29 year old British woman Sarah Ward gave birth to four children in a space of nine months after falling pregnant with triplets just weeks after she gave birth to her first child.
When Sarah and her partner Benn Smith found out they were expecting triplets, their son Freddie was just nine months old.
A mere eight weeks after giving birth, Sarah discovered she was pregnant – this time, with triplets! The chances of naturally conceiving triplets is one in 8,000.
They later welcomed two boys – Stanley and Reggie and a girl, Daisy. ‘At times it feels more like running a nursery than a home, but we feel privileged,’ Sarah Ward said of life as a mother of four small children.
Sarah recounted: “I was stunned when I found out I was pregnant again so soon. When we learned it was triplets we went into shock.”
“It takes two hours to prepare to leave the house but we don?t dwell on the hard work. I love babies so I feel like the luckiest mum in the world.”, the mum of four said.
The couple, from Crayford in south-east London, were advised that the pregnancy was high-risk and given a selective abortion, in which one of the babies was aborted to give the other two a better chance. They decided against the procedure.
At 33 weeks, one of the babies showed signs of distress, so surgeons at Medway Hospital, in Kent, had to perform an emergency caesarean section.
Stanley was born first weighing 3lb 12oz, followed by Reggie, 4lb 7oz, and sister Daisy, at 3lb 14oz.
Miss Ward said: ‘It’s like a tag team operation but we still find time for a cup of tea together when they first go to bed.’
‘Then it’s back to the washing and laying out all the clothes and washing bottles for the next day. Because so many people stop and ask if they are all mine, a brief stroll to the shop can take hours. When I answer yes, they can’t believe it.’
‘But I love the fuss and attention they get. I’m so proud. I once thought I couldn’t have kids and then I got the perfect family in less than a year.’
Mr Smith said: ‘I won’t pretend it isn’t exhausting but it’s lovely to see how close they all are already.
Although life with four babies under the age of 18 months is exhausting, Sarah and Benn agree that they wouldn’t change a thing. They won’t be adding a fifth child to the family any time soon, though.
“I can’t imagine life without them all,” Sarah said, before adding: “But our family is definitely complete.”
