Mom loses life after birth of triplets

(Left): The Jan 1 photo shows the triplet girls, whose mother died of H1N1on Dec 29. (Right): The bereft and debt-ridden Tao Huajiang receives widespread media attention and public support. Photos by Li Ziheng

In an apartment decorated with colorful flowers, three new born triplets sleep soundly.

Their mother, Yang Cuicui, died just six days after giving birth, following complications of H1N1, or swine flu.

"We fell in love on Dec 29, 2008. On the same day, a year later, I buried her," says the father Tao Huajiang quietly, staring at their wedding picture on the wall.

Besides the formidable task of raising the three girls, the young father faces medical bills of up to 100,000 yuan ($14,200).

The couple first met on a blind date arranged by their neighbors and got married three months later in Pingdu city, Shandong province. The young couple were thrilled when Yang became pregnant with triplets. The first time they heard the heartbeats of their babies, they almost jumped with joy.

However, doctors advised the 25-year-old mother to consider doing away with one or two fetuses, saying that babies of triplet pregnancies are often born premature and with complications.