Becoming a grandmother to triplets just over two years ago has seen a big career change for ‘granny nanny' Gaye Bartlett.

It was a huge surprise for the whole family when daughter Nicole Bartlett fell pregnant with triplets.

Nicole says she was initially told at 12 weeks it was twins, before a third heartbeat was revealed.

'My dad is a twin, so we knew multiple birth was a possibility but we never expected three,” she says.

'I didn't know how we would cope.”

When triplets Hudson, Vincent and Lincoln arrived there were six months of various family members sleeping over to help with tricky night feeds, and four weeks of ‘muddling through', until the family signed up with in-home childcare provider, PORSE.

Nicole's mother Gaye decided to leave her part-time job, becoming a PORSE Nanny helping her daughter take care of the triplets at home.

'It was a positive change for me and works for everyone,” she says.

'I can be close to my grandchildren but also earn a living at the same time.”

For Gaye it was an opportunity to witness important milestones in the lives of her grandsons, while also supporting her daughter.

'I still earn an income, but this way I spend every day playing with my grandchildren. I couldn't think of anything better.”

PORSE General Manager Kerry Henderson says Multiples Awareness Week, which runs from Sunday 6 to 12 November, was a great chance to celebrate the challenges and joys these families experience.

'Parents of multiples need and appreciate the support they get from their families, friends, and organisations providing services to help them raise happy and healthy babies.”

In–home childcare is a popular choice for parents of multiples who want to keep their children in a home environment, with 104 families with multiples enrolled across the country.

'It's a very secure feeling knowing the triplets are in good hands with my mother and they are learning and developing in a safe home environment,” says Nicole.

PORSE has been a partner of Multiples NZ for four years, helping to match and support families with multiples with loving home educators or nannies under the PORSE Programme.

As a committee member of the Hawke's Bay Multiple Birth club branch, Nicole found it hugely beneficial to have backing from other parents facing the same challenges.

'It's a scary time figuring everything out with twins, triplets or quads, but it's good to know other people have been through it all too and can relate.”

According to Statistics New Zealand, multiple births make up 1.3 to 2 per cent of all births in this country.

Last year there were 14 sets of triplets, up from 11 sets of triplets in 2014.