Mum hopes triplets can come home for Christmas

A mother who has given birth to triplets after being told one of them might not survive is hoping they will be home for Christmas.

Jessica Grosvenor, 25, from Gillingham, gave birth to daughters Millie, Tillie and Lottie on 13 October after months of specialist monitoring during her pregnancy and the babies are still in hospital receiving neonatal care.

Medics had been concerned about Tillie, who was smaller than her sisters and whose chances of survival worried doctors.

Jessica and her partner, Aaron Packham, who already have a nine-month-old daughter, Elsie, attended regular scans throughout the pregnancy as specialists at Medway NHS Foundation Trust monitored the babies' progress.

The girls were delivered at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford at 29 weeks and five days.

"When the first two came out we heard them cry," said Jessica. "She came out, we didn't hear a cry.

"We were just looking at each other saying, 'please, please, please'. A lady came in and said, 'we've stabilised her'. We just broke down.

"We felt like someone had taken their foot off our chests.

"It was terrifying and emotional. They are just over a week old now and we can't believe it."

The couple moved to Kent from the Midlands during the pregnancy, and have praised the support from NHS staff in Medway and Ashford.

"We just never lost hope. We never lost faith," Jessica said.

Staff at Medway Maritime Hospital called Tillie a "little fighter", she recalled, adding that it gave the couple hope.

Tillie was born weighing 1lb 1oz (500g), while Millie weighed 2lb 15oz (1.33kg) and Lottie weighed 3lb (1.36kg)

"They're all miracle babies, but Tillie especially," Jessica said.

She said all three were now stable in neonatal care, with Millie at Medway Maritime Hospital and Lottie and Tillie both at William Harvey Hospital until they can join their sister.

Jessica said her focus was on the weeks ahead and bringing the girls home.

"We were told probably a minimum of six to eight weeks. Tillie will probably be longer. I hope we have them home for Christmas," she said.

Kate Harris, associate director of midwifery and ambulatory gynaecology for Medway NHS Foundation Trust which runs Medway Maritime Hospital, said: "We were pleased to care for Jessica throughout her pregnancy and are delighted that she and her babies are doing well."

"Premature triplet pregnancies require multiple neonatal intensive care cots at the same time.

"When hospitals do not have sufficient cots available, mothers are transferred to the nearest specialist unit that can provide the level of care needed, ensuring both mother and babies receive the best possible care.

"That is what happened in Jessica's case, and we are grateful to our colleagues at William Harvey Hospital for the care they provided."

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