A woman who was told she would probably never get pregnant even with IVF has had four babies in less than a year – and all were conceived naturally.
Charlotte Parker had almost given up hope after doctors said her egg count was so low that the fertility treatment would not work without an egg donor.
But as the 32-year-old and her husband Billy were starting to look for donors, they were amazed to discover she was pregnant. She gave birth to son Lewis on September 6 last year.
She then defied the odds and surprised experts by becoming pregnant again just weeks later – and this time it was triplets.
Charlotte Parker with one-year-old Lewis and newborn triples (from left) Ella, Adam and Jamie
Left, Lewis just after he was born in September last year and right, the Parker family together
Adam, Jamie and Ella were born prematurely on August 4 and had to be cared for in a neonatal department for over a month. But they are doing well and are now back at home.
Mrs Parker said: ‘Having four babies is crazy. There’s lots of feeds with 26 bottles in 24 hours and then changing… we get through around 30 nappies every day.
‘It certainly makes the day go quickly. We just get on with it but when we sit down and think about it, you can’t help but go “oh my, four babies”.’
She added: ‘It’s quite odd now to think back to when we thought having children wouldn’t be possible.’
The couple, who live in Crawley, West Sussex, were distraught when a consultant told them IVF would not work.
The treatment involves doctors extracting eggs and fertilising them before implanting the embryos back in the womb – so a low egg count means they will struggle to extract any.
Left, Charlotte Parker with her triplets and right, with husband Billy and son Lewis
Mrs Parker said it was devastating to find out she had an ‘extremely low’ egg count, adding: ‘It felt like our future plans had been taken away from us.’
She spent the next few months getting second opinions from private fertility clinics.
But Mrs Parker, a legal secretary, said: ‘Everyone was telling me the same thing – that I had a low egg count and would struggle to conceive naturally.’
She and her 29-year-old husband started looking at egg donors, but a week before their first appointment Mrs Parker took a pregnancy test and it was positive.
After Lewis arrived, the couple, who married in 2014, wanted a bigger family, but knew it was highly unlikely.
Left, The Parkers on their wedding day and right, posing for a family photo with Lewis
However, an ultrasound scan in January revealed Mrs Parker was expecting the triplets. She gave birth at 32 weeks at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey.
Ella weighed just 3lb 8oz, while the boys were only slightly heavier, with Adam at 3lb 11oz and Jamie at 4lb 4oz.
Mrs Parker said: ‘They looked tiny, like little dolls.’ She added: ‘Lewis is a little young to fully understand he has three new siblings but isn’t fazed.’
She and her husband, who is a chef, have worked out night ‘shifts’ to ensure they each get a few hours of rest while looking after their children, and also have support from their parents.
Mrs Parker said: ‘It’s amazing for us to be together now as a family after everything. We’re really happy to all be home and feel very lucky to have four happy and healthy babies.
‘So many people are told similar things to what I heard and do not get the happy outcome they want, so we feel very fortunate… I didn’t think it was possible.’