Woman to have four babies in one year

A woman who once feared she could never have children is due to give birth to four babies in one year. Sarah Ward, 28, conceived triplets just weeks after giving birth to her first baby.They are due to be born in March when her son, Freddie, is just nine months old.

Ward, who lives with partner postal worker Benn Smith in a one bedroom house said: “Falling pregnant so soon after having our baby was a real shock but to find out it was triplets knocked us for six.

“Having four babies under the age of one is going to be insane, but I cannot wait to hold them in my arms. We feel so blessed.”
The babies will be delivered in nine weeks’ time at the Medway Maritime Hospital in Kent when Ward is 34 weeks pregnant.

At first the couple, from Crayford, were told they were expecting three non-identical sons, but later scans revealed one of the babies was a girl.

They have named their sons Reggie and Stanley and daughter Charley. Ms Ward says: “To find out one of the babies was a girl was another huge shock. It means I’ll have three princes and one little princess and our family will be complete.

‘I can’t believe I’ve gone from thinking I will never be a mum to giving birth to a perfect family in under a year.’
The couple started trying for a baby in September 2011 shortly after starting their relationship.

As they had already been friends for years, there seemed little point in waiting to start the family they both dreamed of. But each month brought disappointment. Ms Ward explains: “It seemed everyone around us was becoming pregnant. I tried to be happy for them but couldn’t help wondering when it would be my turn.”

When a year had passed with no joy Ward started to fear there might be something wrong and booked an appointment with her GP in September 2012.

But the week before her appointment, her period was late.
She says: “After waiting so long I didn’t get my hopes up. But I did a test anyway and was stunned to find out I was finally pregnant at last.”

The couple moved into their first home together — a one-bedroom privately rented house — as they awaited the arrival of their son.
After a textbook pregnancy, Freddie was born on June 1 last year.

Ms Ward said: “Freddie was such a perfect happy baby and we both loved being parents so much that we already decided we wanted another before we left hospital.”

But because it had taken her so long to conceive, Ward assumed the same would happen again. So when the couple made love again for the first time four weeks after Freddie was born they didn’t use any contraception.

One month later, Ms Ward’s period was late.
She says: ‘Benn laughed and made a joke about me being pregnant but of course neither of us really expected that. I thought it was just my hormones after the birth.”

But a week on she took a test which confirmed she was expecting again. Freddie was just eight weeks old.
She said: “I was shaking. I was looking at the blue line on the stick and then at my tiny baby thinking this cannot really be happening.” Smith was equally stunned but the couple’s shock soon gave way to excitement.

Smith says: “Yes, it was happening sooner than we thought but we both knew another baby would complete the family.”
Ward’s bump grew rapidly and at first she put it down to becoming pregnant again so soon after having a baby. “I hadn’t lost any of my baby weight from Freddie and was pregnant again so I expected to be big,” she says.

But weeks later her first scan revealed the shocking reason why her bump was so large.
She says: “I hopped onto the bed and lifted up my top. It was only a few months since I’d been in getting scanned with Freddie so I knew what to do.”

But this time the sonographer paused during the scan and asked the couple if they knew how many babies they were having.
Ward says: “It was an odd question. I’d never been asked that with Freddie so I thought it was weird. Then I twigged what she was getting at and asked her if I was having twins.”

The sonographer shook her head and replied: “Triplets.”
Ward says: “I just started shaking with shock and asking her if she was sure. Benn’s mouth was hanging wide open. Neither of us could speak.”

Suddenly her huge baby bump made perfect sense.
Former care worker Ms Ward says: “When she turned the screen towards me I could see three wriggling little shapes and I just started to cry. I couldn’t get my head around the fact there were three babies inside me as well as the one at home.”

When the due date was confirmed as April 28, 2014 Ward realised it meant she would have given birth to four babies in less than one year.

She says: “Considering I thought I wouldn’t ever be a mum at one point, to then go to having four babies felt like a miracle.”
The couple both have twins in their families, but neither had considered a multiple birth.

“I think because I had struggled to fall pregnant we never ever thought about twins let alone triplets,” Ms Ward says.
As the news sunk in she and Smith alternated between tears of shock and joy.

The following week the couple were warned that being triplets put the babies at high risk of premature birth and were asked to consider terminating one.

But they refused. Mr Smith says: “There was no way we could choose one baby to die. It would have been impossible. We loved them all already.’

With regular monitoring Ward’s pregnancy progressed well.
She says: “I looked full term by 14 weeks and sometimes it feels like I’m going to burst. “The heartburn with one was bad enough, but with three it’s been horrendous. But it’s all worth it.”

Ms Ward is now 25 weeks pregnant. Doctors plan to deliver the babies in nine weeks’ time when she is 34 weeks pregnant. —DailyMail.