What’s it like to have triplets and teach? PA faculty Jannelle Reynolds shares her story

Submitted by Jannelle Reynolds:

In case anyone hasn’t heard, my husband, Travis, and I had triplet babies on July 31st. We have two identical boys named Austin and Zeke and a girl named Evie.

The whole experience has been a whirlwind of emotions and changed our lives in ways that were impossible to prepare or plan for. Luckily, all were born healthy. Though born premature at 33 weeks and three days, all had good weights and really didn’t have any medical setbacks. They spent about a month in the NICU, but it was mostly to allow them to grow and learn to eat on their own.

The NICU staff was great and many of our nurses became like family. Our time there was a nice transition into parenting and it got our kiddos used to a schedule that has definitely made our lives more manageable.

Caring for the kids takes a lot of time and energy. The first couple months were pretty difficult and looking back, it is amazing we survived it. Family stayed with us in shifts. My parents came first, and Travis’ mom replaced them when they left. On average, we got less than four hours of sleep a night, and those four hours typically came in three (not long enough) increments. Things have gotten easier and more enjoyable.

Each stage so far has its challenges and we have plenty of new challenges to look forward to in the future. The kids are smiling and cooing now and it is so rewarding to watch them develop. We read a sleep training book that has been life changing. The kids are now sleeping through the night most nights of the week (finger’s crossed). We’re getting to the teething stage so we’re enjoying our sleep while it lasts.

The transition back to work has been bittersweet. I initially thought that I would be excited to get back to work to get some relief from the chaos at home. But I’m not going to lie, it has been so hard to leave the kids. We luckily landed a nanny that has been a total godsend. The kids like her and she has definitely made the transition easier. It helps that I live close enough to work that I can see them at lunch and grab a few snuggles.

I really did miss my students and the interactions with them. I’m looking forward to growing with the new PA class. I want to thank everyone for all of their support throughout our journey. We are planning to bring the kiddos to Omaha for graduation in December, and hopefully we can introduce the little guys to everyone.