A couple who had spent more than 43,000 euros on Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ have welcomed miracle triplets after their parents stepped in to fund one last I.V.F ᴄʏᴄʟᴇ.
Niamh and Jeff Quinlan, both 37, of Dublin, had given up hope of ever Fᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀᴅ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ɪɴᴛᴏ sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴄʏ after spending their life savings on five Fᴀɪʟᴇᴅ rounds of I.V.F and years of ʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴀᴄʜᴇ. Niamh’s father and stepmother were ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ to see the couple sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟɪɴɢ so much, so gave them the cash to fund one final fertility cycle. The treatment was a success and baby girls Molly, Chloe, and Megan were born last December.
Niamh said: “I had given up hope of ever carrying a baby when my dad called me and said he’d put 7,600 euros (£7,000) in my account. I burst into tears at my desk at work. Even then, I thought it was probably going to be money down the ᴅʀᴀɪɴ. I got the sʜᴏᴄᴋ of my life when I found out I was actually pregnant with not one but three babies.’
The couple started trying for a family shortly after they married in 2016. But after a year with no luck, they consulted a doctor, who ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴛʀʏ IUI, ᴀ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪɴᴅᴜᴄᴇs ᴏᴠᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, after discovering that one of Niamh’s Fᴀʟʟᴏᴘɪᴀɴ ᴛᴜʙᴇs ᴡᴀs ʙʟᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ.
Niamh said: ‘It came as a relief, knowing that there was a solution, and we just assumed we would fall pregnant right away. But another year on, we were told we’d need to try I.V.F. We put all our money into it and we thought, “this time, it will have to work” But I started ʙʟᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴅᴀʏs. Iᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀʙsᴏʟᴜᴛᴇʟʏ ᴄʀᴜsʜɪɴɢ.The couple ᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴡᴇɴᴛ Fɪᴠᴇ ᴄʏᴄʟᴇs of I.V.F with each one ending in ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ. But Niamh’s dad, Michael Foley, ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʙᴀʀᴇ to see his daughter missing out on her dream.
Michael said:’It ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ to see my daughter having ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ sᴜᴄʜ ᴀ ᴛᴇʀʀɪʙʟᴇ time.
‘Of course, as a parent, you don’t want to interfere, but they had two embryos there was hope to go through one last try. We discussed it one night and I put the money into Niamh’s account the next morning. I called her and said we’d gifted her some money, and it was up to her what she did with it – we didn’t mind if they didn’t want to go through I.V.F again. But it was up to her.’
Niamh said: ‘I just ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ɪɴ ᴛᴇᴀʀs when dad told me what they had done for us. It was so ᴜɴᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ. We decided to go for one ʟᴀsᴛ sʜᴏᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏᴜʀ Fʀᴏᴢᴇɴ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs, ʙᴜᴛ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴏF ʜᴇᴀʀᴛs, I didn’t think it would work. Jeff had an exam that day, and my dad had been staying at our house, so he and Patricia drove me to the clinic.
But when I came round from the ᴀɴᴀᴇsᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ, dad was beaming at me. They had ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴀ ᴛᴇsᴛ and I was pregnant. I broke down. When we went in for our first sᴄᴀɴ, I ʜᴀᴅ ᴀɴ ɪɴᴋʟɪɴɢit might be twins because of my high ʜᴏʀᴍᴏɴᴇ ʟᴇᴠᴇʟs. But when they pointed out three babies on the sᴄᴀɴ, I ᴡᴀs ɢᴏʙsᴍᴀᴄᴋᴇᴅ. There was a moment of pure joy, but then i just felt full of Fᴇᴀʀ – ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs sᴜᴄʜ ᴀ ʜɪɢʜ ʀɪsᴋ pregnancy, I still didn’t know if they would make it. It was only once I brought them all home that I felt I could finally embrace that moment of complete joy.’
After an ᴜɴᴇᴠᴇɴᴛFᴜʟ pregnancy, Niamh began to feel unwell at 30 weeks and went into hospital for a ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ, where specialists told her the babies needed to be delivered immediately. A team of 40 specialist doctors and nurses delivered her daughters at Coombe Women’s hospital, Dublin, on December 17, by ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ. Baby Molly, born weighing 3lb 4oz, Megan, weighing 2lb 10oz and Chloe, weighing 2lbs 14oz, were all ʀᴜsʜᴇᴅ sᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ NICU. It was days before the new parents were able to hold their babies and nine weeks before they were all able to come home.
