Katie Craw, 26 – A mother beat staggering odds of 200 million to one to give birth to naturally conceived identical triplets – doubling the size of her family overnight. She and partner Rob Ellis from Pentre Maelor, Wales have made history after giving birth to an identical pair of triplets. They almost Fᴀɪɴᴛᴇᴅ when they were told their second child was actually three at their 12-week sᴄᴀɴ. Usually, triplets are ɴᴏɴ identical and are created when ᴛᴡᴏ eggs are Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪsᴇᴅ and one goes on to grow into twins. This occurrence is termed to be incredibly rare in the world of medical science. occurring with an odds ratio of 200 million to one confirmed report.
The couple explained how they literally had to leave the hospital tags on after they left the hospital because that’s honestly how hard it is to tell all of them apart. Katie is one of just a handful of women in Britain to have identical triplets, known as ᴍᴏɴᴏᴢʏɢᴏᴛɪᴄ, where the Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪsᴇᴅ egg splits into three after conception. The couple already had a four-year-old son Jacob, born in 2015, and wanted him to be at school when they started trying for their second. Amazingly Katie got pregnant the second month of trying and they excitedly prepared to welcome a new baby brother or sister.
Katie said: ” Within five seconds of the sᴏɴᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜᴇʀ having the sᴄᴀɴɴᴇʀ on my ᴛᴜᴍᴍʏ she asked me to take a deep ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ in. I thought she was going to tell me some ʙᴀᴅ news but she just came out with ‘I can see three ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs.’ I just knew she wasn’t joking. They kept saying to me you are taking this really well and I am not taking this really well . We were taken to a side room. I was crying and Rob was as white as a sheet. They said how ʀᴀʀᴇ it was but they ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ know how ʀᴀʀᴇ at that point. They thought it was ᴛᴡᴏ eggs where one had split. They told us about all the ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs but they said you can still have three healthy babies.”
The pregnancy went swimmingly, with Katie seeing her midwife weekly and being sᴄᴀɴɴᴇᴅ every fortnight to make sure the little ones were developing properly. Two weeks later the couple returned for another sᴄᴀɴ where it was discovered that the babies each had their ᴏᴡɴ sᴀᴄ ᴏf Fʟᴜɪᴅ. The babies carried on growing at brilliant ʀᴀᴛᴇs and Katie was booked in for a ᴄᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ at 32 weeks – normal practice with multiple births. However, at 30 weeks and one day, they started up again and she was ʀᴜsʜᴇᴅ by ambulance to a hospital in Wrexham. Tommy, Joshua, and Eddie – born by ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ on February 9 genetically identical. Hilariously, Katie and Rob initially had to leave the ᴛᴏᴛs’ hospital tags on in order to tell them apart. Tommy was born at 17.50 weighing 2lbs 11.5oz, Joshua at 17.51 weighing 3lbs 4.5oz, and Eddie at 17.52 at 3lbs 3.5oz.
Katie said:” Tommy came out and took a big breath and screamed and the whole of the theater cheered. And it was the same with Joshua and Eddie. I was full of ᴀᴅʀᴇɴᴀʟɪɴᴇ.” Tommy and Joshua were transferred that night to Gʟᴀɴ Cʟᴡʏᴅ hospital in Bodelwyddan, while Eddie followed a day later. Katie was ᴅɪsᴄʜᴀʀɢᴇᴅ after a week and spent a further fortnight in parent accommodation, but it was then sʜᴜᴛ as the ᴄᴏʀᴏɴᴀᴠɪʀᴜs ᴘᴀɴᴅᴇᴍɪᴄ began to take hold across Bʀɪᴛᴀɪɴ. Thankfully Josh and Eddie only spent almost seven weeks in the hospital and Tommy came home ten days after them.
She added: “It was difficult ɴᴏᴛ having us all together. There were times when I felt really lonely and I could ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ see this day. Nᴏɴᴇ of them have really had any ɪssᴜᴇs and a lot of other mums do so I feel really lucky. I keep thinking I’m going to ᴄʀᴀsʜ or have an emotional day but I’m just so happy we’re all home and ᴄʀᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ on.” And she says the new family-of-six have been bowled ᴏᴠᴇʀ by the kindness they have received from members of their community. Neighbors have even left ᴘᴀᴄᴋs of nappies and other supplies on their doorstep anonymously to help the young couple financially. Katie and Rob say the birth of their babies has been a ray of sunshine amid the ɢʟᴏᴏᴍ ᴏF Ⓒⓞⓥⓘⓓ-19. She said:” We really do feel so lucky. They say it takes a village to raise a child and it’s so true .”
