“Really challenging, but amazing at the same time”– that’s how Anna Pyle describes the past year since the birth of her triplets, which swelled their family to seven children– all aged under 8.
Anna and Jeremy Pyle’s plans for a fifth and final child were upended after discovering they were due with a 1 in 200-million chance identical triplets.
10 months in, the pair from Takahiwai in Whangārei, say learning to accept help from others has been crucial, including asking some close friends and family to stay overnight in the early months.
“I typically would never have asked for help, but now I know that if I need help, it’s best to ask and people can always say no… there’s no way we would be coping as we are without the help we’ve had from family and friends,” says Anna.
Dealing with the sleep deprivation that comes with multiple babies has been particularly tough.
“With singleton babies, I’ve never had to rely on Jeremy’s help in the night unless the kids wake. Whereas up until the triplets were about 4 months old, I couldn’t do the feeds on my own throughout the night.”
But she says raising three babies at the same time is getting easier.
“The babies are so much fun hearing them giggle to each other and play next to each other… (and) the kids are so good with the babies and love entertaining and cuddling them.”
The family homeschool and have an au pair who works weekdays, which has helped Anna feel braver about family outings.
“I’m not a homebody, but since having the triplets, I don’t really want to go anywhere!!”
“I had a few bad experiences when they were 3-4 months old, being out with the whole family where babies were really unsettled, especially once we got home for the rest of the day, so that put me off outings for a good while… (but) I am trying to get better at going out.”
She has started doing trips with the older children at least once a week.
“It’s been really good for all of us so the kids are reminded how much I enjoy spending time with them.”
When asked for tips about getting through the first year with multiples, Anna suggests “coffee!” But, she says, decaf is handy in the early days if you don’t want to be wired when you have the opportunity to sleep.
As for the busyness of ‘mum life’, Anna says it’s taken a few children for her to get to a place of being grateful for short bursts of peace and quiet, and OK about being constantly ‘on the go’ while the kids are awake.
“They all want to know how loved and appreciated they are, and that you enjoy spending time with them. So, sometimes it’s hard to feel like you get any downtime! But the time comes, and I think I’ve become a better mum just being grateful when I do have it, rather than expecting to get it each day.”
Anna says she had to get creative about spending time with her other children, like playing games while expressing milk. She also makes sure not to miss their nightly ritual of ‘blessings’ with each child.
“It’s a way to hear how they found the day, and gives a chance for them to share more if they are really excited or upset about something”.
Equally important is spending quality time with your spouse.
“It’s so easy to not give your spouse the best of you, especially when you are both so exhausted. Keep encouraging and building each other up – you’re a team!”
To fellow multiples parents, Anna says it’s normal to grieve or be disappointed if things don’t go quite as you dreamed.
“I really wanted to breastfeed the triplets.. but they had other ideas, so it got to the point I just had to let go of it.
“Each of you may have things that have been emotional challenging – that seems to be part of the incredible journey we are on with multiples!”
Anna says remember to take one day at a time.
“I really relate to the saying that the days are long, but the years are short.”
Read the full Q+A with Anna Pyle here
Authored in June 2025 by Natasha Bull