Allana Allard, 29, and husband Tim, 31, said they couldn’t believe their family had grown by three on their first pregnancy after trying to conceive for just two weeks
With no history of multiple births in either side of their families, Allana and Tim said they couldn’t believe their family was about to grow by three in size from their very first pregnancy.
Allana, who was born in Falkirk, Scotland but moved to Australia aged 13, said: “We decided to start trying for a baby in October last year, and within just two weeks we were pregnant.
“We were over the moon. We went together to our very first scan, and were not really expecting much as it was so early.
“We heard two heartbeats at first, and we were told it was twins. But after doing an internal ultrasound we got the news it was triplets.
“Tim went white a ghost and he let out a couple of choice words. I went into shock.
Allana Allard, 29, Tim, 31, and their identical triple boys Jaxon, Zac and Zavier (
tely no history of multiple births in either sides of our families, so it was just totally random.
“After the initial shock wore off, we were just so excited. Of course we were a bit scared as all new parents are, but we were so happy.”
While the exact figure is unknown, some studies have reported that the chance of a woman having natural identical triplets could be as rare as 1 in 200 million.
And as if expecting triplets was not overwhelming enough, five months into Allana’s pregnancy the world was turned upside down with the COVID-19 pandemic.
With strict lockdown measures in place to stop the spread, the expectant mum was no longer allowed to have her husband attend any important appointments with her.
And after her sons were born, the parents were not allowed to have any family visit the triplets in hospital for the three weeks they remained there before coming home.
Allana added that due to the COVID-19 travel bans, her beloved 82-year-old grandmother – who would regularly visit Australia from Scotland in previous years – had to postpone her trip to visit her great-grandsons.
The admin worker said: “It was such a trying time with COVID. Tim wasn’t allowed in any of the scans, he would have to just sit in the car for hours.
“None of our family member could meet the triplets until we bought them home. They were in the NICU for three weeks.
“It’s sad for my great-grandmother, she comes over twice a year usually to see us but now we are not sure when she will be able to meet her great-grandchildren.
“It really impacted the experience of our first pregnancy.”
At first the couple assumed that just two of their boys were identical, while the other was fraternal, as Jaxon and Zac were growing in one sac while Zavier was in another.
Allana and her three sons
Adorable triplets Jaxon, Zac and Zavier (
Image:
CATERS NEWS)
But six weeks after they were born, the parents were shocked after DNA testing revealed their trio were actually genetically identical.
Mine worker Tim said: “We never thought they would be identical, as two shared a sac and placenta, while the other had his own.
“But after they were born, it was obvious they looked exactly the same. People said we should get a DNA test, just to see.
“We did a simple cheek swab test, and then the results confirmed they were in fact identical triplets.
“It was amazing to have that confirmation.”
The boys were born by C-Section at 33 weeks weighing 1.9kg, 2kg and 2.3kg.
Now with the triplets nearly six months old, the couple have their routine sorted and are happier than ever with their family-of-five
Allana said: “It is still blows my mind to think three babies came out of my belly.
“It was a good pregnancy, I didn’t have morning sickness or any major complications.
“It took us a few months to get everything sorted. We needed three of everything.
“It triples the cost of everything. We had to order our pram from overseas but it was delayed because of COVID, thankfully it arrived just in time.