While the world was watching ʜᴏʀʀɪfɪᴇᴅ as the baby Gammy scandal unfolded, two men in Australia were ᴛᴇʀʀɪfɪᴇᴅ the news would mean they may never get to see the faces of their unborn triplets. Shannon Sanderson, 38, and Peter Trigg, 44, were just three months away from meeting their beautiful triplet girls, via a Thai surrogate mother, when a Perth couple reportedly ᴀʙᴀɴᴅᴏɴᴇᴅ their ᴅɪsᴀʙʟᴇᴅ son Gammy in Thailand. As the news ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ around the world, Thai surrogate agencies went into lockdown, disconnecting their phones and shutting off email connections.
The pair, from Victoria’s Kinglake West, were ᴛᴇʀʀɪfɪᴇᴅ that their goal of starting a family would be dashed. After attempting to father a child in Australia for two years, the couple concluded that Thailand was their greatest chance of ever having a kid. The couple visited Thailand twice to learn more about the surrogacy procedure and speak with agents about the legalities of the agreements. They were then invited to donate sᴘᴇʀᴍ and waited with bated breath for the much-anticipated news. They were ready to call it quits after three failed .I.V.F treatments. They were ᴅʀᴀɪɴᴇᴅ emotionally and financially, but their fourth try surprisingly worked, and they were finally pregnant. The couple had no intention of ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠɪɴɢ triplets in the first place. They were informed they were carrying one kid at first, then two, and then three at nine weeks, according to Shannon’s work email account. When their surrogate was six months pregnant, however, things took an unexpected turn. After leaving their handicapped son Gammy in Thailand to bring home twins born via surrogacy, a Perth couple sent sʜᴏᴄᴋwaves around the world.
Shannon and Peter spent three weeks trying in vain to reach their surrogate agency, ᴅᴇsᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ for answers. The guys were certain that they would not lose their girls after two years of attempting to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ. Internet prodigy Shannon came discovered an internet community for potential surrogate parents. The site, which had over 500 users, provided a comforting presence for the guys, who would talk to others about the contacts they had made with Thai agencies. As rumors on the forum arose that some surrogate moms were ᴀʙᴏʀᴛing their kids since they hadn’t heard from the parents in weeks, their nerves began to fray.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop stepped in as the weeks passed. Her administration promised the couples on the forum that she would talk with the Thai military. Shannon claimed the Minister aided them through the arduous procedure, ensuring that they were granted entry and negotiating with the Thai authorities. There were rumors that the Thai government will introduce court orders requiring couples to wait six months before returning to Australia with their children. Shannon and Peter were finally able to obtain the phone number of their surrogate mother. She was just as happy to speak with the pair after sending out a Facebook prayer in the hopes that the men would locate her. The couple was able to talk with her with the aid of a Thai acquaintance, and she informed them that their infants were still healthy and ready to meet their fathers. Their lovely baby daughters Chloe, Maddison, and Dior were born three months later. Shannon and Peter were finally allowed to bring their babies home to Australia after two months of filling out mountains of paperwork. Shannon and Peter’s home life would never be the same again. The first-time parents were jet-lagged and weary, and they didn’t sleep for 24 hours.
Their friends and relatives warned them that having triplets would be difficult, but the guys underestimated how difficult it would be. At 12-weeks-old, the couple admits that having triplets is challenging yet gratifying. When the girls are awake, the parents acknowledge that making a meal is impossible, and they get by on only four hours of sleep every night. A week after the triplets arrived, Peter went back to work. His business offered him part-time work, but he was unwilling to accept it since his family would not be able to make ends meet on a part-time income.
He now works eight-hour days while Shannon is on maternity leave for six months and stays at home with the triplets for 16 hours. The parents have been struggling with the pattern, and they are looking for help from a volunteer. Volunteers are needed to assist the couple, according to the Multiple Birth Volunteer Support Foundation. The couple is searching for a kid minder with experts who will not be expected to care for the triplets on their own. The girls will need to be fed every three hours, and the position will include feeding, changing, and baby-related tasks. Shannon and Peter both chuckle when asked if they have any intentions to extend their family, satisfied for the time being with their three little ladies.
