A mother of three who was stunned to discover she was expecting triplets despite using the coil as contraception has told how she wasn’t allowed to see her babies for days after having an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴄᴋᴅᴏᴡɴ.
Bethany Smith, 26, from Burton, Staffordshire, and her partner Kay Singh, 38, welcomed daughters Kiren and Kirit and son Arjan on April 4. Student teacher and part-time hairdresser Bethany, already mum to Reuben, seven, Pria, six, and Mari, four, hadn’t been trying for more children and had a coil device Fɪᴛᴛᴇᴅ.
The coil – also known as an ɪɴᴛʀᴀᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ᴅᴇᴠɪᴄᴇ (IUD) – is a small T-shaped device put into the womb by a doctor or nurse. It releases copper which makes it more difficult for sᴘᴇʀᴍ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴀɴ ᴇɢɢand sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ and is designed to prevent pregnancy for between five and 10 years.
Neither Bethany nor Kay have multiple births in their family, so it was a big sʜᴏᴄᴋ to discover they were expecting triplets. The three babies were delivered at just 31 weeks at the Royal Derby Hospital and put on ᴠᴇɴᴛɪʟᴀᴛᴏʀs ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʟᴜɴɢs were so weak.
It meant the couple was separated from their brood at birth and were unable to see them for several days due to the ʀɪsᴋ ᴘᴏsᴇᴅ ʙʏ Cᴏᴠɪᴅ-19.
Arjan weighed 3lb 5oz, Kiren was 3lb 4oz and Kirit was 3lb 9oz, and the three babies remained in the hospital for three weeks.
Bethany told The Derby Telegraph: ‘Only one parent could visit once a day and we had to wear masks, gowns, and gloves. It was very sᴜʀʀᴇᴀʟ and not how you’d imagine. All the ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ of having a baby was taken away because of Cᴏᴠɪᴅ-19 “
Bethany had an sᴄᴀʀᴇ at 26 weeks when she went into labor and was rushed to a hospital in London where thankfully they managed to stop it. After they were born, the trio remained in the hospital for three weeks before they were allowed to go home.
Kay said the triplets are ‘absolute miracles’, adding: ‘It was touch and go that they would even sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ the birth. Now they’re been born in the middle of this ᴘᴀɴᴅᴇᴍɪᴄ,’ he said. The triplets are now said to be making great progress.
