By Rachel Tiffen
Whanganui police are interviewing the whanau of two-month-old Hinekawa Topia as they try to piece together how she was killed.
Hinekawa was a triplet and a support group for multiple births says there are extra demands on the parents of such families.
Instead of one bundle of joy, Whanganui mother Tiffany Topia got three.
But last Thursday, somehow something went tragically wrong.
Hinekawa was taken to Whanganui Hospital not breathing where her head injuries proved fatal and were found to be non-accidental.
Fiona Purchase, who heads the Multiple Birth Association, says rearing one baby is tough enough.
“Every time when you're feeding, for example, it can take a cycle of an hour and a half to two hours to feed twins,” she says. “By the time you get up in the night, by the time you get to bed, that happens every three to four hours.”
Such demands require support not just from family, but also from groups such as Ms Purchase’s organisation.
“There are increased financial costs and often loss income because many fathers take time off work to help in the home,” she says.
Two of the surviving triplet and their five-year-old brother were also brought to Whanganui Hospital to be checked for injuries. They were expected to be released today into the care of Child, Youth and Family while the police investigation is underway.
Police have searched and seized evidence from two houses as they try to figure out how these three sisters became two.
3 News