A student has returned to university just months after a surprise pregnancy turned out to be triplets.
Chloe Bates didn’t anticipate learning she was pregnant when she went to the doctor complaining of feeling unwell. She was even more dismayed to learn there were not just one, but three babies on the way, according to Chronicle Live.
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The 20-year-old and her partner Dylon Freeman, 21, welcomed babies Jaxon, Alana and Aria to the world on November 26, 2019.
Chloe, who attends Sunderland University and resides in Washington, claims neither her nor Dylon’s families have any twins or triplets.
She said: “It has been quite a shock and was definitely not part of the plan.
“But the triplets are absolutely lovely and now they’re here, we are adjusting to life as a family as best we can.
“But they’ve been no bother.
“Dylon has been a great support.Fortunately, we also have very helpful relatives and friends who are all pitching in. However, until I showed my mother the scan, she first did not believe me and assumed I was making things up.”
While the babies were born healthy, giving birth to triplets naturally is known to be extremely difficult.
Chloe was in hospital for three weeks before the birth with pre-clampsia, a condition linked to high blood pressure and organ damage.
After the triplets were born prematurely at 33 weeks they were forced to spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
Jaxon was born weighing 3lb 8ozs, Alana, 3lb 11ozs and Aria, 2lb 13ozs.
They were back home in time for Christmas less than a month after their birth.
Chloe said: “They were on four hourly feeds at first and it was becoming exhausting, but we’ve started bottle feeding, which is making life a little bit easier. We’re also just sleeping when we can.
“It’s tiring, but they are actually lovely little babies, so we feel very lucky they are healthy and happy.
“However, we are definitely not planning any more just yet.”
Despite the pressures of caring for a trio of three-month-old babies, Chloe is somehow finding time to study.
She said: “I managed to return to university recently, and I’m catching up with the course work, but everyone understands my ‘extenuating circumstances’ and my lecturers have been great.”
When she graduates the mum hopes to run her own bar and restaurant.
Chloe was praised by Dr. Paul-Alan Armstrong, Senior Lecturer in HRM and Leadership at the University of Sunderland, who said he had “great appreciation for her perseverance and internal ambition to pursue her studies.”
