Gerringong grandmother Anne Colquit is reaching out to the wider community to rally together and help support her daughter and son-in-law’s family, who have triplets in two different hospitals; one hour and a half apart, with one newborn suffering severe complications.

Triplets Ada, Lillie, and Maggie were born six weeks premature on 19 August and it was not the most straightforward of pregnancies. 

When Louise was giving birth, it was discovered that the triplets were being carried in separate placentas – Ada and Lillie in one and Maggie in the other.

“Maggie needed special care and she was in Wollongong and then she was moved back to Sydney because she was fitting [having seizures],” Anne said.

Due to a shortage of beds, it means Louise must choose between where her time is spent most.

Complicating this matter further is the fact that Louise and her husband Ste’s immediate family is spread out across the coastline of Sydney’s eastern suburbs all the way down the South Coast to Narooma.

Anne explained Maggie has unfortunately suffered some brain damage (areas of dead brain tissue) as well as the seizures and has needed to be resuscitated on more than one occasion.

“Nobody knows what’s wrong – she stops breathing,” Anne said.

“It’s happened a few times in their [Louise and Ste’s] company. They’ve been cuddling her, and she’s stopped breathing. So, it’s very distressing, of course.

“I haven’t even met Maggie yet.

“Obviously the next few weeks are really critical for baby Maggie – we’re waiting for a miracle.”

Anne has been able to spend time with Ada and Lillie, sharing the love of a grandmother with them.

She told The Bugle that they are slowly meeting their milestones.

“I was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to spend that two and a half weeks after their birth, being there just to cuddle them and change them and feed them,” Anne said.

“And I had both of them in my arms and I’d just sit there for a couple of hours and talk to them and sing to them.”

Anne with Ada (left) and Lillie (right). Photo: Anne Colquit

Louise and Ste are parents to four young children with four-year-old daughter Grace, who spends four days a week at child care, being understandably unsettled with the changes to her routine.

“Between all of us, we’ve been helping with Grace, taking her on weekends and just trying to make her – she’s just been so unsettled,” Anne said.

With Louise’s profession being that of a nurse, there is the understanding within the family that whilst it is difficult for the triplets to be separated from their mother, the beds in Randwick’s Royal Women’s Hospital are prioritised for newborns with higher needs.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page, ‘Baby Maggie Needs Us! Please Help Her Family’, where Louise’s sister, Ally, has been providing updates to donators and followers.

On 23 September, Ally shared that there have been meetings with doctors with continuous monitoring of Maggie’s brain activity, with episodes of apnoea and little answers and no end date in sight. There was good news with the speech pathologist confirming she can suck and swallow.

Adding to the pressures on the Shaw family, Ste has been predominantly looking after Grace while upholding work commitments as an electrician, while also travelling between Wollongong and Randwick to support his wife and newborn triplets.

For more information on how to donate and Ally's updates head to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/baby-maggie-needs-us-please-help-her-family