ALTON - After years of being told she would never get pregnant, a local mom is still amazed by her 2-month-old triplet daughters.
Alexus Loyd-Lockhart said that Ari, Armani and Alyson are healthy and each has their own personalities already. The family has enjoyed getting to know their three newest, littlest members.
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“It’s weird,” Loyd-Lockhart confessed. “It’s hit me, but then again, I look at them every day and I’m like, ‘Wow.’”
Loyd-Lockhart and her husband Todd also have a 7-year-old and an 8-year-old. Both kids dote on their little sisters, though Loyd-Lockhart jokes that her son has his limits when the babies are crying.
“They help a lot,” Loyd-Lockhart said. “Sometimes my son is like, ‘I’ll try this binky one time. If it doesn’t work, I’m going to the next room.’ But my daughter, she’s on board. She’s been a really big help.”
Loyd-Lockhart never expected that she would one day have five kids. Following a lupus diagnosis and different medications, she had been told she would be unable to conceive again. The pregnancy was the first surprise, but she was shocked when the doctor said she was having twins. Then, during a regular checkup, a tech asked if she wanted an ultrasound since the room happened to be available.
“It’s a good thing I did,” Loyd-Lockhart said. “So we went in there, and she starts frowning.”
A bit panicked, Loyd-Lockhart asked what was wrong. The tech asked how many babies she was supposed to be having.
“I said, ‘Only two.’ She says, ‘No, ma’am,’” Loyd-Lockhart remembered. “She moved it, and there were three of them right there.”
Ari and Armani are identical while Alyson is fraternal. Not long after this realization, Loyd-Lockhart experienced several lupus episodes and went into preterm labor in April, which put her out of work and into the hospital for weeks at a time.
The babies were born in June at 32 weeks. They spent a month in the neonatal intensive care unit, but these days, they’re healthy and spirited.
“I got one feisty one, I got one who’s pretty demanding, and one chill one,” Loyd-Lockhart said. “Alyson is more of the demanding one. She’s like, ‘I want it now.’ Ari’s pretty feisty. And then Armani’s just like, ‘Whatever.’”
Of course, three newborns can be exhausting. She noted that the babies are on the same schedule, which is great when they nap together but challenging when they all need to be fed or changed at the same time. Three babies plus two kids make for some tired parents.
Still, though, Loyd-Lockhart’s wonder is obvious. She has loved spending time with the babies and watching how the older kids interact with them. She noted that while this experience can be tiring, it’s also amazing.
“When one cries, the others cry. When one needs a change, the others do. One sneezes, the others sneeze,” she laughed. “I get tired, but we make a lot of fun out of it.”
The family is currently searching for insurance coverage and paying for medical costs out-of-pocket. While Loyd-Lockhart recovers, they are relying solely on her husband’s income. To help with these costs or provide some additional support while the family adjusts, check out their official GoFundMe.
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