The couple Anna Mitchell 30 and husband Nick from Mansfield Amazingly found they was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with not just one baby – but three. She gave birth to her triplet gifts from heaven in July – and the family are set to have their first ever Christmas together.
The couple had been trying for a baby when Anna’s mum, Nicola, ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ she had ʟɪᴠᴇʀ ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ. She ʟᴏsᴛ her first baby through an ᴇᴄᴛᴏᴘɪᴄ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ – where the baby develops in the ғᴀʟʟᴏᴘɪᴀɴ ᴛᴜʙᴇ instead of the ᴡᴏᴍʙ – whilst her mum was in a ʜᴏsᴘɪᴄᴇ, before she ᴅɪᴇᴅ. She ʟᴏsᴛ her second baby, also through an ᴇᴄᴛᴏᴘɪᴄ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, in summer of 2010, and then ʟᴏsᴛ her third baby in November 2010. She was ʀᴜsʜᴇᴅ into the ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ theatre after ʟᴏsɪɴɢ her second baby and ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ her ғᴀʟʟᴏᴘɪᴀɴ ᴛᴜʙᴇ. Anna said: ” It was ʟɪғᴇ-ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ to me to ʟᴏsᴇ these babies as each time my ғᴀʟʟᴏᴘɪᴀɴ ᴛᴜʙᴇ could have ʙᴜʀsᴛ. ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ one of my ғᴀʟʟᴏᴘɪᴀɴ ᴛᴜʙᴇs. It was ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛɪɴɢ, it was taking away some of the chance I would have to be a mum. After ʟᴏsɪɴɢ my third baby I couldn’t believe it. I had already ʟᴏsᴛ three babies. I was ᴛᴇʀʀɪғɪᴇᴅ I was ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ going to be a mum.”
The ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs broke the news to Anna that she would be unlikely ever to fall ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ naturally. So the couple came to the decision to try ⒾⓋⒻ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ, using the money that Anna had been left by her mother. She said: ” I was going to use it to start having ⒾⓋⒻ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ. If I couldn’t be a mum naturally, then I needed help. And mum’s money was a perfect gift from her. She knew how much I wanted to be a mum, and now she was giving me the chance. Anna said: “It was ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛɪɴɢ, but I knew that we had to keep trying. It’s what mum would have wanted.” So in April 2012, they tried again for the second time, but again Anna had an ᴇᴄᴛᴏᴘɪᴄ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ – and ʟᴏsᴛ her fourth baby. They decided to have one final go in December 2012, and she fell ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ.
She said: “I lay on the scanning table hardly daring to breathe. And there it was – a little ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛ pumping away. I cried with relief. I’d ʟᴏsᴛ four babies, and now here it was, a ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛ in the right place at last. I felt as though mum was looking down on me and helping me along.” But at 13 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ, the sᴏɴᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜᴇʀ had amazing news for them – there wasn’t just one baby in there, but three. She said: “I nearly fell off the table with sʜᴏᴄᴋ. Then I started crying all over again. I wasn’t just having one baby, I was having three. I’d waited all these years to have a baby, and now three were all coming at once. And it was all thanks to mum, it was her triple gift from heaven for me.” The babies were born one after the other in July, by caesarian at the Kingsmill Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ in Mansfield. Summer weighed 3Ib8 and the identical twins Joseph at 3Ib8, and Jacob at 4Ib5.
Anna added: ” We haven’t bothered decorating our house for years, as there was just the two of us and no children to fill it. But this Christmas we have three wonderful little reasons to decorate the house from top to toe with baubles, tinsel and lights. It’s the first Christmas we have with our three little miracles, Summer, Joseph and Jacob – and we mean to make the most of it. But there is one thing we won’t forget – and that’s mum, who made it all possible. It will be the most amazing Christmas ever this year, with our three gifts from heaven. I’ve decorated the house from top to toe, and I know that somewhere out there, mum is looking down on us. Having three babies has made up for all that ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ. And it’s all thanks to mum and her amazing gift that we are going to have the best Christmas ever.”
