Katie Craw, a 26-year-old mother, defied incredible odds of 200 million to one when she gave birth to naturally conceived identical triplets, doubling the size of her family overnight. Alongside her partner Rob Ellis from Pentre Maelor, Wales, Katie made history by delivering an identical set of triplets. The couple was left astounded when they discovered during their 12-week scan that their second child was actually three. Normally, triplets are non-identical and occur when two eggs are fertilized, with one developing into twins. This occurrence, known as monozygotic, is incredibly rare in the field of medical science, with confirmed reports confirming odds of 200 million to one.

The couple described the difficulty of telling their children apart, stating that they had to leave the hospital tags on them after their departure. Katie is among a small number of women in Britain who have identical triplets, where a fertilized egg splits into three after conception. Prior to this pregnancy, Katie and Rob already had a four-year-old son named Jacob, born in 2015, and they wanted him to be in school before trying for their second child. Remarkably, Katie became pregnant in the second month of trying, and they eagerly prepared to welcome a new sibling for Jacob.

Katie recounted the moment at the sonographer’s office: “Within five seconds of the sonographer having the scanner on my tummy, she asked me to take a deep breath in. I thought she was going to tell me some bad news, but she just came out with ‘I can see three heartbeats.’ I just knew she wasn’t joking. They kept saying to me, ‘You are taking this really well,’ and I am not taking this really well. We were taken to a side room. I was crying, and Rob was as white as a sheet. They said how rare it was, but they didn’t know how rare at that point. They thought it was two eggs where one had split. They told us about all the complications, but they said you can still have three healthy babies.”

Throughout the pregnancy, Katie had regular check-ups with her midwife and underwent scans every fortnight to ensure the proper development of the babies. Two weeks later, during another scan, it was discovered that each baby had their own sac of fluid. The babies continued to grow at a remarkable rate, and Katie was scheduled for a cesarean section at 32 weeks, which is the standard procedure for multiple births. However, at 30 weeks and one day, she experienced contractions and was rushed to the hospital in Wrexham by ambulance. Tommy, Joshua, and Eddie were born via emergency cesarean on February 9 and were genetically identical. Humorously, Katie and Rob initially had to leave the hospital tags on the babies in order to tell them apart. Tommy was born at 17:50, weighing 2 pounds 11.5 ounces; Joshua at 17:51, weighing 3 pounds 4.5 ounces; and Eddie at 17:52, weighing 3 pounds 3.5 ounces.

Katie shared her experience: “Tommy came out and took a big breath and screamed, and the whole of the theater cheered. And it was the same with Joshua and Eddie. I was full of adrenaline.” Tommy and Joshua were transferred to Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan on the same night, while Eddie followed a day later. Katie was discharged after a week but spent another fortnight in parent accommodation, which was later closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, Josh and Eddie spent only seven weeks in the hospital, and Tommy came home ten days later.

Reflecting on their journey, Katie said, “It was difficult not having us all together. There were times when I felt really lonely, and I could never see this day. None of them have really had any issues, and a lot of other moms do, so I feel really lucky. I keep thinking I’m going to crash or have an emotional day, but I’m just so happy we’re all home and cracking on.” She expressed gratitude for the kindness they received from their community, with neighbors leaving packs of diapers and supplies anonymously on their doorstep to assist the young couple financially. Katie and Rob believe that the birth of their babies has brought a ray of sunshine amid the gloom of the COVID-19 pandemic. Katie remarked, “We really do feel so lucky. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and it’s so true.”