One-year-old triplets Daisy, Esme and Evie have come a long way since a complex pregnancy first brought their family to Children’s Wisconsin.

In October 2024, what began as a routine prenatal appointment for mom Annette quickly turned into a life-changing surprise. During an early ultrasound, Annette learned she wasn’t expecting just one baby — she was expecting triplets.

The surprise launched Annette and her husband Dylan into a world of appointments, questions and careful monitoring. Through the Fetal Concerns Center at Children’s Wisconsin, a team of experts followed the pregnancy closely. They learned that Daisy occupied one placenta, while identical twins Evie and Esme shared another. The shared placenta required additional monitoring, and before birth, Evie and Esme were diagnosed with cleft palate.

When Annette delivered the girls at 31 weeks and five days, they were immediately cared for in the Children’s Wisconsin’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where highly specialized teams worked together to support their growth and development. Over the following months, the triplets benefited from coordinated care involving specialists in Plastic Surgery, Cardiology, Nutrition, Audiology, Speech and Ophthalmology. And earlier this year, Esme and Evie took another big step forward when they underwent successful cleft palate repair surgeries.

Today, all three sisters are on the move, constantly exploring and reaching exciting milestones. Daisy is fearless, social and always leading the way. Esme is loving and cuddly, often learning from watching her sisters. Evie, affectionately nicknamed "little peanut," brings a calm presence to the trio.

As she reflects on the experience, Annette says the support and care their family received at Children’s Wisconsin made all the difference. "Although it felt like a lifetime that the girls were in the NICU, one thing that kept me positive was knowing they were with the best of the best," she says. "We were confident they were in the best hands."