A grandmother from Lincolnshire, England, has recently given birth to triplets, naming them Mason, Ryan and Lily, making her Britain’s oldest mum.
Sharon Cutts and her boyfriend Stuart Reynolds, 40, had spent more than $41,000 (£22,000) in IVF treatments. They also had to travel to Cyprus to do it, as Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) will only perform IVF up to the age of 42.
The couple had to use their savings and take out loans to pay the medical bills, but they were determined to grow their family. After Sharon started menopause, IVF was their only option.
They had an egg donor, and the egg was fertilised with Stuart’s sperm in a lab. “We chose an anonymous donor in July 2015 – we picked because of her likeness to me from the description,” Sharon said.
After two failed attempts at IVF, the third one was successful.
The trained nurse told The Sun : “At the scan we were told there were three heartbeats. Stuart was shocked and I was in tears, crying with joy.”
“The first thing I thought was: ‘Oh my God, how am I going to cope?”
Stuart, her partner of four years, added: “I was excited, and then bricking it. Now they’re here I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Despite complications during the pregnancy and doctors advising her that one of the babies should be aborted due to the dangers of pregnancy at that age, the triplets were born healthy and safely.
Stuart spoke of the moment his children were brought into the world: “It was the most incredible and terrifying time of my life.”
Sharon admits that her older children Emma, 26, Sam, 23, Charles, 21, and Amy, 19, weren’t all convinced that becoming a mother again was a good idea, saying that she was too old. But she’ll prove them wrong!
She also said she’s excited for the triplets to have playmates. “I don’t care that my babies are younger than my grandchildren – it means they’ve got lots of playmates.”
Trending video: See this baby smile after seeing mum clearly for the first time
