Cairns family braves unique pregnancy journey

This Cairns couple was on the brink of giving up on ever becoming parents, but just as hope was fading, three bright lights appeared at the end of the tunnel. Read their heartwarming story.

Too often we hear about the trials of parenting but it is easy to forget that the journey into parenthood often comes with its own baggage.

For Cairns locals Lindsay and Simon Fernandez, both 28, the hardship of becoming parents to finally giving birth to triplets has however been worth every moment.

The couple welcomed two girls, Hazel and Willow and a boy, Luca, on October 9 at exactly 32 weeks via emergency C-section at Townsville Hospital and in less than a month, the family made it back home, with the precious bundles expected to be discharged in less than two weeks.

“We can’t wait to see what the future holds,” Mr Fernandez said.

“Funnily enough Lindsay always wanted three kids before 30.

“She got them all at once,” he said.

Just getting a positive pregnancy test had been a two-year ordeal with IVF looming on their horizon when they received the biggest surprise of their lives.

The couple went into their first scan to confirm a heartbeat where another big reveal was in store.

“Finding out at the dating scan, that we were having triplets, it was a shock for sure,” Ms Fernandez said.

Lindsay and Simon Fernandez celebrate the gender reveal of their third triplet with family at Lake Tinaroo. Picture: Instagram

From that moment on, everything about their pregnancy was significantly different to the norm.

“Right at the start it was explained to us that we will be relocating to Townsville for the final term of this pregnancy,” Mr Fernandez said.

Ms Fernandez, a loans manager at Cairns Bank and Mr Fernandez, a project manager at Cairns Steel Fabricators, did scans every week alternating between Birds of Paradise, a private clinic in Cairns, and the Townsville Hospital. They took their first flight to Townsville as early as 10 weeks into the pregnancy.

“We’d leave about 6.30am,” Mr Fernandez said “No stopovers per say, and then it was back to work. Both of us would take Wednesdays off work.”

Lindsay Fernandez, a loans manager at Cairns Bank and Simon Fernandez, a project manager at Cairns Steel Fabricators at the Cairns Hospital with their newborn triplets. Picture: Brendan Radke

A routine scan in their case would take about three hours, one hour per baby, and there were times when Ms Fernandez would be left with bruises after long hours of ultrasound probing.

Eventually the couple fully relocated to Townsville, albeit a little earlier than expected based on their doctors’ advice.

They made a temporary home in one of the accommodation units at Ronald McDonald House Charities in Townsville.

“The three months we were in Townsville we almost had a visitor every weekend family wise. We never felt like we were alone,” Mr Fernandez said.

“Our work has been bloody amazing, sending us flowers and constantly asking how we are.”

“We both have very generous and caring family. Everyone has sort of modelled their lives around us. Now that we are home they are starting to cook for us so that our focus can be just on the babies.”

Forest Gardens couple Lindsay and Simon Fernandez are now the proud parents of Hazel, Willow and Luca Fernandez. The triplets were born at the Townsville hospital in October, two-months premature, and are now at the Cairns Hospital's special care nursery. Picture: Brendan Radke

Originally published as Cairns family braves unique pregnancy journey