BOCA RATON, Fla. — New life brings new beginnings.
"To say that 2020 was a challenging year for all of us is an understatement," said Camila Moulin, a new mom of triplets. "It's been hard for everyone, but despite all of the hardships, we've been blessed three times over with three miracle babies."
Moulin found out in May she was pregnant with triplets.
"It was a huge surprise," she said. "Multiples doesn't run in our family.”
The trio, two identical sisters and a brother, arrived early at 28 weeks last month.
"When I first looked at them, it was, 'OK, are they OK, did they make it?' And then once I knew their hearts were beating and they were fine and had a fighting chance to survive, I was just overwhelmed with joy and happiness and knew I had to do everything for them. Just be strong for them," she said.
The triplets are in the NICU at West Boca Medical Center.
"NICU is a roller coaster of emotions," said Moulin, who also said being pregnant, giving birth and keeping babies safe in a pandemic was scary.
"It felt lonely at times," she said. "It felt scary, but at the same time like a lot of hope."
She knew her babies would be worth it.
"Around the holidays where we are being asked to socially distance, babies have a powerful way of connecting people," she said.
Meredith Haney, the clinical nurse manager for pediatric services at West Boca Medical Center, said she's seen many triplets in her days working there since 1989, but explained that this year is special.
"I get to see a lot of happy endings here, and in the tough year that everyone has been having, it's been almost therapeutic," Haney said.
It has been a year filled with difficulties but also silver linings. It is a time for giving thanks to health care heroes and hope in the form of new life.
"A huge thank you. I couldn't go through a day without (the health care workers)," said Moulin. "I think 'hope' is the right word, you know. Babies, children, they bring us a sense of things will get better."