When she was told she may never have children, Donna Carter was heartbroken.
Diagnosed with a fertility condition in her 20s, she believed her dream of becoming a mother was over.
But ten years on, she now has her hands full with three identical triplets – conceived naturally – against odds of 200 million to one.
Adam, Miles and Damian arrived seven weeks ago – a month prematurely – weighing 4lb 9oz, 4lb 8oz and 4lb 5oz respectively.
They have since thrived and are now a healthy 7lb each.
Today Ms Carter spoke of her joy at becoming a mother-of-three so unexpectedly.
‘It was such a shock. Doctors told me it was a chance in a million, like winning the lottery – and now I could do with winning the lottery for the money.’
At age 24 Ms Carter had been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition in which fluid-filled sacs form on the ovaries, hampering fertility.
Ms Carter had been out of the country for four years and was living in Egypt with her partner Mahmood, a policeman.
She had returned to the UK to find work when she discovered she was pregnant.
She said: ‘I was told at the age of 24 that I wasn’t able to have children – and now I’m blessed with three at 34.
‘When I came back I found out I was pregnant – and at five weeks I was told there were three heartbeats.’
She was referred to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham where she was given a scan every fortnight.
At 32 weeks pregnant, Ms Carter became ill and was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia – a condition in which women develop high blood pressure in the second half of their pregnancy.
As it can lead to serious complications for both mother and baby if left untreated, she was rushed into hospital.
Due to her illness, Ms Carter was put into an induced coma for 15 hours and the triplets were delivered by Caesarean section.
She said: ‘I was very large – I swelled up like a balloon.
‘A week later and the boys decided to come into the world.