‘OUR MIRACLE TRIPLETS ALMOST DIDN'T MAKE IT!'

This trio came as a complete shock to their thrilled parents after early scans showed just one heartbeat

- Josie Agostino

When young mum Renee Albert went to the doctor feeling unwell, she hoped a blood test would confirm that she and husband Shaun were expecting their longed-for second child.

“They confirmed I was pregnant with our second bub, and we thought everything was going to be just like our first-born, Jayda, who’s now two and was the easiest baby ever,” explains Renee.

When the results came back at the four-week mark, the levels of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which is a protein hormone normally in the placenta of a pregnant woman, were showing at 49,000 – indicating just one baby.

“At the 13-week scan we expected to hear one little heartbeat,” says Renee, 27.

“At first, they said we were having twins, and I remember saying, ‘Don’t be silly, there’s no chance of that!’ Then came the clanger – they told us there are actually three heartbeats.

“We were in shock, wondering just how this could happen?”

When Renee and husband Shaun, 31, went back to the doctor to find out how the experts had got it so wrong, they found out it was down to a simple paperwork error.

“When they first shared my blood test results, they missed a zero on the hCG levels. They told me it was 49,000, but it was actually 490,000 – that’s a huge difference!” Renee says.