baby girls, Angie and Gino had to cope with some other news from the medical staff.
During the ultrasound, the doctor saw two placentas, which indicated that two of the babies had split from one single egg and were now sharing a placenta. Those girls would be identical. The third baby was from a completely different egg than her sisters and was in a placenta of her own.
Such A Rare Occurrence
How much more news could Angie and Gino process in one day? They'd already been told that they were having three baby girls, not just the single one they’d been praying for. And now they learned that two of their triplets were identical.
It’s really rare to have triplets when conceiving naturally, as Angie and Gino had, as in this situation only happens with 1 in 4,000 pregnancies. The fact that two of the babies were identical made their situation even rarer! Talk about being blessed.
Lots Of Preparation
With all this big news of suddenly having three babies on the way, there were also a lot of realizations hitting hard. Angie and Gino quickly came to terms with the fact that their lives were never going to be the same again.
There was so much to do before the girls arrived! Angie and Gino notified their respective bosses of the big changes to come. They bought a minivan, hired a nanny, and leaned on their friends and family for emotional support.
There Was A Higher Risk Of Complications
Angie's doctor, Dr. Daneshmand, didn’t beat around the bush when he delivered the news of her rare pregnancy. This one was not going to be anything like the pregnancies she’d had with her sons.
There was a much bigger chance that Angie would experience complications during this preparation. But even though they were warned about it, Angie and Gino really didn’t know what to expect in the coming weeks and months.
Things Got Serious For Angie
At 26 weeks, Angie began to experience some serious complications with her pregnancy. She later discussed the problems she'd had with Sharp Healthcare.
"We saw that the liquid for 'Baby B' was too low and for 'C' was a little high," Angie reported. These levels are critical for a growing baby and could cause be very dangerous to the three little girls. Something had to be done, and very soon.
She Was Transferred To The Hospital
Can you imagine learning one day that you'd have to leave your normal life on hold and stay at the hospital for several weeks? That's exactly what Angie went through when they discovered the dangerous situation with the babies' fluid levels.
Now, she needed to be continually supervised by medical professionals, so Angie was moved into the hospital. It was the best way to ensure that the triplets would stay safe and healthy.
The News Wasn't Easy To Accept At First
Even though Angie and Gino knew that moving into the hospital until the babies arrived was the safest thing to do, the news wasn't easy to accept. After all, she was only 26 weeks along so it could be many more weeks before she was able to return home.
Angie recalled, "I said, 'Wait, right now?'" in an interview with Sharp Healthcare. She couldn’t believe she’d have to live apart from her husband and sons for so long.
Putting The Triplets First
Even though it was tough to get the news that she'd have to be staying in the hospital and away from her husband and sons, Angie knew it’s what was needed to make sure the triplets were born healthy.
After all, having a baby girl was the thing that she and Gino had prayed for all that time and now they had three on the way. Angie would make it work, with lots of visits from Gino and the boys.
A New "Normal" For Angie
After the hard truth had set in and Angie was mentally prepared to stay in the hospital for the next few weeks, she tried to make the best of her situation. After all, it was for the triplets, who were the most important thing in her world during this time!
She and Gino came up with ways to pass the time while they were together. One of those creative ideas was sharing "date nights" which meant they'd eat dinner together in her hospital room. "This is our date night that we never get at home," Angie joked.
Visiting Some Very Specialized Facilities
Angie and Gino, along with their medical team, were taking no risks with these precious babies. They were preparing for every possible scenario that might arise and knew there was a chance that the triplets would need to stay in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
The expectant parents took a tour of the specialized facility to give them a better idea of what to expect if the babies did end up there.
Feeling Empowered
Some parents might view a visit to the neonatal intensive care unit as sad or scary. Fortunately, that was not the experience that Angie and Gino had. They felt that preparing for everything they could was their safest bet.
