ML
WALES
Thanks to IVF, multiple births are increasing but the odds of concieving triplets naturally remains a staggering 200 million-to-one.
But a Welsh couple have managed to overcome the odds and last month welcomed three identical bouncing baby girls. Now parents Karen and Ian Gilbert, from Pontypool, Monmouthshire, have been able to bring Ffion, Maddison and Paige home for the first time after six weeks in intensive care. Even more incredibly, the babies are only here, say the Gilberts, because they rejected doctors’ calls to terminate the pregnancy twice.
Medical professionals feared the rare birth - caused by a single egg splitting into three - could see the babies take each other’s fluid and space, potentially killing one another. ‘They were concerned about twin to twin syndrome, when the babies take each other’s fluid or space and starve or cramp each other,’ revealed the triplets business manager father Ian, 34. ‘It has really taken its toll on Karen. Because they are identical, they all share the same placenta and the same fluid.
‘They all grew and fought so quickly it was practically ripping Karen’s muscles apart. But we couldn’t consider termination - they were our babies. We were scanned every week to make sure they were growing fine.
‘At the last scan at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny Karen was in very serious pain. The doctors gave her pain killers but she started having contractions.
‘Karen gave birth at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, but we got transferred back for the ante natal care.’
Admin assistant Karen, 32, who gave birth by caesarian section two months early, said the experience had been ‘crazy’ but added that she was looking forward to getting to know her newborn daughters.
‘It’s been crazy,’ said Karen, who has another daughter named Faye, three. ‘I still feel like someone’s going to tell me I’ve had my time with them now and take them away.
‘We got married, went on honeymoon to New York, and came back to find out we were expecting. At first we thought it was one, but at eight weeks I got some really bad pains. We thought it was a miscarriage but it turns out it was three babies fighting for space.
‘The pregnancy has taken its toll but now I’m taking my time to recover and get to know my three beautiful girls.
‘Their personalities are already starting to shine through and I can’t wait to get to know them better.’
Now eight weeks old, the three girls are still tiny and weigh just six pounds - smaller than the average newborn.
‘At first they didn’t look real and you could pick them up with one hand,’ said business manager father Ian, 34, who added: ‘It was a bit of a shock.

‘Now we’ve got them home we are coming to terms with it. They are starting to feel like our own. We had a few scares during the pregnancy, especially when Karen fell top to bottom down the stairs.
‘Our three-year-old daughter Faye was in bed and I was at work. I came home to find Karen unconscious on the floor. I was petrified. I still can’t believe we made it through.’
‘We were worried the hospital wouldn’t have enough beds and we’d have to split them up. It would have been horrible,’ added Karen.
‘There was also the worry that one would be ready to come home before the others. Luckily, we managed to keep them together.
‘The doctors thought it could be up to three months before we could bring them home so we feel privileged to have got them here with us so soon.’
Julian Hayman, press office for Nevill Hall Hospital, said: ‘The midwives were all thrilled to have a triplet birth at the Royal Gwent Hospital.
‘Everyone involved has taken great care of the girls to ensure their speedy return home. We all wish [the] proud parents Ian and Karen all the very best for the future.’