The pair from Parkgate, Cheshire, a sᴀᴍᴇ sᴇx ᴄᴏᴜᴘʟᴇ were delighted when scans revealed not only were they ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ – but were expecting triplets.
Hannah Swift-Cuddy, 30, and her wife Siobhan, 40, underwent three rounds of ɪɴsᴇᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ, and while she fell ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ, she sᴜғғᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs every time. With Siobhan unable to ᴄᴀʀʀʏ a baby, and the pair fast running out of options, they turned to private experts to help them complete their family. Mᴇᴅɪᴄs discovered she had an ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴇ sʏsᴛᴇᴍ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ which caused her ʙᴏᴅʏ to ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴄʟᴏᴛs so ʙɪɢ they ᴄᴜᴛ off the ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ to her ᴜɴʙᴏʀɴ babies. She began taking ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʜɪɴɴᴇʀs, and they took their chances with ⒾⓋⒻ, ɪᴍᴘʟᴀɴᴛɪɴɢ their final ᴛᴡᴏ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs in a bid to complete their family.
The couple knew they wanted a family and opted for ɪɴᴛʀᴀᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ɪɴsᴇᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ in order to have children, using the same ᴀɴᴏɴʏᴍᴏᴜs sᴘᴇʀᴍ ᴅᴏɴᴏʀ each time. After giving birth to Isabella in May 2018, social worker Hannah was extremely confused – as well as absolutely ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ – when she stared having ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs. She sᴜғғᴇʀᴇᴅthree ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs in one year – each time after she ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴇᴅ ⒾⓊⒾ in order to fall ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. Siobhan couldn’t ᴄᴀʀʀʏ a baby because she has a ғᴜʟʟ ʜʏsᴛᴇʀᴇᴄᴛᴏᴍʏ after a ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ to her ʙᴏᴡᴇʟ. They were running out of options and after being ᴅɪsᴍɪssᴇᴅ by ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs, the couple decided to pay privately for help at CARE Fertility Manchester in August 2019. Hannah said: “I didn’t feel well for a long time after giving birth to Izzy but ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ ᴘʀᴏғᴇssɪᴏɴᴀʟs just passed it off as me having ʟᴏᴡ ɪʀᴏɴ or low this that and the other. We’d already had a ʜᴏʀʀᴇɴᴅᴏᴜs time with Siobhan having a ʜʏsᴛᴇʀᴇᴄᴛᴏᴍʏ and needing a ᴄᴏʟᴏsᴛᴏᴍʏ ʙᴀɢ and then to continue to have ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs was just ᴀᴡғᴜʟ. I couldn’t understand why I was having these ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs – I was getting ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ but kept ʟᴏsɪɴɢ them and they were all at different stages as well.”
Tests revealed she had developed ᴀɴᴛɪᴘʜᴏsᴘʜᴏʟɪᴘɪᴅ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ, a ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ of the ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴇ sʏsᴛᴇᴍ that causes an ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ʀɪsᴋ of ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴄʟᴏᴛs – after her first baby. ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ women with ⒶⓅⓈ also have an ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ʀɪsᴋ of having a ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ, although the exact reasons for this are uncertain. She said: “Basically it causes ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴄʟᴏᴛs and stops ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ getting to the babies so the ғᴏᴇᴛᴜsᴇs will just ᴅɪᴇ but I didn’t know I had it as it had developed after I had Izzy. Finding out that it was ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴄʟᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ problems and nothing to do with the ᴡᴏᴍʙ, I started taking ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʜɪɴɴᴇʀs to help manage the ⒶⓅⓈ and then we went ahead and did ⒾⓋⒻ.” The couple discovered Hannah only had ᴛᴡᴏ ᴇɢɢs that were good enough to freeze – if they didn’t work, they’d be out of options after spending an eyewatering £20,000 on ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs.
Hannah said: “Hearing the ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪswas sᴄᴀʀʏ but then almost a relief because I had an answer finally and could start taking ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ which could help me have a baby. I had three ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs before the ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪsand then I fell ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with triplets – it was just absolutely amazing, and a complete sʜᴏᴄᴋ too but we are so happy now. At first, the sᴏɴᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜᴇʀ thought it was just shadows from the ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ – she couldn’t believe there were actually three babies. “Siobhan came running down the corridor, screaming ‘It’s triplets!’ It was just incredible. The ⒾⓋⒻ treatment was a success but nothing prepared the we for the news that having triplets. We were so sʜᴏᴄᴋed but so happy that after ʟᴏsɪɴɢ three, we were now having three.”
With Hannah going through her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ʟᴏᴄᴋᴅᴏᴡɴ, she managed to keep it a secret for so long that her work colleagues only found out after she gave birth. Hannah said: “It was quite difficult handling a triplet ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ in the middle of a ᴘᴀɴᴅᴇᴍɪᴄ. I didn’t really connect with the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ at first. I kept it to myself and we didn’t tell a sᴏᴜʟ. Along the way, every ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ kept saying, ‘Oh this or that might happen’ like twin to twin ᴛʀᴀɴsғᴜsɪᴏɴor we could ʟᴏsᴇone, 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 ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, we thought maybe this will happen after all. We only just bought all the stuff for them last month because even when they were born, it was still such a sʜᴏᴄᴋ that they’d arrived!”
Alice was just 2lbs, followed by Amelia at 2lb 7oz and Everlyn at 2lb 13oz, and they spent five weeks in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ due to their size. Hannah said:”Our family had to wait five weeks to meet the girls which is unusual in itself because the ᴘᴀɴᴅᴇᴍɪᴄ meant they couldn’t visit in the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ. 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!”
