Alex Lewis and his wife Charlotte struggled to conceive for three years. Eventually the two settled on IVF treatments and were excited to welcome triplet baby girls.
Alex Lewis, 34, from Essex, documents the highs and lows of the ‘ᴍɪʟɪᴛᴀʀʏ ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ’ and reveals how he and his wife Charlotte, 32, still get ‘me time’. Alex was left ᴅᴜᴍʙFᴏᴜɴᴅᴇᴅ when he found out his Charlotte was expecting not one but three babies. The couple had sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ to conceive for three years and after forking out £8,000 for I.V.F, the pair hoped their baby dream would come true. But despite being told they were having triplets, doctors ᴡᴀʀɴᴇᴅ that they might ɴᴏᴛ all survive. Charlotte and Alex were given the option to ᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴀᴛᴇ two of their girls, giving the healthiest one the best chance of survival – But they ʀᴇFᴜsᴇᴅ.
On April 6, Annabella Rose and Florence Violet – Who were identical twins, and their sister, Lottie Bluebell, were born. Dad of four, Alex, said: “Since having the triplets our lives have become a ᴍɪʟɪᴛᴀʀʏ ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, we have to feed and change all three every four hours. It’s ʜᴀʀᴅ work but I wouldn’t change it for the world, we know how incredibly lucky we have been to have had three healthy girls.” He said they still manage to have a coffee in Costa every week, visit the seaside, go shopping, go out for dinner as a family and have even taken the girls to Center Parcs. Alex said it has been amazing to show other parents that you don’t have to live at home when you have multiples and that trips out are possible.
The couple, who already have a son called Henry were ᴏᴠᴇʀ the moon when their three girls were born healthy at 33 weeks and six days. Anabella Rose weighed 3lbs 5oz, Florence Violet, weighed 4lbs 7oz and Lottie Bluebell weighed 2lbs 14oz – and after three weeks they were all allowed home. Alex added: “We never imagined we’d actually be lucky enough to have all three. I knew my wife was tired with three girls, so when I come home from work we are able to swap shifts so she can have some time to herself. That’s one of the main messages I like to share, everyone needs their ‘me’ time even if they have three newborns.”
Alex and Charlotte have even planned to have one more. Alex said : “We opted to have two ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs ɪᴍᴘʟᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ last year as we wanted to double our chance of it working. But we had never imagined one of those would sᴘʟɪᴛ and form three babies. We have two twins and one non identical baby which is Lottie, she was the smallest. Despite now having four kids, we are hoping for another in a few years’ time.”
However since having the triplets their weekly shopping bill has rocketed, but Alex still claims it’s not as high as most would think. He said: “We spend £50 on milk, £30 on nappies and as the girls all have colic, we are spending another £50 per week on Gripe water and Colief for them. It all adds up but we wouldn’t ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ anything for the world, there’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
