A couple have beaten 2-million-to-one odds to have ‘miracle’ identical triplets, after being warned by doctors there was a 50 per cent chance of them losing all three baby girls.
Becky Sefton, 29, and partner Adam Balduckie, 33, from Staffordshire, were stunned to discovered they were expecting naturally conceived identical triplets, which are phenomenally rare, with the chances of having them as high as one in 2 million.
Doctors warned the couple that their babies had a 50 per cent chance of making it, and even offered them a foetal reduction, which would cause them to lose one of the children but increase the likelihood of saving the other two.
But the couple decided against it, and welcomed identical twins Ellie and Everlyn and sister Ella on March 28, who were born seven weeks premature and weighing just 3lbs each.
Mother-of-six Becky said: ‘It is really rare to have triplets like this. Usually you get twins and then a singleton of the opposite sex, so it’s quite rare to get three girls or three boys.
‘We did conceive naturally – I released two eggs one of which split into the twins and the other was the singleton.
‘Adam has twins in his family so we knew it was possible but never expected to have triplets.
‘I’m so proud. It still hasn’t hit us yet that we have got three. A month down the line it hasn’t sunk in.
‘Throughout all of our pregnancy there was high risk, over 50 per cent, that none of them would make it.
‘The consultant suggested foetal reduction which is where you lose one of them so there’s lower risk of a miscarriage and losing all of them.’
She explained: ‘There was high risk of cross contamination between them with only one placenta. But we decided not to intervene and let nature take its course.
‘We thought if we lose one or all of them it means they weren’t meant to survive, but they came out kicking and screaming.’
Becky’s due date for the babies was May 14 but she was rushed to hospital on March 27 when she started having contractions.
She said: ‘I went into labour at six o’clock the next day and didn’t even realise.
‘The nurse came running in and said: ‘Didn’t you know you are having contractions every 10 minutes.’
‘I was already 4.5cm and was rushed down to theatre to get them out. I was awake for the caesarean but didn’t even know what was going on.’
‘They were hurrying so much they ran me down on the same bed I’d been lying on.’
Becky said the birth was an incredibly experience, revealing: ‘It was a miracle. The anaesthetist actually shouted “Jesus!” when they came out screaming and crying.
‘He said he couldn’t believe they were all crying because their lungs were not developed yet.’
Due to the lockdown rules, Adam, a window fitter, was not present at the births when Becky had a caesarean at Birmingham Women’s Hospital.
Becky said: ‘Because we live in Tamworth and I was in Birmingham after they rang Adam he wasn’t able to get to theatre in time.’
Becky said: ‘It has been quite difficult to be honest. My partner ended up missing the birth as I was rushed in to have a caesarean.
‘When he got to the hospital he didn’t know if they were born.’
The couple’s other three children were also been unable to meet their new sisters while they gained weight in hospital.
Becky revealed: ‘Once I was in recovery I had to stay in hospital for four days and Adam wasn’t able to visit me on the ward but he could see his daughters on his own.
‘If I went down to see them in neo-natal he had to wait until I left or even until the next day. We weren’t able to see our daughters together.
‘It’s been very unusual compared to my previous births. It was quite strange not to have him there for four days.
‘In neo-natal we had to ask to take them out of their incubators and it was difficult to hold them because they were so tiny and covered in wires and tubes.
‘You had to wear masks, aprons and gloves and wash our hands. It has been a nightmare.’
Becky added: ‘I lost quite a lot of blood, three pints in total, but there were no complications or problems with the birth.
‘I recovered quite quickly and spent four days in hospital then was discharged.’
Everlyn was transferred to Good Hope Hospital for more intensive treatment while the other babies stayed in Birmingham Women’s Hospital before they were all allowed home.
Becky, who also has seven-year-old daughter Poppy, and sons Alfie, five, and Freddie, two, said: ‘I went to see them every day because I’ve had to have training on how to tube feed them.
‘It’s been really hard and stressful for myself seeing them in separate visits and in different hospitals.
‘My other three children didn’t see them for three weeks until we brought them home. They are all smitten with them and couldn’t believe it.
‘They are really happy to have three more siblings.’
Becky and Adam finally took the triplets home last week and are adapting to their extra-large family during lockdown.
Father Adam said: ‘It has been quite strange and nerve-wracking worrying about whether Becky or the girls could catch something like coronavirus.
‘The girls are doing brilliantly now. They are all laid back and don’t have distinct personalities yet.
‘The kids are all pitching into help which is great. We’re just happy we’re all together.
‘We’ve made a strict family routine so the triplets have fallen into that which makes life a lot easier for us.
‘You have got to be organised with three newborns. It is exhausting but very rewarding.’
Source: dailymail.co.uk
