Mom Neglecting Newborn Triplets by Leaving Them Crying Alone Inside Backed

A first-time mom of triplets has been backed for leaving her babies indoors while she takes a breath of fresh air outside.

In a now-viral post, u/TripletsMom0, 20, turned to the internet for advice after her fiancé, 24, gave her grief for sitting outside their ground-floor apartment while the two-month-old babies were crying indoors.

However, thousands of Redditors and pediatrician Dr. Rebekah Diamond agreed that taking a breather to regroup your thoughts is the best thing to do during stressful situations.

The woman starts the post by explaining she was shocked to discover she was pregnant for the first time with triplets. Data from the CDC revealed triplet births are decreasing as 2,875 were born in 2020, which is 13 percent down from 2019 (3,286) and 62 percent down since 2003 when 7,663 triplet births were reported.

The stay-at-home mom wrote: "Sometimes I just need some fresh air especially when I can't get them to stop crying and I find myself getting super frustrated to the point of tears, it's honestly so hard and the dad isn't here to help as he's either at work or at school."

She explains stepping outside means sitting on a chair next to their front door with the baby monitor that has a camera.

She states: "Being able to step outside for a few minutes to take a breather is really important to me because I start to have mini panic attacks when I can't get them to stop crying."

She admits feeling "frustrated" and "super overwhelmed" at times, so going outside gives her the opportunity to "calm down."

Diamond, a pediatric hospitalist in New York City and author of forthcoming book Parent Like a Pediatrician, told Newsweek it is better to put your children "somewhere safe and walk away even if they are crying."

"This is healthier for parents and also safer for babies because intense stress can make it hard for even the most loving parent to act safely and gently with babies.

"In order for you to step away so you can regroup, even momentarily, your baby's safety is paramount. For example, babies should be safely in their cribs and not left on any surface or in any room where they have access to hazardous items, can fall, or are in an unsafe infant sleep setup. Staying in or right next to the house is essential, too—no matter how close another location might be, babies can't be left alone.

"Taking the monitor and going to a different part of the house once the babies are put safely in bed, even if they are still crying, is likely a very safe and needed strategy if it's done right. Pediatricians are always there to answer questions and the website 'the period of purple crying' also has concrete strategies for this situation that can help," said Diamond.

However, the triplet's father was furious to find her outside when he returned home from work.

"He thinks that I was being super neglectful and putting the babies in harm's way and even told his parents and now everyone seems to be really against me.

"I grow up in the system my fiancé's family is the only family I have and ever known so it breaks my [heart] that they are so upset with me but I really don't think I was doing anything wrong or putting my babies in harm way but they seems to think otherwise," she said.

The post received more than 33,300 upvotes and over 7,000 comments, as people flocked to share their support for the young mother.

The top comment alone has received more than 68,000 upvotes, it said: "NTA. When I had my baby one of the things the nurses told me repetitively while in hospital and during the home visits is that if she is crying and I know she has been fed, she has a clean nappy on and she isn't sick and I am getting stressed out its ok to go outside for a few minutes to just recollect myself.

"Their exact words were 'a crying baby is an alive baby.' They tell you this because it is better for a baby to be left to cry for a little while and [for]the parents to get a breather, than for parents to wig out and hurt their babies in frustration. This advice was so important. It allowed me to do what I needed to do without feeling guilty. And those few minutes really do help in those times when they won't settle. And I had one, let alone if I had three."

Another user suggested: "Maybe Dad needs to stay home with the babies by himself for about 12 hours just to see what it's like for OP. And see how long it takes for him to need a break."

"Yes, AND any other family members giving her grief. Even an hour, three newborns, they'd be freaking out. OP, please tell anyone who is giving you a hard time to come on over and help," said another.

Newsweek reached out to u/TripletsMom0 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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