THRICE AS NICE ‘Infertile’ couple set for IVF become parents naturally… to identical TRIPLETS. A couple who were set to go ahead with IVF to have a second child have become proud parents of three identical triplets. Lina Sapia, 35, gave birth to Luis (2lb 8oz), Piero (3lb 6oz) and Remi (3lb 12oz) at 32 weeks.
The stay-at-home mum and her husband Fabio, 37, wanted to extend their family and planned on using one of the four frozen embryos. But last year, they were shocked when a pregnancy test showed that they had conceived naturally. The couple were in ‘total shock’ when they saw three heart-beats at their six week scan. They happily found out they were having triplets.
The babies are now at home with their mum, dad Fabio, 37, and one-year-old sister Alba, who was conceived after IVF treatment.
Lina said she had felt anxious throughout the pregnancy as she had feared something bad may happen and she couldn’t deal with another miscarriage. She experienced a second miscarriage three months prior to discovering she was pregnant with triplets in September but she didn’t get her hopes up as she feared it may happen again. Previously, the couple was trying for three years before they decided to have IVF with Alba which was successful first time. They always knew they wanted to have another baby and assumed they will need to go through IVF again after being diagnosed with unexplained infertility.
Worried about the baby because of their history, they booked in for an early scan and were told the amazing news that there were three babies.
Lina said “We booked in for an early scan at six weeks to check the baby was healthy and the nurse kept asking me questions such as have I been feeling sick? “She went to get a second opinion and said there’s more than one heartbeat, so we assumed two, not three!
Lina added: “We felt we’d won the lottery.”
Lina said the NHS was ‘absolutely incredible’ for not only getting them through the pregnancy but also providing 24-hour care when they were born. During pregnancy time, Lina had scans every two weeks to ensure everything was fine – it was incredible watching them grow. She shared ‘My bump became heavy and uncomfortable towards the end but I persevered as I still needed to be a mum to Alba and keep her entertained.” Finally, the couple set for IVF left in ‘Total Shock’ after naturally conceiving identical triplets. Fabio wasn’t allowed to see the babies for three weeks while they were in hospital due to the restrictions – only via FaceTime, which Lina said was difficult.
The triplets were like superstars at St. Peters in Chertsey (Surrey) as many of the staff hadn’t seen identical triplets before. The couple said the current lockdown has helped them form a bond and get into a routine with their new arrivals.
