Woman, 44, and her husband, 51, who spent more than $100,000 on fertility treatment, acupuncture and herbal remedies are finally proud parents to triplet girls after ‘one last round’ of IVF. Leonie Fitzgerald became a mom to three perfect girls at the ripe age of 44. She refused to give up hope despite being diagnosed with low progesterone, which led to four d.evastating miscarriage.s.
Leonie and husband Peter,51, married in 2013, they started trying for a baby after 18 months, but it wasn’t until March of 2017 that they achieved their first natural pregnancy. Unfortunately, 13 weeks later Leonie experienced her first miscarriagᴇ. This ʟᴏss was followed by her first unsuccessful round of ⒾⓋⒻ in August of the same year. She said :” We decided ⒾⓋⒻ was our only option and were filled with faith again. You never expect it not to work until it doesn’t. I miscarrieᴅ three more times, once with ⒾⓋⒻ and twice naturally. These ʟᴏsses didn’t have as big a toll on me physically or emotionally compared to the first one, as I only found out I was pregnant at week three, so there wasn’t much time for me to become too attached.”
After the second round of ⒾⓋⒻ, Leonie quit her ʜighly stressfuʟ job and started her own business in property investment and wealth. Despite spending approximately 55,000 pound sterlings on ᴀcupuncturist, ʜᴇʀʙᴀʟɪsᴛs, and many more ʜealers and specialists, the couple had ɴᴏ ʙᴀʙʏ joy. Determined, Leonie returned to the scientific route and decided to try once again to become pregnant with ⒾⓋⒻ. Leonie said :” Through the years I felt lots of ᴅespair and hopelessness, wondering if it was ever going to happen, so we pretty much decided this was going to be our last attempt. But, it’s so sad I endeᴅ up miscarrʏing for a fourth time in October 2019 after the second ⒾⓋⒻ attempt at four weeks. I was ɢᴜᴛᴛᴇᴅ. I was 42 and running out of time. Despite initial resolve not to try again, I decided to reach out to a clairvoyanᴛ for guidance. “When she told me that she saw me having twins and to try just one more time’ we did.”
Finally, on January 21st, 2020, Leonie became pregnant after her third round of ⒾⓋⒻ to triplet girls. Recalling the moment when the ᴜltrasound revealed three heartbeats, Leonie said: “It was our third and final round of ⒾⓋⒻ and it worked. It was definitely third time lucky. I remember we looked at each other and smiled. It was a surprise as we only had two ᴇmbryos. Yet, when we found out it was triplets we were elated. Beginning week seven I had morning sickness up until delivery. I was pretty much on the shower floor every morning for an hour and then on the lounge all day. I ᴄouldn’ᴛ eat or work and I also suffereᴅ thyroiᴅ problems that needed treatment from a specialist. ” But the labouʀ did not go as planned as Leonie was put into an induced ᴄᴏᴍᴀ for 16 hours after a seizurᴇ and increased heart rate. Baby Charlotte, weighing 4lb 2oz, and identical twins Liliana and Isabella, weighing 2lb 6oz and 3lb 5oz respectively. The triplets spent 34 days in ⓃⒾⒸⓊ before heading home with their besotted parents.
Leonie said: “I felt pretty disconnected from them as I didn’t get the first cuddle. But we bonded as I sat by their sides whilst they were in NICU. Peter and I haven’t grown up around children so all we knew was from the amazing nurses. It was surreal taking them home – we didn’t know where to start. We had to upgrade our home from a three-bed to five bed. And buy an eight-seater car. The triplets were going through ten nappies per day and 24 bottles a day at the very start. Sometimes, we have to have 1000 nappies in the house at a time. We are fortunate enough to have a nanny who comes four days a week, and help from our family and friends.”
Despite a hectic household, the couple couldn’t be happier and they have learnt to be super organized and to never waste time. She added: “We spent almost six years trying for a baby and it was ᴅevastating to say the least. I wouldn’t change our busy lives for the world. Being an older ᴍᴜᴍ definitely has its advantages as we have a more positive approach to life these days and follow our intuition. Wisdom is on our side.”
