Birth of triplets two years apart

A South West UK couple have finally welcomed their third child after their first born four years ago.

The three children were born one after the other through IVF (In Vitro Fertilization).

Karen and James Marks are from Taunton, Somerset County. Their first son was born four years ago, named Cameron.

Three years later, their daughter Isabella was born. Karen now has a third child, a daughter named Gabriela.

The triplets are considered simultaneous because their mothers conceived on the same day and at the same time and the same batch of embryos was used for artificial insemination.

After Cameron was born in September 2018, the couple chose to keep the rest of the embryos frozen so they could later become part of their family. Isabella was born in September 2020 and Gabriela on July 3.

According to Karen: ‘It feels great to have three of four children pass. We feel incredibly lucky.

‘Some people choose artificial insemination and unfortunately they never have a single child and we were able to have triplets. So we feel very lucky.

‘Gabby was our last embryo so now she is our last child. I knew I wasn’t done before Gabby, so I told my husband that if it didn’t work out, it might be best to save the embryos so we could have one more. Now I feel complete. I’m very happy. My heart is satisfied.’

According to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, around 390,000 babies have been born in the UK through artificial insemination since records began in 1991.

Karen says she and her husband decided on artificial insemination after trying to conceive naturally for a year but failing.

He explained: ‘There is no particular reason for this. I don’t ovulate regularly, so that’s important, but there’s no other reason. No other problem with us.’

The couple shared their story to encourage other women to consider artificial insemination if they are having trouble conceiving.

According to Karen: ‘Infertility never leaves you. Pregnancy announcements can still be painful, especially when a woman seems to get pregnant easily.

‘It’s a battle and a journey and while I partly believe there’s a reason we take this journey, we’ve met some amazing people along the way.

‘If you have tried all other methods then try this method as soon as possible. Don’t delay or avoid it. There is a strong possibility that she will be successful in pregnancy and this method proved to be effective for us.’