Their tour of the NICU actually made them feel calmer about their situation. Angie said, "I didn't see [the NICU] as a sad place, I saw it as a place that was empowering for me."
Some Trouble For 'Baby B'
Due to Angie's high-risk pregnancy, the triplets were being monitored daily at the hospital. During one of their routine ultrasounds, the doctors were alarmed to see that Baby B was quite a bit smaller than her siblings.
Dr. Daneshmand told Angie and Gina that the baby was in considerable danger. But it was too early to deliver the triplets, who would be too premature to survive if they arrived now.
A New Goal
Although Angie was at week 30 of her pregnancy, it was still too early to deliver the babies. Her medical team told her that the babies would have the best chance of survival if they could make it to 34 weeks before delivery. This would give them more time to develop in the womb.
Thirty-four weeks was the magic number that Angie and Gino prayed for. They remained calm and hopeful as the days slowly ticked by.
Counting The Days
There was not much that Angie and Gino could do at this point but hope and pray for the best. Although they couldn't wait until the day that their babes were born, they knew that it was best to stay in the womb for as long as possible.
"Anything could happen between now and my due date," Angie reported to Sharp Healthcare. "We could have contractions that can't control. We may do an emergency C-section. For us, we don't count the weeks here, we count the days."
Labor Day Arrived Early
Despite everyone's hopes that the babies would have another few weeks to develop in the womb, fate had other plans. When Angie was just a day into her 32nd week of pregnancy, she went into labor. As Gino put it, "three little stars will be born tonight."
They were prepared for this day, and Angie put on her game face. "I have some hard work ahead of me now," she said.
Welcome To The World!
Not long after being wheeled into the delivery room, Angie was dilated. Those three little girls were about to make their entrance and meet their parents for the first time.
Unsurprisingly, the medical team opted for a C-section, as it was the safest choice for Angie and the babies. One after another, the three baby girls were delivered, each weighing just under four pounds. They were named Camilla, Anabella, and Daniella.
Preparation Paid Off
Since Angie's pregnancy was such a high-risk one, her medical team had expected that the babies might arrive early. Each of the tiny triplets was assigned her own life support team to tend to them after birth.
Immediately after being delivered, Camilla, Anabella, and Daniella were each passed through a window into a room where they were assessed and stabilized so they could be transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit.
Waiting Is The Hardest Part...
Even the most cautious plan in the world doesn't guarantee that everything will work out the way we wanted. This was certainly the case for Angie, who had carried her babies for months and now couldn’t even hold them.
Still, she and Gino understood that the triplets needed life-saving medical care first. The girls were in good hands in the NICU, and their parents would simply have to be patient for a while longer.
The Triplets Needed Breathing Assistance
Due to the triplets' tiny sizes, their lungs were not completely developed yet. This was causing some issues with their breathing.
This was something that had been expected by the doctors, so they quickly opened the babies’ lungs with breathing tubes to ensure that they were constantly breathing. Although it was tough to see their newborn girls in this situation, Angie and Gino knew they could trust the expert medical team.
More Waiting
Now came another phase of waiting. The babies were on CPAP machines to help with their breathing, and the doctors needed to stabilize their oxygen levels before Angie and Gino could meet their girls in person.
Everyone was eager for the family to meet in person. One of the nurses said, "I love to see the initial contact between mommy and baby. I always look for that, that moment that is just theirs that I get to be a part of."
They Were Stabilized
It was just a few hours after delivery that the little girls were all beginning to stabilize and breathe on their own… good news for everyone.
Although they had a long way to go before they could be brought home, they were ready for the next big step. The triplets were about to meet their parents for the first time. The entire team was looking forward to this, especially Angie and Gino!
Finally Starting To Feel Real
The past days and weeks had felt like an eternity to Angie and Gino. Even after the relief of knowing that their precious baby girls were all delivered safely and being monitored by a team of medical professionals, they were still anxious.
