A mother who suffered three miscarriages has revealed her joy after she finally gave birth to triplets – one for every baby she lost.
Despite undergoing three cycles of artificial insemination for fertility therapy, Hannah Swift, 30, and her wife Siobhan, 40, from Parkgate, Cheshire, lost each pregnancy.
After giving birth to Isabella in May 2018, social worker Hannah was extremely confused – as well as absolutely devastated – when she stared having miscarriages.
The couple used all their mortgage savings to pay for medical care, where doctors diagnosed Hannah with antiphospholipid syndrome – a disorder of the immune system that causes an increased risk of blood clots.
After taking blood-thinners for the condition, Hannah went on to welcome Alice, Amelia and Evelyn to their brood on August 13, 2020 saying: “I had three miscarriages before the diagnosis and then I fell pregnant with triplets – it was just absolutely amazing, and a complete shock too but we are so happy now.”
For each of the pregnancies, Siobhan and Hannah employed intrauterine insemination and the same anonymous sperm donor. Each IUI was successful, but regrettably she miscarried the children afterward. Siobhan couldn’t carry a baby because she has a full hysterectomy after a perforation to her bowel.
Tests revealed she had developed antiphospholipid syndrome – a disorder of the immune system that causes an increased risk of blood clots – after her first baby.
Hannah said: “Finding out the diagnosis was frightening, but it was also almost a relief since I now had an answer and could start taking medicine that might help me get pregnant.”
She began taking blood thinners, and they took their chances with IVF, implanting their final two embryos in a bid to complete their family. After spending an eye-watering £20,000 on reproductive treatments, the couple learned Hannah only had two eggs that were healthy enough to freeze; if they didn’t function, they would have no other alternatives.
The IVF procedure was successful, thank goodness, but nothing could have prepared the two mothers for the news that they were having triplets.
The couple was thrilled to learn from scans that they were not only pregnant but also expecting triplets.
“I actually crashed into a barrier after finding out I was pregnant with triplets!” Hannah said.
“That’s how I remember it – I came out of the hospital I wasn’t really concentrating and went into a bollard at the hospital and scratched all down the side of the car!”
“At first, the sonographer thought it was just shadows from the amniotic sac – she couldn’t believe there were actually three babies.
“Siobhan came running down the corridor, screaming ‘It’s triplets!”
“It was just incredible. We were so shocked but so happy that after losing three, we were now having three.”
Siobhan, a full-time mother, and Hannah kept their pregnancy a secret, only informing relatives and friends after 12 and 16 weeks, respectively.
Hannah said: “It was quite difficult handling a triplet pregnancy in the middle of a pandemic.
“I didn’t really connect with the pregnancy at first. I kept it to myself and we didn’t tell a soul.
“Along the way, every doctor kept saying, “Oh this or that might happen” like twin to twin transfusion or we could lose one, so we didn’t really consider telling people.
“We just pushed it to the back of our minds and as we were getting deeper into the pregnancy, we thought maybe this will happen after all.”
Alice was just 2lbs, followed by Amelia at 2lb 7oz and Everlyn at 2lb 13oz, and they spent five weeks in hospital due to their size.
“Due of the pandemic, our family was unable to see the girls in the hospital, so we had to wait five weeks to meet the girls, which is unusual in and of itself.,” said Hannah.
“They’re all absolutely stunned at our three new arrivals – they can’t quite believe it.”
Meanwhile she said her daughter Isabella, two, had ‘loved’, having the girls at home, saying: “It’s fantastic having the girls home. Izzy is so cute, always giving them kisses!
“We’ve finally got our family together and we couldn’t be happier!”
Hannah added: ‘Being a same sex couple, we have had to fund this whole experience on our own, which has been difficult.
“We were going to get a mortgage and instead we blew all the money on fertility treatment – obviously we got our money worth with our babies!”
