Let us introduce you to Enniskillen 'super-mum' Lorraine Fulton, business woman and mother of two-year-old triplets Ella, Abi and Mia.

An early morning is necessary to get her daughters dressed and ready for nursery. The day begins with fruit for the family, before driving to Burrendale, where the girls sit down to breakfast as Lorraine heads off to her dog grooming business 'Dapper Dogs' on the Sligo Road until 2pm.

Laundry is “constant” and other household chores and grocery shopping keep Lorraine on her feet until 5pm, when she collects the triplets from nursery. Then it's the girls' dinner, bath and bed-time, followed by more house work for Lorraine and a much deserved cup of tea and chocolate bar around 9pm.

“People often see me with the triplets and say: 'You've got your hands full'. But they are full of three of the most amazing little people I could wish for,” Lorraine comments.

Before finding out she was expecting triplets, Lorraine's main focus was 'Dapper Dogs', which she established 16 years ago, following completion of a degree in Equine Studies at Enniskillen Agriculture College.

However, she experienced a very difficult pregnancy and was hospitalised 10 times with hyperemesis. The triplets arrived prematurely at 33 weeks and Lorraine recalls that there were 18 doctors present at the birth in the Royal Victoria Hospital: four for each baby and six for her.

Lorraine explains: “Because they are multiples, the three babies were competing for my nutrients in the womb. As a result, the girls have minor issues common in premature babies such as very bad colds at winter because their lungs weren't developed fully when they were born, one wasn't walking when she should have been and one had a dairy allergy which hindered her progress.

“But we are under the consultant led care of Dr. Lipscomb at the South West Acute Hospital and he reviews the girls every three-four months. All the health professionals I've encountered along the way have been so positive and so helpful to me.

“Thankfully they are all minor ailments that can be overcome!”

Mother and toddler groups were not an option with triplets because it would have been a struggle to get them ready and out in the triple buggy in time. After one year, Lorraine felt the girls needed

more stimulation and she needed to return to work on a more regular basis so she took the decision to enrol them in Burrendale Nursery.

“I take my hat off to full-time mums because it is not an easy job,” says Lorraine. “Being in nursery has helped the girls so much. If they were at home they would not be getting the one-to-one attention they are getting in nursery. I made a conscious decision to get them into nursery in order for them to learn and I've seen so much improvement in their language and their counting skills already!

“It was not an easy decision as some might think. It is very costly but I weighed up the pros and cons.I did feel guilty, but, having them in nursery has allowed me to get my freedom back – I needed that respite” Lorraine states.

She has been able to work from 9-2pm each day, a decision that she says has made her “a better person coming through the door, ready to enjoy spending time with my children.”

Lorraine is “so happy to be able to have both aspects in my life.”

Her advice to other busy parents is: “You need to realise where the corners can be cut. If there's a pile of laundry, just fold it and put it away, don't worry about ironing it. A house is perfect, but a home doesn't have to be perfect, the cosmetic things don't matter. As long as the kids are healthy, happy, warm, well-fed and safe, that's all that matters.”

Thanking her parents for all their help, Lorraine concludes: “It's important if you're a busy mum to take all the help you can get – people won't judge you for asking for help!”