by Mother who sᴜFFᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴀɢᴏɴʏ Of sᴛɪʟʟʙɪʀᴛʜ And Two ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs Gives Birth To Healthy Triplets Into Two Years
A woman who suffered the agony of losing three babies was sᴛᴜɴɴᴇᴅ when she unexpectedly became pregnant with triplets – all in the space of two years.
Gemma Schollick, 28, and her husband Stephen, 30, were ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ after the sᴛɪʟʟʙɪʀᴛʜ of their daughter and a further two ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs. The couple decided to stop trying for a baby, instead concentrating on the three children they already had – Ben, eight, Josh, six, and five-year-old Sophie. In an attempt to put their heartache behind them, they decided to get married, but while they were on honeymoon in Cornwall in July 2011, Mrs Schollick became pregnant again unexpectedly. After early sᴄᴀɴs, the couple were told they were expecting twins – but at a later sᴄᴀɴ, Mrs Schollick was ‘beside herself’ to be told she was expecting triplets.
In early 2010, Mr and Mrs Schollick learned that they were expecting a baby. Although unplanned, the couple eagerly awaited the birth of their daughter – whom they had decided to call Amelia. Mrs Schollick carried Amelia full term, but during an antenatal appointment on December 27, 2010, medical staff were unable to find a ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛ. The couple were told their daughter had ᴅɪᴇᴅ.
Two days later – on Amelia’s due-date – Mrs Schollick gave birth to the still-born baby.The couple discovered their baby had ᴅɪᴇᴅ more than a week earlier, leaving Mrs Schollick ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜsʟʏ ɪʟʟ with a ᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ɪɴFᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. The couple were desperate for another baby, but three months later, they were apprehensive when Mrs Schollick became pregnant again. Their fears were realised, when she suffered a second ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ at six weeks.
‘After everything we had been through I couldn’t cope with anything more, We decided to stop trying and just ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ Fᴀᴛᴇ. If it was meant to happen it would happen.’’ said Mrs Schollick.
In the summer of 2011, the family decided to go on holiday to Cornwall, where, unknown to their family and friends, they decided to get married. During their honeymoon, Mrs Schollick conceived again. Because of the earlier problems, the couple wasted no time in visiting the hospital for a sᴄᴀɴ. ‘It was the same nurse that had told me Amelia had ᴅɪᴇᴅ. Running the sᴄᴀɴner over my stomach, she turned to me and said, I don’t know how to tell you this, and I just thought, oh no, not again, but then she announced, “it’s twins”. But I just couldn’t get excited, if anything I was more sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ. I thought I was going to lose another two babies.’ said Mrs Schollick.
Mrs Schollick was in for a ᴜʀᴛʜᴇʀ sʜᴏᴄᴋ . When she attended the second sᴄᴀɴ, she was told she was not expecting two babies, but three.
“When the nurse first said I was having triplets I thought she was winding me up.I sat in the car park for half an hour after the sᴄᴀɴ and just cried my eyes out. I was so sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ.”
Mrs Schollick was too fearful to get excited, with the previous ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs never far from her mind. when medics explained the high risk of ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ with triplets. Having lost three babies in a row, Mrs Schollick was quick to decline the offer of reducing the number of foetuses she was carrying in order to give the remaining ones a stronger chance of sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ.
She said: ‘You can’t pick and choose, can you? I just realised that whatever was meant to be, would be. I wanted a natural delivery, but they said no because Alfie’s cord was a lot thinner than it should have been, but as it was, he came out naturally and quickly,’ said Mrs Schollick.They were already performing the ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, so the other two were born that way.’ They were born on January 29 , nine weeks early. Alfie was the smallest at 2llb 2oz, his identical twin, Andrew, was 3lb 3oz and Aidan was 3lb 6oz.
