A proud mum told today how she defied odds of 2,000,000-1 to naturally conceive three identical girl triplets.
Mum Melanie Thornton, aged 33, said: “Sometimes I just sit and stare at them and think wow… 1 in 2 million chance of me naturally conceiving identical triplets.
Husband Martin, 27, persuaded Melanie to try for another child even though the couple already had a daughter Tia, 13.
They found out on Valentine’s Day 2014 that Melanie was expecting – but were stunned when a 12-week hospital scan revealed triplets.
The identical sisters were born by cesarean section more than seven weeks premature at Torbay Hospital on August 25, 2015.
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.
“I’d seen photographs of premature kids before, so I anticipated them to be strange, but they weren’t – they were perfectly formed tiny little newborns,” Melanie explained. It was incredible. My children took up the entire room. It was reassuring to see how healthy they were and that they didn’t require any assistance with breathing besides a small tube for eating.
“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 can’t really remember life when my family was half the size.”
Melanie admits that from an early stage she was surprised how odd her second pregnancy felt compared to the time she was expecting eldest daughter Tia.
The mum said: “Before the scan 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.”
“It was very amazing to finally see them when they were born; I didn’t know who to go to first, who to touch first, or who to talk to first.”
“When they were finally born it was so nice to finally see them – I didn’t know who to go to first, who to touch or who to talk to first.
“If I split them up though they do start to cry – the closer together they are the better.”