BY: Juli Auclair Lipof
Marcus Passow has a lot to be thankful for this Father’s Day. For starters, 30 little fingers and 30 tiny toes.
Not to mention his sensational wife, Julie, who brought Matias, Francesca and Luciana into the world on September 23, 2013.
Yes, this will be Marcus’ very first Father’s Day!
“I am so lucky now to have three wonderful, beautiful and healthy babies that I love so much. I am also so fortunate to have my wonderful wife Julie that puts in long days and even longer nights to ensure Matias, Luciana, and Francesca are taken care of, without her love and her commitment over the years, none of this would have been possible.” ~Marcus Passow
Marcus and Julie struggled for years to become pregnant…
…and often found it difficult to remain optimistic.
“Each day I had to find a reason to inch forward and remain positive.”
Eventually Marcus and Julie sought help from fertility specialist, Dr. Bradford Kolb at HRC Fertility in Pasadena, California. That’s when their lives and their luck began to change thanks to IVF and Dr. Kolb.
Over the past few months, since the triplets were born, Marcus has become a pro at diaper duty, feedings and playtime when he’s not at work.
He took time out of his very busy day to fill us in on what it was like to hear the pregnancy news, his experience in the delivery room and more!
Q- Tell us about the moment that you found out Julie was pregnant with triplets…what went through your mind?
MARCUS – “The day we were at Dr. Kolb’s office waiting for the ultra sound I was extremely nervous because of the difficulty had just trying to get pregnant. Dr. Kolb made a joke like maybe there will be triplets because this was the third cycle of in vitro fertilization that we had done. He began the ultra sound and it seemed like an eternity when he said, “I was joking,” (my heart stopped for a few seconds fearing an unsuccessful cycle) then he said, “It is triplets!” I looked at my wife, Julie and we both laughed. It was surreal and I was overwhelmed with happiness, but I also knew we still had a long journey ahead of us to have a healthy pregnancy.“
Q- What was the experience like for you in the delivery room as Matias, Luciana and Francesca were born?
MARCUS – “It was an experience like no other. First it was extremely quick, from the time I walked into the delivery room and the babies were born it was less than 5 minutes. Matias was born and all I could think of was cry, please cry so I knew he was breathing. He did and then the doctor handed him off to a team of medical staff that began treating him. A minute later Luciana was born and the same thoughts went through my mind, please cry and she did, she was quickly handed off to another team of medical staff. Within the same minute Francesca was born and the same thought went through my mind again, and I heard her wonderful cry. From then on it was a blur, the medical staff had me back in forth from the room Julie, Luciana, and Francesca were in, to the room they had taken Matias to, then to the NICU where Luciana went, to the nursery where Matias and
and Francesca were then to the recovery room with Julie, back to the NICU because Francesca was taken there, then to the waiting room to tell family. The best way to describe it in one word is, “Crazy.”
Q- You’re a first time dad of THREE…what is that like? Is it how you imagined it would be?
“Being a first time Dad, and a Dad of triplets is a lot of work. But I never knew how much their little faces, their smiles, and their different personalities would bring so much joy, happiness and love into my heart.”
Q- This will be your very first Father’s Day! It must be a very emotional time for you? How do you plan to spend the day?
MARCUS – “I know that my first Father’s Day will be emotional, but I know the emotions will really kick in on the actual day, when my wife and I reflect back on the journey it took to get here. I am pretty simple maybe a walk in the morning with my family, a BBQ at the house and enjoy the day with my family.”
Juli Auclair Lipof spent 18 years as a TV news anchor and reporter before switching gears and launching her own video-based parenting website www.NotSupermom.com.
NotSupermom™ is chock-full of parenting advice and tips with a healthy dose of humor! She is also a writer, producer and social media manager. Juli lives in a suburb of New York City, with her husband and two children.