First Christmas with twins after five years and three miscarriages

After three miscarriages, Katherine and Daniel from Essex cannot wait to celebrate their first family Christmas with eight-month old twins George and Thomas and their wider family.

“The tree went up super early this year and I have bought the boys a Christmas outfit each,” says Katherine. “Having finally reached our goal of having children we will be savouring every minute!”

The couple first started trying for a baby five years ago but when Katherine hadn’t conceived after more than a year they went to see their GP. “The doctor put me on Clomid and when I still didn’t fall pregnant we were sent to our local hospital for tests,” reveals Katherine.

A dye test showed that one of Katherine’s fallopian tubes was blocked. “It was actually a relief to be given a reason why I wasn’t getting pregnant,” says Katherine. “I hadn’t had any symptoms and we led a pretty healthy lifestyle so I had no idea what the problem was.”

Katherine and Daniel were told that they could be referred for IVF treatment and they opted to go to Bourn Hall Clinic.

Over the next couple of years Katherine sadly had three miscarriages, twice following IVF treatment and once after a surprise natural conception but despite their setbacks Katherine says that she and Daniel did not give up on their dream of having a family.

Last attempt

“I changed my hours to part-time at work to reduce my stress levels,” says Katherine, who is a PE teacher, “and we went back to Bourn Hall for further treatment using two frozen embryos from previous treatment”. This time around the couple also chose to have intralipids,

Intralipids are known as an adjuvant treatment, something that seems to work in practice but doesn’t yet have a scientific evidence-base. Intralipids are derived mainly from soya protein and eggs and are administered using a drip. It is thought the treatment makes the environment in the womb friendlier towards the embryo. It has been found by some patients to be beneficial after recurrent miscarriage but this is not proven.

The couple were ‘cautiously optimistic’ when Katherine fell pregnant for a fourth time but tried not to get their hopes up too much because of the previous miscarriages. Happily the pregnancy went full-term and George and Thomas arrived on 27 March 2016.

“Since the boys have arrived it has been a whirlwind,” laughs Katherine. “We have had lots of support from our parents and we have to be very organised but I can honestly say that it has been worth it. We are loving every minute of it.”

Christmas will be a real family affair with both sets of grandparents joining in the festivities. “It will be the best Christmas ever,” says Katherine.

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