IT was news Naim and Jessica Abou-Khazaal were not happy to hear: Jessica might be having a miscarriage.
She was three months pregnant and experiencing abdominal pain. The North Vancouver couple was at Lions Gate Hospital to have the pain assessed when a doctor told them there might be a problem with the pregnancy.
It was a Sunday night and Naim and Jessica were told they would have to return the next day for an ultrasound because a technician wasn't available.
The next day, they returned to the hospital for the test, and when the doctor came in with the results he asked them if they had used IVF (in-vitro fertilization). They told him no. His response was unexpected: "Congratulations you don't have one heartbeat, you have three heartbeats."
Jessica was pregnant with triplets.
"My first reaction was university costs, (that was) the first thing that crossed my mind," says Naim with a laugh. "We were just in a state of shock for a good couple of weeks. And then once it settled in we were incredibly excited, and we look at it as a gift, as a miracle, so we're really happy."
On Feb. 26, Naim and Jessica welcomed their three sons: Hassane, Ahmad and Nadeem.
The trio was born at B.C. Women's Hospital where they stayed in the ICU for a few weeks. Born at just over 32 weeks, all three were underweight: one was four pounds and one was four-and-a-half pounds.
Baby Nadeem was just two pounds.
"He would fit in my hand," says Naim of the son he referred to as his "little peanut." He now calls him his "little champion" because he is growing and thriving, just like his brothers.
Because it was such a high-risk pregnancy, Naim and Jessica could only plan so much before the birth, and had to deal every day with the reality that not all the babies might survive. They didn't even buy a stroller until after the babies were born. After leaving B.C. Women's Hospital, the babies spent a few weeks at Lions Gate Hospital before they were sent home.
"It felt like you were bringing home a part of you, like you felt you were bringing home a completion," says Naim. "It was the most incredible, warm feeling."
He says although he and his wife had a realistic idea of how much work they were in for, they didn't really know how much work they were in for.
"There's no joking, it's a lot of work," says Naim with a laugh.
The couple operates a family business in North Vancouver called Samco Beauty Supplies, which is a beauty supply and distribution company, and although they do have baby help from family and friends nighttimes are still very busy.
"We look forward to when they sleep more so we can sleep more," says Naim.
Not surprisingly, the addition of three children at once has had an effect on the couple's relationship.
"The dynamics of the family have completely changed. We used to be able to be really selfish and watch movies in the evening and do what we wanted to do, go out on the weekend, and things obviously completely changed. But it's brought us closer in a whole different way that we never knew before," explains Naim.
He says he can't wait until his kids are old enough for the family to go on hikes together and enjoy the outdoors. Long ago, he promised himself that if he ever had any children he would raise them the way his father raised him, with a lot of support for whatever they wanted to do.
"In my personal opinion, the most important part about being a father is teaching your kids how to be true in everything that they do. And everything that they do they do it 110 per cent."
