Hannah Swift-Cuddy, 30, and her wife Siobhan, 40, underwent three rounds of ɪɴsᴇᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ, and while she became ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ, she suffered ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs every time. With Siobhan unable to carry a baby, and the pair fast running out of options, they turned to private experts to help them complete their family. Medics discovered she had an ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴇ sʏsᴛᴇᴍ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ which caused her body to produce ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴄʟᴏᴛs sᴏ ʙɪɢ they cut off the ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ ᴜɴʙᴏʀɴ ʙᴀʙɪᴇs. She began taking ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʜɪɴɴᴇʀs, and they took their chances with I.V.F, ɪᴍᴘʟᴀɴᴛɪɴɢ their final two embryos in a bid to complete their family. The pair were delighted when sᴄᴀɴs revealed not only were they ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ – but were expecting ᴛʀɪᴘʟᴇᴛs. They welcomed Alice, Amelia, and Everlyn on August 13
Hannah said: “Hearing the ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪs ᴡᴀs sᴄᴀʀʏ but then almost a relief because I had an answer finally and could start taking ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴍᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ʙᴀʙʏ. I had three ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs before the ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪs and then I fell ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with ᴛʀɪᴘʟᴇᴛs – it was just absolutely amazing, and a complete sʜᴏᴄᴋ too but we are so happy now. At first, the sᴏɴᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ sʜᴀᴅᴏᴡs ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ – she couldn’t believe there were actually three babies. Siobhan came running down the corridor, screaming” ‘It’s ᴛʀɪᴘʟᴇᴛs!’ It was just ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟᴇ. We were so sʜᴏᴄᴋed but so happy that after losing three, we were now having three.”
Siobhan and Hannah knew they wanted a family and opted for ɪɴᴛʀᴀᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ɪɴsᴇᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ in order to have children, using the same ᴀɴᴏɴʏᴍᴏᴜs sᴘᴇʀᴍ donor each time. She suffered three ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs in one year – each time after she ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴇᴅ I.U.I ɪɴ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ꜰᴀʟʟ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ.
Hannah said: “I didn’t feel well for a long time after ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ʙɪʀᴛʜ to Izzy but health professionals just passed it off as me having low iron or low this that and the other. We’d already had a ʜᴏʀʀᴇɴᴅᴏᴜs time with Siobhan having a ʜʏsᴛᴇʀᴇᴄᴛᴏᴍʏ and needing a ᴄᴏʟᴏsᴛᴏᴍʏ bag and then to continue to have ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀᴡꜰᴜʟ. I couldn’t understand why I was having these ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs – I was getting ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ but kept losing them and they were all at different stages as well.” Tests revealed she had developed ᴀɴᴛɪᴘʜᴏsᴘʜᴏʟɪᴘɪᴅ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ – a disorder of the ɪᴍᴍᴜɴᴇ sʏsᴛᴇᴍ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀᴜsᴇs ᴀɴ ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ʀɪsᴋ ᴏꜰ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴄʟᴏᴛs – after her first baby. ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ women with A.P.S also have an ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ʀɪsᴋ ᴏꜰ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ, although the exact reasons for this are uncertain.
The couple discovered Hannah only had two eggs that were good enough to freeze – if they didn’t work, they’d be out of options after spending an eyewatering $25,890 on ꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs. Thankfully, the I.V.F treatment was a success but nothing prepared the two mums for the news that they were having ᴛʀɪᴘʟᴇᴛs. Full time mom Siobhan and Hannah kept the news of their ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ to themselves, only telling family after 12 weeks and friends after 16 weeks. With Hannah going through her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ during lockdown, she managed to keep it a secret for so long that her work colleagues only found out AFTER she ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʙɪʀᴛʜ.
Alice was just two pounds, followed by Amelia at two pounds seven ounces and Everlyn at two pounds 13 ounces, and they spent five weeks ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ᴅᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ sɪᴢᴇ. Hannah said: “Our family had to wait five weeks to meet the girls which is ᴜɴᴜsᴜᴀʟ in itself because the ᴘᴀɴᴅᴇᴍɪᴄ meant they couldn’t visit in the hospital. They’re all absolutely sᴛᴜɴɴᴇᴅ at our three new arrivals – they can’t quite believe it.”
