Supersize delivery! When Kate Tipton gave birth to triplets at 34 weeks on March 16, the Knoxville, Tennessee, mom was shocked to learn the babies weighed a combined 19.6 pounds, making them the biggest-ever born at University of Tennessee Medical Center. Turns out, they just missed the world record for the heaviest triplet birth weight by just 2.4 pounds, per ABC News.
Jack, Stella and Luke Tipton tipped the scales at 7 pounds, 4 ounces; 6 pounds, 3 ounces and 5 pounds, 9 ounces, respectively.
“We were shocked,” Tipton told ABC News. “They weighed Jack twice. He was first. They thought, ‘That’s not right. He can’t weigh 7 pounds, 4 ounces as a triplet.’ There was so much noise and excitement and disbelief.”
According to The Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest triplets ever recorded were born in California in 2004 and had a combined weight of 22 pounds.
“I said, ‘Wow, what if I I had been pregnant another week?’” Tipton joked to ABC.
Tipton and her husband, Caleb, are also parents of Sophia, 9, and Aubrey, 8. “They have always been little mommies, so when the triplets were born they couldn’t wait to help out,” Tipton tells Us Weekly. The help is much appreciated. After all, the 5-month-old babies — who were breast-fed until two months — go through 12 bottles and 30 diapers a day.
“I could change a dirty diaper in my sleep!” Tipton tells Us. “I haven’t timed myself, but I’m pretty sure I could change all three of them in less than two minutes. Caleb always takes his time changing diapers. For him, it’s a time to bond with the babies. He always bends down and lets them grab his hair and his cheeks.”
Her advice for moms and dads of multiples: Pick up a copy of Twelve Hours’ Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old, by Suzie Giordano. “My husband came home with a book one day and said, ‘I think we can teach the babies how to sleep 12 hours straight if we follow these guidelines,’” Tipton says. ”Sure enough, one month after training, they all three sleep from 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.”
Tipton shares her other must-haves:
DockATot When the Tipton family travels, Jack, Stella and Luke get their zzz’s in the European brand’s lightweight loungers. “They are so much easier to use in place of three pack ’n plays.”
Tubby Todd Bath Products “They are made with 100 percent natural, plant-based ingredients. The coconut everyday lotion is my favorite.”
4moms mamaRoo Infant Seat “When all three start to lose it and Caleb isn’t home from work yet, I will put two in the Mamaroos and wear one. More of the time, they end up falling asleep.”
The Baby Shusher “It’s a portable noise machine that we use every night to put the babies to sleep. I love it because I can attach it to the stroller handle when we are on a walk during nap time.”