A proud mum told how she defied odds of 2,000,000-1 to naturally ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ three identical girl triplets. Miraculously, Melanie naturally ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ triplets.
Melanie Thornton, 33 and husband Martin, 27 from Paignton, Devon. The couple started trying for a baby early this year and found out on Valentine’s Day that Melanie was expecting. Melanie said: “I really disliked being ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ the first time so I thought that was that. I was complete with daughter Tia, 13 but a couple of years ago my husband said he wanted to have another baby. He managed to talk me into it and I had my ɪᴍᴘʟᴀɴᴛ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ and we were ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ after about four months.”
Mother’s instinct told Melanie she might be ᴄᴀʀʀʏɪɴɢ more than one baby, but a ᴘʀɪᴠᴀᴛᴇ sᴄᴀɴ at five weeks reassured her, after it appeared to show a single ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ. When they went for the 12 week sᴄᴀɴ at Torbay Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ, ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs – who thought the couple must have had ⒾⓋⒻ – told the sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ pair they were expecting three.
Melanie said: “I kept having a recurring dream where the sᴏɴᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜᴇʀ said to me ‘Have you had ⒾⓋⒻ? Have you got a ʜɪsᴛᴏʀʏ of twins in your family?’ So when we went for the 12 week sᴄᴀɴ and he said we were having triplets I thought it was a joke. Before the sᴄᴀɴ I had been saying something felt really different this time round. I said a few times ‘I’m sure there’s more than one’ but I never said anything about triplets. I just burst out laughing and asked ‘where are the cameras?’ I thought it must have been a joke, a set up.”
Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ᴡᴀʀɴᴇᴅ the family of the ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀs of multiple births and for the whole ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ they said the sᴍᴀʟʟᴇsᴛ baby – named Hope – was ᴜɴʟɪᴋᴇʟʏ to sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ. Melanie recalled:” It was stressful . We’d have to go for sᴄᴀɴ s every two weeks, and they would constantly ᴡᴀʀɴ us of the ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ and ᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟɪᴛʏ ʀᴀᴛᴇs for triplets.
They said Hope ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ going to make it to birth. Every day onwards from then I was almost waiting for her to ᴅɪᴇ. I was ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇssᴇᴅ for about a week and then I realised that while I was doing that she was just kicking harder and harder. I could tell where each one was. I thought, you know what, if she’s not going to give up, then I ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ either. The adorable trio were born at 32 weeks and four days on August 25, via ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ at Torbay Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ.”
Boe was first to arrive weighing 3lbs 3oz, Mika was born a minute later scaling 3lbs 1oz and little Hope came last at just 2lbs 13oz. Melanie said: “I’d looked up pictures of ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ babies before so I expected them to look a bit weird, but they weren’t – they were perfectly formed tiny little babies. It was amazing. My babies took up the whole room. It was so reassuring to see how perfect they were and they didn’t need any help or anything with ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ – just a little tube for food. They are such content and happy little babies. They love to cuddle.
They put their arms around each other and love to hold hands. Their favourite way to be is with Mika in the middle, and she holds both their hands. I didn’t know who to go to first, who to touch or who to talk to first. Now we’ve got them home everyone keeps offering to come round to help me because I have three, but they are great – they all slept through the night last night. If I split them up though they do start to cry – the closer together they are the better. My living room does look like Mother care and the washing machine is constantly on. When I’m feeding and burping them it is a lot of balancing, and juggling and holding bottles, but of course it is worth it. I can’t really remember life when my family was half the size.”
Melanie has even arranged special rubbish collections to deal with more than 250 dirty nappies a week, as well as ordering a special bumper pram for three. But the proud mum insists the mountains of dirty baby grows and endless feeds are all worth it for the adorable trio, who are happiest snuggled up together holding hands.
