by Three Of The Tiniest Triplets Ever Born In The UK To Sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ
Mum of the smallest sᴜʀᴠɪᴠɪɴɢ triplets ever born in Britain speaks of the ᴀɢᴏɴʏ in the weeks after their birth
MEET Rylee, Cole and Skye – three of the tiniest triplets ever born in the UK to sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ. The gorgeous tots weighed little more than 5lb BETWEEN THEM when they were delivered in February — around 2lb less than just one average UK baby. The babies were born 14 weeks pʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ but, despite Fᴇᴀʀs, ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴇFᴛ hospital and are now thriving.
Kerrie-Anne Ellison, proud mum of two new daughters and a son, who are now six months old, says: “We didn’t know if they would sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ as they were so ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟʏ tiny. Our hands looked ᴇɴᴏʀᴍᴏᴜs next to them. They looked so fragile in the incubators and they had to stay in hospital for nine weeks. But they are such little Fɪɢʜᴛᴇʀs. All three of them have been getting sᴛʀᴏɴɢᴇʀ every day.”
Kerrie-Anne, 33, who lives in Bromborough, Merseyside, with husband Simon, 33, a ᴘʀɪɴᴛ Fɪɴɪsʜᴇʀ, ᴡᴀs ᴛʜʀɪʟʟᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ ᴀFᴛᴇʀ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴅɪFFɪᴄᴜʟᴛʏ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴀ sɪʙʟɪɴɢ for daughter Paige, 12.In April 2015, after two years of trying, the couple eventually sought help at a Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴄʟɪɴic.
Kerrie-Anne, a full-time mum, says: “Doctors found out I wasn’t producing any oestrogen and it was impossible for me to get pregnant naturally.” She had ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs ᴛᴏ sᴛɪᴍᴜʟᴀᴛᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴏᴠᴀʀɪᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴇɢɢs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʀᴇʟᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪsᴇᴅ. The ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ at Arrowe Park Hospital, Merseyside, which was completed in August 2015 was a success and Kerrie became pregnant.
She says: “Simon and I were thrilled but it wasn’t until I went for a sᴄᴀɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs. We were amazed.” The pregnancy went smoothly until 26 weeks when an ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ revealed there was a problem with the ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ Fʟᴏᴡ between the babies. Kerrie-Anne was ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴘʀᴇ-ᴇᴄʟᴀᴍᴘsɪᴀ, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴀs ʟɪFᴇ-ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ for her and her unborn babies. It was very scary to hear what was happening. It was causing a restricted ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ Fʟᴏᴡ to one of the triplets. It could ᴋɪʟʟ that one triplet and because of that the lives of the other two were in ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ. We were told that there was no option but to deliver them.”
Sᴜʀɢᴇᴏɴs at Arrowe Park carried out an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ Cᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ and the triplets were delivered safely. Rylee weighed 2lb 2oz, brother Cole was 1lb 11oz and sister Skye weighed 1lb 14oz.
Kerri-Anne says: “I have never seen babies so tiny. They kept grabbing our fingers and their whole hands went around one of our little fingers.”
But after just one day on a ᴠᴇɴᴛɪʟᴀᴛᴏʀ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀɪᴘʟᴇᴛs ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴛʀᴏɴɢ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛᴏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇ on their own. Kerrie-Anne says: “After one week we were allowed to have our first cuddles with them and that was a magical moment. Now we have been allowed to take them home and Paige can be a proper big sister to them, which she loves. They are all doing really well and have gone from strength to strength. It’s just lovely to all be at home together.”
And the gorgeous trio are already developing their own personalities.
