LAST-DITCH IVF DELIVERS SHOCK
SUNDAY MIRROR
Before her first scan at the clinic, after all their tragedies, she and Paul prayed the sonographer would find a healthy heartbeat. They were stunned to be told there were three.
Carla says: “We couldn’t get our heads around the fact we were having triplets.”
But the surprises weren’t over. Carla says: “When we went back for the 12-week scan we were told there were actually four heads in there. It was quite a shock.”
The couple’s joy was tempered when doctors warned them of the risks of carrying quadruplets – and suggested “selective reduction” to remove two foetuses. Carla says: “They said twins would be a lot safer. There is the risk of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a disease of the placenta that affects identical twin pregnancies. There’s also the danger of miscarriage and a preterm labour. But we didn’t even have to think about it. We weren’t going to get rid of any of our babies.”
Now the couple are frantically trying to prepare their three-bedroom home in Grays, Essex, for the arrival of four more babies in early summer.
COPE
IDENTICAL twins always develop from a single fertilised egg that has split and grown into two genetically identical babies.
Non-identical twins grow from two eggs, separately fertilised by different sperm.
In the case of Carla and Paul’s babies, doctors are certain they are identical twins because the couple only had two embryos transferred into Carla’s uterus.
The scan pictures show each set of twins, all girls, sharing a placenta in their own gestational sac, with a thin membrane separating them.
Carla says: “I don’t know where they are all going to go or how we are going to cope, but I’m not even thinking about that at the moment. All I want is for them to get here safely first.
“I’m about five months pregnant, but I look like I’m nearly full term.” Luckily, the couple live next door to Paul’s parents, who have offered to help out after the births.
Carla’s only sadness is her mum Irene will never meet the quads. She died two years ago from a brain tumour.
Paul is now working as many hours as he can to pay back the loan and save for the babies.
He says: “I’m over the moon, but I will be even happier when they are all safely here and the chaos can begin.”
Family members have set up a crowdfunding page for the couple to help them with the unexpected costs of providing for four babies. To donate, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ crozierquads