A happy mother described how she defied the odds of 2,000,000-1 to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ three identical triplets spontaneously.
Melanie Thornton, 33, and Martin Thornton, 27, are from Paignton, Devon. Martin convinced Melanie to try for a second child despite the fact that the couple already had a 13-year-old daughter, Tia. They discovered Melanie was expecting on Valentine’s Day last year, but were taken aback when a 12-week medical scan revealed triplets.
On August 25, the identical sisters were delivered by ᴄᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ at Torbay Hospital, more than seven weeks early. Boe was the first to arrive, weighing 3lbs 3oz, Mika arrived a minute after, weighing 3lbs 1oz, and Hope arrived last, weighing only 2lbs 13oz.
“I’d seen pictures of premature infants before, so I imagined them to be a little strange,” Melanie explained. “But they were perfectly formed, tiny little newborns.”
“It was incredible. My children took up the entire room. It was reassuring to see how healthy they were and that they didn’t require any assistance with breathing besides a small tube for eating. They’re such healthy and happy babies. They enjoy cuddling. They love to wrap their arms around each other and hold hands. Mika in the center, holding both of their hands, is their favorite way to be.”
Melanie admits that from an early stage, she was surprised at how odd her second pregnancy felt compared to the time she was expecting her eldest daughter, Tia.
“Before the ultrasound, I had been expressing that something seemed particularly different this time around,” the mother explained. “I said a few times that ‘I’m sure there’s more than one’, but I never mentioned triplets. I assumed it was a prank or a set up when they said I just busted out laughing and asked, ‘Where are the cameras?’”.
“When they were finally born, it was so nice to finally see them. I didn’t know who to go to first, who to touch, or who to talk to first. Now we’ve got them home everyone keeps offering to come round to help me because I have three. But they are great, they all slept through the night last night. If I split them up, though, they do start to cry. The closer they are together, the better.”
Each month they bulk buy almost 100 litres of baby formula for the triplets and have arranged special rubbish collections to deal with more than 200 dirty nappies a week. But the proud mum insists the mountains of dirty baby clothes and endless feeds are all worth it for the adorable trio, who are happiest snuggled up together holding hands.