A ᴛᴇᴇɴᴀɢᴇ Gɪʀʟ who became Britain’s youngest mother of identical triplets said it was the ‘best thing’ she’s ever done.
Natalie Scanlan, from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, gave birth to three ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ daughters, Maddie, Ellie and Lilly, at the age of 16. She became Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ shortly before she went on vacation to Tenerife with her 19-year-old Bᴏʏfriend.
After thinking she’d gotten food poisoning on the island, she returned home, met her doctor, and learned she was Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. But it was not until an ultrasound two months later that the 16-year-old Gɪʀʟ found out she was Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with triplets. She said: “It was a sʜᴏᴄᴋ to find out I was Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ, let alone with three children.” But, after everything had sunk in, I made the decision to go on.”
Natalie told The Sun: ‘I noticed the nurse was pulling her face into the screen and there were a lot of staff members gathered around the machine. The nurse asked if I had a history of twins in my family. I said no. Then she showed me the scan and I could see three little heartBᴇᴀᴛs. At that time, I was very scared. It was as if my whole world was ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴜᴘꜱɪᴅᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ. Mom hugged me and we both ᴄʀɪᴇᴅ. The first thing I think was “Isn’t it possible for me to have them? God, I’m just 16”.
Doctors told Natalie that the chance of someone her age giving birth to ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ triplets was one in one. The teenager spoke to her mother Sarah and considered terminating the three children – but then changed her mind when she saw another scan.
“They look like little Gɪʀʟs,” she said. I began to imagine them as my three daughters. I can see their nose and mouth. They were really looking at me and I was like, “God, I can’t get rid of them now”. ”
She was on leave and had a difficult pregnancy, morning sɪᴄᴋness and liver problems, and even fainted. At 34 weeks, the doctors at the wigan clinic decided to give birth to the babies. Ellie weighed 4 lbs 4 oz, Lilly 3 lbs 15 oz, and Maddie 3 lbs 9 oz when they were born. The three little angels were immediately placed in an inCᴜʙᴀtor at the hospital, but two weeks later, Natalie was able to bring them home.
“It’s not as ᴅɪꜰꜰɪᴄᴜʟᴛ as I thought it would be,” she said. The Gɪʀʟs slept through the night. The only bad thing of the day was the early evening because they ʜᴀᴛᴇᴅ the Emmerdale theme tune and ᴄʀɪᴇᴅ whenever it came out. I love all of them. My mother told me they were very good children. For me, they are perfect. They’re the most precious things in the world and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Eighteen months later, Natalie spoke on the documentary about how her life had changed.
“I don’t have as much freedom as I used to and I can’t do what I want,” she said. I have to do what the baby wants to do now. I want to get a job but it’s hard to find a job on time. If they go to bed at 7 p.m. and you get home at 6 p.m., you’ll only see them for an hour a day. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having small children, but you have to realize that it will stop your life as well as the lives of everyone around you. ”
Natalie’s mother Sarah, who was also Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ at 16, said life can be tough for Natalie when she’s not in the mood to feed them or change her babies.
Sarah said: ‘She’s only 16 but she has this Hᴜɢᴇ responsibility. At her age she should be young, free, single and enjoying her life. Things like dirty diapers, cleaning bottles, emptying bottles, …. It’s not a wonderland. Being a mother is a very ᴅɪꜰꜰɪᴄᴜʟᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴛʀᴇɴᴜᴏᴜꜱ job.”
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