The couple, who thought they’d ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ have one let alone three, sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ for four years before Claire Midwinter, 34, fell ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with three girls. They took incredible pictures of their triplet girls’ birth, with one of the babies born in her ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ.
Claire Midwinter and husband Matt from Swindon, Wiltshire had been ᴜɴᴀʙʟᴇ to get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ for years, with ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ʙᴀғғʟᴇᴅ by their ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍs. They tried ⒾⓋⒻ for the second time, after their first attempt was unsuccessful. And just when the couple started coming to terms with the idea of ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ having children they were told the amazing news at their seven week scan. Midwinter said:” ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs had ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇᴅ our ɪɴғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ as unexplained after all the ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛᴇsᴛs we could imagine. I’d ʟᴏsᴛ weight and began leading a healthy lifestyle but nothing helped me fall pregnant. There was no other option but to try ⒾⓋⒻ and thankfully we were eligible for NHS funding. And in January, we got everything we’d ever wanted and more, we were over the moon to see the ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛ. After having two ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs inserted, we hoped at least one would work. We ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ imagined one would sᴘʟɪᴛ and we’d end up with three babies.”
They welcomed their three girls, Ella, Tamara and Aria, on August 25 and just two weeks later, they were home. The mum said that although her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ was ‘great’, she ‘experienced everything in ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇs as there was three of them’. She said:” That’s three times the normal amount of ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ sɪᴄᴋɴᴇss, ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀᴄʜᴇ and ᴋɪᴄᴋs. I was so happy that I’d ʟᴏsᴛ weight before falling ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ as I don’t know how I would have coped while beingᴏᴠᴇʀᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ and ᴄᴀʀʀʏɪɴɢ triplets. I enjoyed every second of being ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ and after buying a new house and car to fit them all, we are finally feeling settled.” The triplets were delivered via elected caesarean at 33 weeks and five days. Tamara, the ɴᴏɴ-ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ twin, was born weighing 4lb, 11oz. Iᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ twin, Ella, was born still in her ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ – which usually ʙᴜʀsᴛs in the earlier stages of ʟᴀʙᴏᴜʀ – weighing 3lb, 9oz. Meanwhile, Aria weighed 4lb, 5oz. The girls all took their first breaths on their own, before being ʀᴜsʜᴇᴅ to ɴᴇᴏɴᴀᴛᴀʟ ᴄᴀʀᴇ. They remained in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ for a fortnight.
The couple captured the special moment the triplets were born via c-section on camera – with Ella still in her ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ. Despite admitting some of the photos of their daughters’ birth are a ʙɪᴛ ɢʀᴜᴇsᴏᴍᴇ, they believe the images are beautiful all the same. Now, the triplets , are now three-and-half months old, are set to celebrate their first Christmas together and the parents couldn’t be more thrilled. The triplets are in a great routine and all sleep and eat at the same time . Midwinter said: ” Last Christmas it was just the two of us and now we’re a family of five, it’s crazy. We said last New Year’s Eve I wonder what we’ll be doing this time next year, we ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ imagined we’d have triplets just a few months later. Even though our lives have been hectic since falling ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ in January, we wouldn’t have it any other way. The triplets will be four months old on Christmas Day and we’re so excited to have a low key day at home with our family. They are too young to understand what time of year it is but we are all really looking forward to spending it with each other.”
Midwinter and husband Matt ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ imagined that their baby dreams would come true this time last year. Midwinter said: “They’ve all done so well, they were only in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ for two weeks before they were allowed home. They’ve gone from strength to strength and we couldn’t be more proud.”
