On the morning of October 2, three infant boys—the sons of Pham Thi Hong Nhung from Hai Phong—returned to Phenikaa University Hospital for a clinical follow-up two weeks after discharge. The triplets successfully graduated from 90 days of specialized neonatal intensive care designed for extremely preterm infants.
Born weighing under one kilogram each, the babies faced severe clinical vulnerabilities involving vision, respiration, and brain development. Following three months of comprehensive neonatal treatment, each boy now weighs nearly four kilograms, exhibiting completely normal physiological milestones.
Recounting the arduous journey, Nhung explained that she struggled with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), prompting the couple to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF). Physicians initially confirmed a twin gestation. However, at seven weeks, symptoms of a threatened miscarriage prompted urgent hospitalization. An ultrasound then delivered an astonishing revelation: she was carrying triplets featuring three distinct amniotic sacs and two placentas.
Their celebration proved brief. Barely a week later, the couple entered a perilous medical journey defined by high-risk obstetric complications inherent to high-order multiple pregnancies.
At 27 weeks of gestation, severe uterine distension induced frequent, persistent contractions that required immediate hospitalization. After five days of rigorous monitoring, the amniotic sac linked to the solitary placenta ruptured.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Sim, Vice General Director and Director of the Fetal Medicine Center at Phenikaa University Hospital, noted: “To avoid an extremely premature delivery of all three infants at once, our team conducted an emergency consultation. The critical question was no longer simply whether to deliver, but whether we could safely delay the birth of the remaining two fetuses.”
Dr. Nguyen Thi Sim recounts the decisive 36 hours that produced the medical breakthrough.
Under normal circumstances, once one fetus is delivered, the uterus continues vigorous contractions to expel the remaining contents. Confronting this narrow biological window, the medical team pursued an unprecedented course in modern Vietnamese obstetrics: performing a delayed-interval delivery to retain the remaining two fetuses in the womb.
“Delayed-interval delivery is an intervention absent from standard local obstetric textbooks, and our senior specialists, with decades of collective experience, had never encountered a comparable clinical case domestically. Relying on team agility, we initiated the protocol with extreme vigilance, recognizing that a split-second error could derail the outcome,” Dr. Sim explained.
In extreme prematurity, additional gestational days in utero provide immense developmental value. The added time enables vital organs to mature and allows antenatal therapies—such as neuroprotective and lung-maturation regimens—to achieve maximal therapeutic effect.
On the morning of June 11, the first baby boy arrived safely via vaginal delivery, weighing 900 grams. Immediately afterward, obstetricians administered tocolytic medications to suppress contractions, keeping the remaining two infants in the uterus under continuous surveillance.
According to Dr. Sim, prolonging the pregnancy carried formidable hazards for both mother and babies, including maternal-fetal sepsis, fetal distress, and precipitous labor.
After 36 hours of uterine retention, the remaining two amniotic sacs ruptured on the following night amid an unfavorable fetal presentation. Clinicians convened an emergency consultation. Four interdisciplinary teams coordinated simultaneously to execute an urgent overnight cesarean delivery.
The surgical intervention succeeded completely, delivering the remaining two boys safely at 950 grams and 1,000 grams.
Pham Thi Hong Nhung and her family share their emotional reflections during the October 2 hospital gathering.
All three extremely preterm infants developed respiratory distress syndrome and were transferred immediately to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Clinicians placed them on mechanical ventilation within an incubator ecosystem meticulously controlled for thermal stability, nutrition, noise, and light to simulate the intrauterine environment.
After two months of specialized care, all three infants were weaned off ventilators and achieved independent respiration. On September 14, the hospital officially discharged the triplets following three months of neonatal intensive care, with their weights ranging from 3.57 to 3.70 kilograms. To the relief of both parents and physicians, the infants demonstrated strong suckling reflexes, sound neonatal responses, and healthy motor development.
During the reunion on the morning of October 2, medical staff commended the mother’s mental fortitude and the dedicated support of her family throughout the high-risk delivery. Overcome with emotion, Nhung and her husband expressed gratitude to the clinical teams for their 200-day journey, which culminated in the health of their three thriving boys.
The milestone highlights the clinical capabilities of modern fetal medicine and neonatal care in Vietnam, delivering a safe outcome for a high-risk pregnancy.
(Source: cand.vn)
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