I was told I’d never conceive naturally... so when the doctor told me I was expecting triplets I was dumbfounded

ROSIE PHELPS-GOGGIN, 40, pictured left, is a marketing director. She lives in Somerset with husband Brad, 44, a pilot, daughter Gabriella, three, and is pregnant with triplets. She says: FOR years, I had a deep fear of childbirth. My doctor told me if I wanted children to frankly ‘get on with it’ — but it was only when I hit my mid-30s that I felt ready. After university I served in the military, spending time in Iraq and Afghanistan, then ran my own company. When we did start trying, I had two early miscarriages, which were devastating. I felt like I had failed, and of course I wondered if I’d tried earlier, would I have saved myself such heartache? I had my daughter Gabriella at 37. The first six weeks of her life were the hardest — the constant worry I wasn’t doing things the ‘right’ way. However, as she began to sleep better I got more rest, and suddenly everything felt easier. After her birth I developed such severe endometriosis I was told I’d never conceive naturally again. We were just about to start IVF when I discovered I was pregnant. Then, at our first scan, the sonographer said, ‘It’s not one baby … it’s three.’ I was dumbfounded. To naturally conceive triplets at 40 seemed nothing less than a miracle!

Older mothers have a higher chance of multiple births because our ovaries can release more than one egg per cycle, but in my case one egg split into two, then one half split again.

So the babies, who are girls, are identical. It means my age had nothing to do with it, it was just a fluke of nature. A 200-million-to-one chance, according to my doctors.

I just can’t wait until they’re in my arms and although we only planned to have two children, I feel so blessed that I’m going to have four.

Still, if being pregnant at 37 was tiring, it’s exhausting at 40, and I know it will take my body longer to recover this time. We’ve hired a nanny from Norland College, where Kate and William’s nanny was trained, to help us cope when they first come home.

If my daughters wait until my age to have their own families, it means I probably won’t have long with my grandchildren, which makes me sad.

That said, having children later in life means I’ve had time to focus on myself and my career, and I’m ready to pour energy into them.

I’m sure Meghan and Harry would like a sibling for their baby, and my advice would be don’t delay. It only gets harder as you get older!