They were more than ready to meet their little miracle triplets, and the time was finally here. The loving parents were really going to get to hold Camilla, Anabella, and Daniella.
The Trip To The NICU Felt So Long
Recovering from a C-section is no small feat. Angie had a lot of rest and healing ahead of her, but she was at least feeling good enough for a short trip down the hallway. After all, she could hardly wait to meet her new daughters.
As Angie was wheeled down to the NICU, Gino walked beside her. The couple (and the nurses) couldn’t wait for the happy moment. The short trip to the NICU felt much longer because of their anticipation.
Camilla, Anabella, And Daniella, In Person
After what seemed like an eternity, Angie and Gino were finally led into the neonatal intensive care unit where their triplets were being tended to.
A nurse handed one of the tiny babies to Angie, and as you might expect, the new mother became very emotional. She started crying and through the tears, said "It feels so right" to Gino. They were all finally together after praying and waiting patiently for all this time.
Family Reunion
It'd be an understatement to say that Angie was happy to see her babies. "I was only a few hours apart from them and I already missed them," she said. "So it feels good to be reunited." It had felt like much longer than a few hours.
One at a time, the babies were handed to Angie so she could hold them each. The moment was one she’d never forget, and she was over the moon to be cradling and soothing each of her precious daughters.
Now It Was Gino’s Turn To Hold The Girls!
Obviously, Gino was also excited to meet the new babies. He also got to experience the thrill of holding each of the triplets. Camilla, Anabella, and Daniella were all handed to him and he spent time bonding with all of them.
The nurses even placed each of the babies inside Gino's shirt so they could get skin-to-skin contact with their dad. Skin-to-skin contact is incredibly beneficial for babies, especially those who are born prematurely.
One Of The Triplets Shared An Especially Touching Moment With Gino
Many times, newborns don't open their eyes for a while after birth. Anabella was different, though. When she was placed in Gino’s arms, she opened her little eyes and appeared to look right at him. And when he talked, her eyes also followed his lip movements.
"Look at that, she's opening her eyes, listening to me," Gino said. "Beautiful, beautiful feeling." What a treasured memory for the new father to have.
Saying Goodbye To The Hospital
The triplets had to say in the NICU for a few more weeks, which was expected due to their early deliveries. Finally, the day came when they were stable enough to go home. It would be a homecoming that Angie and Gino would never forget.
They felt like their family was finally complete, now that they had three daughters in addition to their two beloved boys. The transition from a family of four to a family of seven was seamless.
Time Flies When You're Having Fun
The years passed and the triplets grew bigger and stronger every day. They each had their own distinct personality and preferences. Before Angie and Gino knew it, the girls' sixth birthday had rolled around.
Although it had felt like she had spent eons in the hospital during her difficult pregnancy, these six years had practically flown by for Angie. Staying busy with such a large family can do that to you!
Growing Up
The triplets are now old enough that they're operating a lemonade stand alongside their older brothers! Angie shared this adorable update in 2018. "Please support these cuties...Lemonade and Brownie stand," she wrote. "Their cause? To pay for a Disney Cruise!"
Angie jokingly included a facepalm emoji next to the part about the cruise, but it shows a lot of initiative for these kids to raise their own money for a family vacation. Angie and Gino clearly did a great job raising their children.
An Active Family
As we've seen, Angie and Gino certainly stay busy as they raise their five children. They've always been committed to their family bond, and this dedication and love shows through in their parenting.
Even during difficult times, and there are plenty of those, they do whatever it takes to make sure their kids are happy, healthy, and thriving. Angie and Gino are the kind of parents that others turn to for inspiration.
Dare To Dream Big
After all that Angie and Gino have been through as they made their life journey from a married couple to becoming parents of five children, it's probably difficult to remember what those early days were like.
Although their family keeps them busy at all times, they wouldn't trade any of it. After all, they had prayed for a baby girl and their wishes were granted threefold. "It's truly a dream come true to have them come into my life," Angie said.
