A woman has given birth to triplets after falling pregnant while on the pill for the third time.

Hannah Donaghue has previously had two surprise babies after falling pregnant twice while taking the contraceptive pill.



Eight years later, having changed to a different pill, Hannah bumped into an old flame at a party - and one thing led to another... and three others in fact.

Advert

Hannah, 29, from Northampton, UK, and Ben Fagan, 30, had no idea that their night of passion would result in three new lives entering this world.

Ben stuck by Hannah's side and was there to welcome the triplets when they were born via caesarean at 32 weeks in October last year.

Hannah has had five babies from pregnancies while on the pill. Credit: Gary Roberts Photography

Hannah has since given up on the pill - but her and Ben are loving being a family of seven.

Advert

Hannah said: "I stared at the pregnancy test stick in my hand. There they were, the unmistakable little blue lines. I couldn't believe it. I was pregnant - again. For the third time.

"The first time I'd fallen pregnant while taking the contraceptive pill I'd assumed I was just one of the one per cent of women who got unlucky.

"I was 18 and living in a one-bedroom flat with my boyfriend, so it certainly wasn't planned and I was nowhere near ready to start a family.

"But when our daughter Megan, now 10, was born I took to motherhood straight away. I'd worked in a nursery so caring for her came naturally to me, but I wasn't planning on having another any time soon.

Advert

"I went to the GP and switched my pill, then made sure I took it religiously at the same time every day. But just two months later, I felt a familiar twinge and realised my period was late - it couldn't have happened again, surely?

"When I saw those two little blue lines in the window I almost fainted. I had no idea how we'd cope and was dreading having to explain to people what had happened again when I was on the pill.

"Thankfully my mum was incredibly supportive and soon enough I was back on the labour ward where I gave birth to another baby girl, Charlie, now eight."

Hannah and Ben have had to get themselves a seven seater. Credit: Lucy Laing

Advert

Not wanting to take any more chances, Hannah switched to the contraceptive implant. But eight years later she began having problems with it and went back on the pill.

She said: "I'd split up with my boyfriend at this point and wasn't looking to meet anyone new.

"But then I bumped into Ben at a party. I'd known him years earlier and there was definite chemistry between us, and that night we ended up going home together.

"Afterwards my period arrived as normal - but two weeks later I woke up feeling something wet in my pyjama bottoms. I looked down and there was blood everywhere.

Advert

"I took myself to hospital, where doctors examined me and said I could be pregnant.

"Shell-shocked, I called Ben and he rushed to the hospital, where I was then taken for a scan.

"I lay on the table and the sonographer ran the scanner over my stomach. 'There's one heartbeat', she said. 'And there's the second one'.

"I thought I'd misheard her. How could there possibly be two babies in there? 'And there's the third one', she added. What? She was telling me I was pregnant with three babies?!

"I thought she must have been joking. I was still in shock as she pointed out the three heartbeats flickering on the screen.

"I couldn't believe it - and neither could Ben. I hadn't even been expecting to fall pregnant with one baby again - let alone three."

The triplets were all non-identical, meaning they had all been conceived from a different egg. They each had their own placenta and own amniotic sac. So not only had her body managed to fall pregnant while she was on the pill, it had managed to produce three separate eggs all at once - and they had all fertilised.

So yeah, the pill did a terrible job. But hats off to Hannah and Ben for seemingly being fertile as fuck. Also, hats off to Ben for taking it as well as he possibly could have.

Hannah added: "After a few minutes, Ben joked: 'We're going to need a limo for all these'.

"I was thrilled when Ben said he'd stand by me, and we began to make plans. At the ten week scan doctors suggested a reduction, but the pair of us didn't even need to discuss it. We were having all three.

"At 16 weeks we found out we were having two girls and a boy. My bump was growing much faster than before and friends and family couldn't believe it when we told them what had happened.

"During my pregnancy Ben and I began dating properly. Even though we were expecting three children together, we didn't want to rush things."

Hannah's pregnancy all went smoothly until 28 weeks, when the triplets' movements started to reduce. Doctors gave her steroids to develop their lungs in case they had to be delivered early. She managed to hang on until she was 32 weeks pregnant and then doctors delivered sisters Ella Rose and Kasey and brother Lester by caesarean.

She said: "They were so tiny but they were really strong and we were allowed to take them home after 18 days. By this point, Ben had moved in and for the first few weeks it felt like a whirlwind had hit the house.

"The triplets have more than doubled our family and we are looking to move to a four-bedroom house, as space is currently tight for a family of seven.

"I've also traded in my Mini for a seven-seater car - and I've well and truly given up on the pill.

"But we do have five little miracles to thank it for - they were obviously meant to be."