The friendship between Royal Mail manager Ben Fagan, now 30, and Northampton resident Hannah Donaghue, now 29, began at a party in 2010. Hannah became pregnant for the third time, this time with three children, as a result of their night together. Both were unprepared for what was to happen. But despite the fact that they had just recently started dating when they found out she was expecting, they both agreed they were ready to give their relationship and parenting a shot. The couple refused the doctor’s suggestion to abort one of the triplets at 10 weeks in order to increase the chances of life for the other two.
The couple endured a surgical delivery to give birth to their lovely trio at 32 weeks in October. Ben also has a daughter, Isla, from a prior connection, thus they currently make up a family of seven, including Hannah’s two daughters from a previous union. This is not the first time Hannah has gotten pregnant while using birth control, despite the shock of having triplets.
Currently on maternity leave, Hannah, a postpartum nurse for the Royal Mail, said: “The first time I got pregnant while using the Pill, I just felt I was one of a hundred unfortunate ladies. I’m only 18 and share a one-bedroom apartment with my girlfriend, therefore I’m not yet ready to start a family. I did, however, become a mother as soon as Megan, our now 10-year-old daughter, was born. My medication was changed by my doctor, and after that I made sure to take it every day at the same time. But two months later, I discovered I hadn’t had my period and felt a familiar throbbing discomfort. This can’t possibly happen again, can it? Fortunately, my mother was quite understanding, and I soon returned in the labor room, where I gave birth to another baby girl, Charlie, now 8 years old. Not wanting to take any more risks, Hannah turned to the implant. But eight years later, she started having problems with it and went back to taking medication.
She admitted: “At this moment, I broke up with my partner and didn’t want to meet anyone new. Ben and I later met, and that evening we traveled home together. After a few weeks, I started feeling different in my body, so I went to the hospital to get examined. The sonographer scanned my abdomen while I was lying on the examination table. She declared, “There was a heartbeat.” And the following one. I believe I heard her wrong. How is it that there are two kids in it? The third one is over there,” she remarked. Each of the three babies is identical to the others and has its own placenta and amniotic sac. She can conceive while using the pill, and her body can also deliver three children eggs simultaneously. The physicians recommended a reduction at the 10-week ultrasound, but the couple didn’t even need to talk about it. They were all present.
At week 16, we found out we had two girls and a boy. Hannah’s pregnancy went smoothly until week 28, when the trio’s movements began to taper off. Doctors gave her steroids to help develop her lungs in case she had to give birth prematurely. She managed to hold out until she was 32 weeks pregnant and then doctors gave birth to sisters Ella Rose, Kasey and brother Lester. She said: ‘They are very small but they are very strong and we were allowed to take them home after 18 days. Our family has more than doubled as a result of the triplets, and we are looking to downsize to a four-bedroom home as our current seven-person household cannot fit comfortably. However, we can be grateful for five small miracles because they were obviously meant to be.
