From her smile, it’s hard to believe that little more than a year ago Beth Morton wasn’t ready to be a mum.
In her mid-20s, she felt too young to start a family – but her body had other ideas.
Despite taking the contraceptive pill, the maternity ward receptionist discovered she was pregnant.
And she was in for an even bigger surprise when she went for a scan – and saw three babies.
Beth Morton, 26, wasn’t ready to be a mother and was on the pill when she became pregnant with triplets
Now, after beating odds of 25,000-to-one to give birth to non-identical triplets Archie, Lola and Ralphie, Miss Morton, 26, says she couldn’t be happier with her ready-made family. ‘I’m only young and my family were worried about how I was going to take to it, but I’ve just taken it in my stride,’ she said.
‘I’m very calm with the triplets and I love being a mum, so even though it was a shock I wouldn’t change it for anything.’
Miss Morton was at home in Essex with her partner Danny Bellamy, 32, a car dealer, when they got the astonishing news.
She said: ‘I was so shocked when I found I was pregnant. I was taking the contraceptive pill, and I had been for years, so I never expected this to happen. Babies were not on our agenda quite then.’
When she learned during her 12-week scan that she was going to have not one but three babies, the mother-to-be thought hospital staff were winding her up.
‘I thought the sonographer was joking when she told me there were triplets,’ she said.
Three times the fun: Triplets Ralphie, Lola and Archie
A scan showing Beth Morton’s triplets in the womb (left) and Ms Morton during her pregnancy
‘‘She told me she wasn’t joking and I could see the three sacs in there. I burst out crying – I couldn’t take it in. Danny was really happy, but it was still a real shock to me.’
Non-identical triplets are rarely conceived without the use of IVF, and Miss Morton was offered a ‘selective reduction’ – in which doctors terminate one or two of the babies to make it a safer pregnancy.
But the couple refused. Miss Morton said: ‘There was no way that we would have ever considered a selective termination.
‘How could you possibly choose one baby’s life over another … we were determined to give all three of them the best possible chance. I know it was a risky pregnancy, but I trusted the doctors to look after us all.’
Triplets Ralphie, Lola and Archie wearing getting into the festive spirit
The triplets were born in June, all weighing 4.5lb, when Miss Morton was 35 weeks pregnant
The triplets were born in June, all weighing 4.5lb, when Miss Morton was 35 weeks pregnant. ‘They all arrived safely … which was such a relief,’ she said.
The new mum, who posts photos of her brood on her Instagram page called Essextriplets, said: ‘They are all developing their separate personalities – Ralphie is the calm one, Archie is a mummy’s boy and Lola is really independent.
‘They all have really good appetites too and they sleep through the night for 12 hours solidly.’
She added: ‘They may have been a surprise but I can’t imagine life without them now.’