200-million-to-1 identical triplets home after parents refuse abortion
A couple in the UK had their triplets home just in time for Christmas after being repeatedly pressured during the pregnancy to selectively abort one or two of their sons.
Ace Page, father of infant triplets, told the Daily Mail, “We’re lost for words to be honest, I don’t think it’s really sunk in that we’ve got three identical boys.” His sons, Cruz, Enzo, and Aljo, are identical triplets, originating from a single implanted egg. They were born 10 weeks prematurely in October at just 29 weeks and weighing two pounds, 7 ounces, two pounds, 11 ounces, and two pounds, 13 ounces, respectively, and spent their first three months after birth in a Bristol, England hospital before heading home just before Christmas.
The couple, who used in vitro fertilization (IVF) to become pregnant, experienced the rare 200-million-to-one odds of having identical triplets. At first, they were told they were having twins, but at a follow-up ultrasound, the third baby was discovered. (Editor’s Note: Live Action does not support the use of IVF. Read more about this here. However, we believe that all human beings, regardless of their means of conception, have human dignity and value, and are worthy of the right to life. This includes embryos who may die, be destroyed, or remain perpetually frozen as a result of reproductive technologies.)
Around 17 weeks of pregnancy, Shannon Page began fainting. That was when doctors discovered a complication that can occur with multiple pregnancies called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). The babies share a placenta, which sometimes results in one infant thriving at the expense of the others. With this condition, one or more infants can be born unusually small and even die. As a remedy, Page’s medical providers recommended selective abortion for one or two of the babies to ensure the survival of the third.
“The doctors were pretty certain we weren’t going to make it past 21 weeks, which if we didn’t none of the babies would have survived,” said Ace. “We were advised by several people to maybe terminate one or two to help one survive. We decided not to go ahead with it and it is the best thing we have done. We let nature take its course and we are super grateful.”
Due to the pressure to abort, moved their family over 40 miles before delivery to be closer to a specialized neonatal clinic. At specialized clinics, including several in the United States, fetoscopic laser photocoagulation can occasionally be performed to treat TTTS. During this procedure, the blood vessels of the placenta are mapped and redirected to distribute nutrients equitably among the fetuses. It is unclear if Shannon underwent that procedure.
“It’s been an absolute whirlwind. We’ve been living out of hospital and trying to navigate each day as it comes,” said Shannon. “But now the boys are doing really well; their feeding tubes are out and they are feeding from bottles. Having them home for Christmas is the best present we could have possibly hoped for. We feel so incredibly fortunate. Our home will certainly never be the same again.”
[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by Live Action News.]