TRIPLETS BORN IN13 2018, 2020, 2022
James & Karen’s joy after IVF babies arrive four years apart
IT’S not often triplets come in three different sizes… but Karen and James Marks have had theirs four years apart.
The couple welcomed Gabriella last month, after Isabella was born on September 15, 2020, and first child Cameron on September 1, 2018.
Despite the age gap, their tots are considered triplets because they were conceived at the same time, through IVF, from the same batch of embryos.
After Cameron’s birth, Karen, 35, and 37-year-old James kept their viable embryos frozen so they could add to the family later.
Karen: said: “It feels so great to have all three of our children now, we feel so incredibly lucky.
“Some people go through IVF and sadly don’t even get to have one baby, and we’ve managed to have three, so we just feel so lucky.
“Gabi was our last embryo, so she’s our last baby now. We’re so happy she’s here. I knew I wasn’t done before Gabi, so I told my husband if it didn’t work, then we better get saving so we could have another one.
“I feel complete now, I’m so happy. My heart is very full.”
Karen and company director James, of Taunton, Somerset, married in 2014. But the pair feared they might never have a child of their own after Karen failed to get pregnant and was diagnosed with fertility issues.
She said: “We tried for a year to conceive naturally and nothing happened, so we went to the GP and they ran some tests. We had five embryos made up. We’ve lost two. I miscarried in 2019 and in September last year, a month before I fell pregnant with Gabi.”
Karen was given funding for one round of IVF on the NHS in 2017 at the Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine which proved successful. But while pregnant with Gabriella, she feared she may lose the child due to early bleeding and suffering Covid.
She overcame the problems and the baby was born weighing 7lb 5oz. Karen told how she never hesitates to tell people her kids are IVF babies and hopes her experience will encourage others struggling to conceive to try the treatment. She added: “Infertility never leaves you.
“Pregnancy announcements can still be painful, especially when someone has seemingly conceived easily.
“It’s a battle and a journey, and while part of me believes there’s a reason we had to go through it, we’ve met so many wonderful people along the way.
“If you’ve exhausted all other options, then crack on and go for it.
“IVF is fine. Don’t put it off or avoid it. It’s the most likely fertility treatment to work, and it did for us.”
Some people go through IVF and sadly don’t get one baby, we managed three. We’re lucky
KAREN MARKS ON HAVING TRIPLETS FOUR YEARS APART WITH IVF COURSE