A mom thought she was ɪɴғᴇʀᴛɪʟᴇ due to a ʀᴀʀᴇ form of Pᴇʟᴠɪᴄ ɪɴғʟᴀᴍᴍᴀᴛᴏʀʏ ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ (ⓅⒾⒹ) which caused a build up of sᴄᴀʀ ᴛɪssᴜᴇ. But, now she celebrating their sons’ second birthday – after having two sets of twins in just 18 months.
Katherine McCulloch, 24 and her partner Aaron Tricker, 26, both from Ipswich, Suffolk, were astonished to learn she was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with ɴᴏɴ-ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ twins Brayden and Logan. The ᴏᴅᴅsof having two sets of twins are 1 in 700,000 – but having two sets so close together is considered highly ᴜɴᴜsᴜᴀʟ. The couple, who met through friends seven years ago, had got used to the idea they would ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ have children after ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs told them she was ɪɴғᴇʀᴛɪʟᴇ. Katherine said:” We spoke about having children but two years after we got together I went into ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ with ᴘᴀɪɴs in my sᴛᴏᴍᴀᴄʜ. I was told I had ⓅⒾⒹ which had ᴄᴀᴜsᴇᴅ sᴄᴀʀʀɪɴɢ and left me unable to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ. I was ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ but we have big families. So we tried to move past it and be thankful for the family we had.” The couple stopped using ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴏɴ and over two years later, Katherine realised her ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ was late. She immediately thought she might be ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ and rushed to take a ᴛᴇsᴛ – only to find her dream of becoming a mother was about to come true.
Katherine said: “I was ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ late coming on to my ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ so I just knew. When I did the ᴛᴇsᴛ and confirmed I was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ, I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think it could be true. Because of my ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ history, they sent me for an early scan. That’s when they realised there were two ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs. We were so happy. I was over the moon that I was giving Aaron the chance to be a father because I thought it was something I could ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ give him.”
She added: “We can’t describe how lucky we feel after thinking we would ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ have any children. To have one set of twins is incredible enough but to be blessed with two more children, and all within such a short ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ of time, is nothing short of amazing.” Katherine’s ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ went smoothly and she gave birth to Brayden and Logan on March 20, 2015. But despite having managed to fall ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with the boys, she was told it was very ᴜɴʟɪᴋᴇʟʏ she would be able to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ any other children. To be safe, Katherine went on the ᴘɪʟʟ but decided to have a month’s break after sᴜғғᴇʀɪɴɢ from ʜᴇᴀᴅᴀᴄʜᴇs thought to be ᴛʀɪɢɢᴇʀᴇᴅ by the ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴠᴇ. She said: “I went on the ᴘɪʟʟ because ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs advised me to but ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ in a million years did I think I’d ever have any more children. When I came off it for a few weeks, I was complacent because I thought there was no way I’d get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. But when my ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ was late again, I just couldn’t believe it. I knew it had happened again.”
A ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛ confirmed Katherine was due to have another baby, despite her twin boys being just 13 months old. This time, Katherine and Aaron, who both have a history of twins in their families, were told they were expecting just one baby. That was until her 12-week scan when the ᴍɪᴅᴡɪғᴇ again picked up two ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs. Katherine said: ” You couldn’t make it up. I couldn’t believe that I was going from having no children, to two and then four in just a few months. We were so happy to find out it was going to be girls the second time round.” Rhea and Lyra were born on December 6, 2016, and like their older brothers, they are ɴᴏɴ-ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ twins.
Aaron said: ” It’s all been a bit of a sʜᴏᴄᴋ to be honest. But once we got our heads around it, it’s been great. I love having them all so close together and it’s over and done with now. It’s quite an experience and I try to spend as much time as possible with them all when I’m not at work but they’re quite a handful. It’s lovely to walk through the door and have my ready made family there waiting though, it’s something I ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ thought we would have. Our families joke that we should try and get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ again to see if we could make it a third set of twins – but it’s a complete no-no as it would probably happen!”
