Gala, Vila, and Relja were born two months early, with a combined weight of just 4 kilograms! Mum Nađa says, ‘So tiny, yet so brave in their fight for life’

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Gala, Vila, and Relja were born two months premature. The girls weighed 1,160 and 1,370 grams, and the boy, the biggest of them all, weighed 1,530 grams. “I was scared for them throughout the pregnancy and even more after. But those tiny babies are heroes! Giants! It’s incredible how such small beings can be so resilient and have such a strong will to live. They fought bravely for their lives and triumphed like champions!”

Nađa, from Kruševac, shared her emotional journey with Kurir. On 2nd July, during her 31st week of pregnancy, she gave birth to naturally conceived triplets.

17th November marks World Prematurity Day, and Nađa shared the challenges and fears that come with the monumental battle these little ones and their parents face.

"At my second check-up, the doctor said, 'I see two embryos.' I replied, 'Impossible.' She continued, 'I might even see three embryos.' That was a shock," Nađa recalled with a smile. She remembers laughing nervously after hearing the doctor’s words. It was something she had never dreamed of, nor had her husband, Stefan Nikolić (29).

“We met at a park. He ran up to me, and when I told him, he thought I was joking. Even after I showed him the ultrasound, he said, 'You’re joking, this isn’t funny.' It took him a few minutes to realise it was true.”.

The doctor asked Nađa to return in ten days as such cases often result in natural reduction. Nađa went with her “delegation”—her husband and her mum. The doctor confirmed the triplets, and the family was overwhelmed when they heard the babies’ heartbeats. Nađa was immediately referred to The Narodni Front Maternity Hospital.

“It was a high-risk pregnancy from the start. My belly started growing by the second or third month, and I found it harder to move. In April, a check-up revealed my cervix had shortened due to the weight, so I had a cervical cerclage. I knew it would be a premature delivery and was aware of the risks. Each morning, I woke up worrying whether everything was okay. I paid attention to every movement, and if there weren’t any, I panicked. I feared everything, especially whether they would be born alive. From the 28th week, I had to stay in hospital. Then, on 1st July, while I was sleeping, two of the babies pushed the third into the birth canal!”

"Mum, your babies are fine, don’t worry," Nađa heard faintly as she woke up from anaesthesia after the C-section..

"They didn’t need ventilators because I’d received injections to develop their lungs, but they had tubes over their heads to help expand their lungs. Even though I knew it was necessary, I was overwhelmed with emotions and fear. I was terrified of ventilators and brain bleeds, which are common with such small babies."

The babies were soon transferred to the Neonatology Institute in Belgrade. Nađa visited them with Stefan as soon as she was discharged. The girls were already in semi-intensive care, but the boy spent seven days in intensive care as he wasn’t accepting feeds. Antibiotics were administered via their heads as there were no veins left to use. That period was agonising.

Looking through incubator glass, Nađa gazed at the most precious thing in her life. She yearned to touch, hold, and comfort them, but it wasn’t allowed. Leaving them behind was heartbreaking...

"It’s a stress that can’t be described. We’re from Kruševac and couldn’t visit daily, but we called for updates and were told the babies were progressing well and eating more. Still, it was far from enough."

She will never forget the moment she and Stefan were allowed to hold them.

“There’s no better feeling than holding your baby after all that time....”

The triplets spent nearly two months in the Neonatology Institute to gain strength and weight. They finally came home on 31st August. Now, at four months old, they’re thriving. Gala weighs 4,540 grams, Vila 4,240 grams, and Relja 4,910 grams.

 It was quite a struggle, but the little lions put up a good fight

"Sometimes I line them up and think, ‘God, these are my children. What a blessing!’”

Kurir.rs/Ružica Kantar