By Yvette Wakelin
Half a block of butter.
It may not seem like much, but for new Tauranga parents Julie and Will Steward the equivalent of this weight is stopping them from beginning normal family life.
The eldest of the Matua couple's newborn triplets, Jayden, needs to gain 300g before it is safe to bring him and his brothers Lucas and Daniel home - nearly five weeks after they were born.
Mrs Steward said each non-identical triplet had to weigh more than 2kg before they could be taken home.
"Jayden was the first born and was the smallest - he was little. He really did have a bit of a rough start to life."
Unlike his two brothers, Jayden, who now weighs 1.69kg, was under 1.5kg when he arrived by caesarean section at Waikato Hospital on November 28. Triplets are rare with one set being born every two to three years to Tauranga parents.
"He was just so tiny compared to the Lucas and Daniel. With triplets they are always going to be small, but the others were a lot bigger than Jayden," she said.
Lucas, born at 3.24pm - three minutes after his elder brother - was 1.95kg, while the youngest, Daniel was the biggest at 2.04kg.
Mrs Steward, a drug and alcohol counsellor at Tauranga Hospital, said Jayden's slow weight gain was not helped by the fact he wasn't too keen on milk for several weeks.
"He didn't really tolerate his milk to start with, probably for the first one to two weeks."
Now however, he was doing his best to catch up with his younger brothers.
"He is doing really well and is starting to put on the weight now. We are hoping we will be able to take them all home by the middle of January."
When this does happen it will be a big milestone for the new parents whose "first and only children" celebrated Christmas in hospital - and are set to welcome the New Year the same way.
"It's been pretty hard, it's been a really long time. But you have to do it if you want healthy kids."
Mr Steward said the couple arrived on Christmas Day to find the triplets, born at 31 weeks and four days gestation, decked out in hats and Christmas stockings made by nurse Yvonne Baker.
Mr Steward, a 37-year-old forestry information specialist, said it had been difficult but knew his children were in safe hands.
"The staff here have been really great. At the moment we are pretty much just part-time parents." "We are really looking forward to getting them home and into a routine."
Three sons are a Christmas cracker
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