Three identical triplets, one placenta: one family’s emotional rollercoaster

"Is that a third head?" Craig could hardly believe what he was seeing when he and his wife, Gina, had their 13-week scan. They had been told they were expecting twins, but during the appointment a third baby appeared on the screen.

Their news came with another unexpected detail. The triplets were identical and shared one placenta, a combination Gina and Craig were told is incredibly rare, affecting around one in 200 million triplets.

Gina discovered Twins Trust and found a community where she was able to open up about her feelings about her pregnancy and learn about the triplet pathway in hospital.

Gina had already had a feeling she was expecting more than one baby. She said: "When I found out I was pregnant, I had a feeling I might be having twins. Early on I had visual migraines and insomnia. When we went for our 13-week scan, straightaway they said there were twins. But 20 minutes in they saw a third baby. I was in pure shock."

Once the initial surprise settled, practical worries quickly followed. Gina started thinking about the day-to-day reality of caring for three babies at once, from feeding and sleeping to simply getting out of the house. Like many parents facing a multiple pregnancy, she turned to the internet to try to understand what might be ahead, but the information she found about risks and complications left her feeling overwhelmed.

Navigating decisions and emotions

Gina’s pregnancy was closely monitored, and she describes it as a time of highs and lows. Alongside the excitement, there was also fear and uncertainty, and the emotional toll was real.

At one point, the couple were offered a reduction, where expectant parents are asked whether they want to reduce the number of foetuses to lower potential risks. It was not something Gina knew to expect, and it came as another shock at an already intense time. Gina said: "No-one had told me about a reduction before so it was a bit of a shock. The babies were healthy so we chose not to go for it."

In the early stages, Gina was told she was carrying two identical girls sharing a placenta, and a boy with his own placenta. Like any parent preparing for new arrivals, she began to picture what life might look like, thinking about names and imagining their personalities.

To help herself cope with the scale of what was happening, Gina tried to focus on the babies as individuals and on the future she hoped to have with them. It was her way of making the pregnancy feel a little more real.

A change of plan

Everything shifted again at the 24-week scan, when doctors told Gina and Craig that all three babies were boys and were sharing one placenta.

Gina said: "In my head I was having two girls and a boy. I had thought of names and imagined them. I had to grieve the loss of the two girls. This is where Twins Trust really helped me. I felt terrible that I had this gender disappointment. I should be really happy to have three babies. Twins Trust felt like a safe environment for me to express this and gave me really good advice. They were so helpful with the triplet pathway in hospital. I knew how lucky I was to have three boys and the main thing was they were healthy and I was going to get them through the pregnancy."

A Caesarean section was planned for 33 weeks, but at 31 weeks Gina’s waters broke and she went into labour. On the night of a bright pink supermoon, she arrived at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and things moved quickly.

Finding their footing as a family of five

After the birth, Gina stayed in hospital for a week. Her body needed time to recover after carrying triplets, and she also needed a few days before she could walk again.

Gina said the pregnancy brought a lot of mixed emotions, and the early days with the babies were no different. She said: "The pregnancy was a rollercoaster of emotions. I was excited about having them but didn’t know what it was going to be like once I had them.

"I didn’t have that immediate rush of emotions. This sounds terrible but I think it’s important to say. I loved them but didn’t have that overwhelming feeling of love. That took a little bit of time. It did come. I love them more than anything in the world but it scared me that I didn’t immediately have those feelings that people talk about.".

She added: "They’re thriving. They’ve got such fantastic personalities. They’re making each other laugh. I find it so interesting to watch them interact with each other. Every day is amazing with them.”