Latter-day Saint Life

The Moment These LDS Parents Unexpectedly Found Out They Were Going to Have 6 Kids Under the Age of 5

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UPDATE: LDS Living has been notified that the Beckstead family lost one of the triplets. Our prayers are with them during this difficult time. (See below for a statement from the Beckstead family.)

The young family of Ben and Jill Beckstead will be doubling the number of children they have in the near future. In September of last year, after deciding to add baby number four to their three children under the age of 5, they found out they were going to have triplets.

From the day they found out, Ben posted on Instagram, “We went to the doctor this afternoon for the first ultrasound for baby #4 and it turns out it was an ultrasound for baby #5 and baby #6 as well!” They have created an Instagram account, @fromthreetosix, to share the progress of the triplets.

Sept. 23, 2016, We went to the doctor this afternoon for the first ultrasound for baby #4 and it turns out it was an ultrasound for baby #5 and baby #6 as well!This was the conversation with our doctor: Dr. B: Do you have help around the house? Us: Yeah, we have family close. Dr. B: What would you say if I told you there are two babies in there? Us: Are you serious?? Are there really two in there??? That is crazy/awesome! Then he continues the ultrasound Dr. B: Ok, so do you have A LOT of help around the house? Us: Ummm we guess so..... Dr. B. So you would be ok if I told you that you are having three babies? Us: Are you serious?? Are you even being serious right now?!?!?! Please do not mess with us right now! Dr. B: There are three of them and you guys are going to need A LOT of help!! Us: ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?!?! That is INSANE!! Part of what made this even more chaotic was that Jack and Luke were there. Jack was pulling on all of the cords under Jill’s chair and Luke was hitting me in the face with a toy fire truck. The doctor congratulated and left without taking any ultrasound pictures. A few minutes later, the nurse came back in and asked if we were ok and I said, No, there are three of them!! She couldn’t believe it. She said she has never seen me look like that before. She asked to see the ultrasound pictures and we didn’t have any. She said Dr. B said you guys were having triplets and gave us your chart and walked away excited and shocked. She said we have got to get you guys some ultrasound pictures, so she had Jill hop back on the chair and took some pictures for us. Then Jill was getting her blood drawn and the nurse said I didn’t look very good and asked if I wanted some juice. I was like, No, I don’t want juice. Juice isn’t going to help! I get a minute to process the fact that I just doubled my kids!!! All I could feel was a swelling in my heart of love and comfort. I prayed before we went in that no matter what we found out that I would feel peace and that the Lord does answer prayers. I know he is mindful of me and my family. I am the luckiest man alive to have the wife and kids I do. #triplets #becksteadpartyof8 #what A photo posted by Ben & Jill Beckstead (@fromthreetosix) on Jan 15, 2017 at 1:51pm PST

They will be expecting twin boys as well as a triplet sister coming together sometime in March.

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Meredith Duffy, a friend of Jill since high school, shared her feelings of this tender family by saying they have “patience and absolute love for their children that transcends anyone else I’ve ever met.”

Besides the initial shock of having triplets, they also felt peace in answer to prayers.

“All I could feel was a swelling in my heart of love and comfort. I prayed before we went in that no matter what we found out that I would feel peace and that the Lord does answer prayers. I know he is mindful of me and my family. I am the luckiest man alive to have the wife and kids I do,” Ben said on Instagram.

Here is a cute video of Ben and Jill sharing the exciting news with their children:

Some have mentioned the YouTube video didn't work for them so here it is! This one does cut off after a minute though. 😃👶🏼👶🏼👶🏼 A video posted by Ben & Jill Beckstead (@fromthreetosix) on Jan 18, 2017 at 11:42am PST

UPDATE: The Beckstead family just released the following Instagram post:

Jan. 18, 2017, We got the most shocking and heartbreaking news of our life. Baby A no longer had a heart beat. On Tuesday, Jan. 17 we met with our high risk doctor and Baby A’s bladder was no longer visible. She told us we should meet with the fetal surgeon at USC as soon as possible. This ultrasound photo is the last one with Baby A’s heart beating. We went up to USC thinking our worst case scenario would be having the surgery to correct the TTTS, the surgery would not be successful, and we would need to deliver all three the babies. After the ultrasound, the doctor came in and told us that some time between our appointment the day before and our appointment today, Baby A's heart stopped beating. We were shocked and devastated beyond comprehension. So confused and heartbroken for Baby A. The doctor said it is important to grieve and continue to fight for the other two babies as well. That is just what we will do. As we have processed our loss over the last week or so, we have felt so much love and support from others. It is humbling yet inspiring to see and feel of everyone's love for me and my family. We are especially grateful for our loving Heavenly Father that has blessed us with so much and has given us so much. This is a difficult loss, but it does not change the fact that our Heavenly Father loves us. He has not abandon us in our difficult time. He is with us. The Savior’s atonement is allowing us to heal and carry on. We feel of his love for our family. Although this is not the journey we were hoping and praying for, it is the journey our loving Heavenly Father has given us. We will do our best to find joy in the journey, live with gratitude, and press forward with faith recognizing God has blessed us with so much!

Images of the Beckstead family courtesy of Meredith Duffy.
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