Emma White, 38, had her daughter Molly Rose 12 years ago had 16 ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs and decided not to try for any more children after years of ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ.
She said: “My ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs started when I was just a teenager and I went on to have 16 of them over the years -all before nine weeks. It was absolutely crushing.” But after meeting her husband Joe, 41, he wanted children right away the lived together. Emma’s mind was changed, and she gave pregnancy another go.
She was once again left ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ after falling pregnant and ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀʏɪɴɢ twice. Then, in late 2020, Emma fell pregnant again – this time with twins. But on her birthday, she discovered she’d ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ again at six weeks.
She said: “After I’d lost the twins I knew that was it. I just couldn’t do it again. Joe completely understood.”
By pure chance and without trying, Emma found out she was pregnant again just a month later. While she was over the moon, she was ᴛᴇʀʀɪFɪᴇᴅ this pregnancy would end in ᴛʀᴀɢᴇᴅʏ again. When she began ʙʟᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴜɴᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟʟᴀʙʟʏ at six weeks in, Emma had familiar feeling and was convinced she had ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ.
She was rushed to Liverpool Women’s Hospital for tests and told to return for a scan two days later. As staff rushed around her, Emma was told she was having an ectopic pregnancy – which is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside the womb. She’d have to have one of her fallopian tubes removed.
But after waking up from the operation, Emma learned her pregnancy was normal – and she’d simply had a ʙʟᴏᴄᴋᴀɢᴇ in one of her fallopian tubes. A scan revealed another surprise – Emma was multiple pregnancies. However, Emma and Joe’s joy was short lived when Emma started to ʙʟᴇᴇᴅ ʜᴇᴀᴠɪʟʏ at nine weeks. Then a few days later, she stood up and “felt something fall out.”
After being rushed to hospital, doctors confirmed her ᴡᴏʀsᴛ fears – there were no signs of pregnancy.
But a few weeks later, she had a dream in which her late grandad, David, appeared and told her she was still pregnant.
Emma said: “I woke up with a start. My grandad died when I was four and I never have those kinds of dreams. I grabbed a doppler I had on top of the cupboard, held it to my stomach and listened. Sure enough – there was a whooshing sound.”
Despite Joe’s scepticism, Emma headed to hospital and insisted on being sᴄᴀɴɴᴇᴅ. Doctors must have thought she was mad and she was, hysterical and crying, saying, ‘I’ve had a dream. I’m still pregnant’. ”
Sure enough, a scan showed Emma was still pregnant with two babies. The condition happens when one of a set of twins ᴅɪᴇs in the uterus and the embryos are normally then reabsorbed into the body. In Emma’s case, she had lost one from each set of identical twins – leaving her with two non-identical twins – and had passed the embryos. Astonished at the news and already 12 weeks pregnant, she headed home to tell a shell-sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ Joe.
From there, Emma described her pregnancy as “amazing” and was induced at 37 weeks to give birth to Aurora Azalea, 5lbs 2oz, and Ophelia Lili, 5lbs 11oz, on 2 October last year.
Emma said: “I love being a twin mum. It’s not for everyone, but I cherish every single day. It still feels like a miracle even now the girls are three months old. I just want all the women out there to know there’s no shame in it. There are so many of us sᴜFFᴇʀɪɴɢ, thinking we’re made, ᴛᴇʀʀɪFɪᴇᴅ every time we get pregnant. I hope my story can give some hope.”