I gave birth to one-in-200 million identical triplets - they're a gift

A young couple who struggled to conceive for years have welcomed identical triplets into the world.

Shannon and Ace Page, both 28, had been together for nine years when they turned to in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment in the hopes of having a child before they reached the age of 30.

After the first embryo was implanted in March 2024, the couple, from Wincanton in Somerset, documented their pregnancy on a TikTok account.

But a surprise was in store for Shannon and Ace who, at their first scan, found out that they were expecting not one, not two, but three babies.

However, after a joyous gender reveal with family and friends in July, the Pages stopped posting updates to their account as their boys 'took a turn for the worse'.

At just 17 weeks, Shannon was fainting frequently and doctors realised that one of the triplets was taking more from the placenta than his brothers.

'The doctors were pretty certain that we weren't going to make it past 21 weeks,' Ace told BBC Points West.

'At that point, we were told we may not give birth to three health children and were made aware of our options around termination,' Shannon added.

Shannon and Ace discussed the option of saving one baby and terminating two but agreed to 'let nature take its course' as they would feel too guilty to intervene.

At 19 weeks, Shannon was told she could go into labour imminently as her cervix had shortened and the young couple moved to Bristol to be closer to the hospital.

During this stressful time, they spent nearly £4,000 on short-term rentals.

The three identical boys - Cruz, Enzo and Aljo - were delivered at St Michael's Hospital in Bristol on October 6 at 29 weeks and six days - a one-in-200 million occurrence.

Within their first 12 hours, the premature triplets were moved to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

Since then the three boys have been under supervision and have largely fared well - however it has not been entirely smooth sailing. 

Earlier this month, baby Cruz developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) - a serious illness in which tissues in the intestine (gut) become inflamed and start to die, according to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Thankfully, with the help of antibiotics, Cruz fought off the infection and was reunited with his slightly younger brothers Enzo and Aljo - who are both doing well.

The Pages now say they feel blessed, with Shannon adding: 'We're not religious but this is life a gift from God - it's amazing.'

Shannon and Ace thanked the NICU staff at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital for looking after their boys.

The new mother of triplets said: 'I'll be 30 next year and we've gone from having no children and almost feeling it may never happen, to having three before I'm 30.'

Now, the Pages are looking forward to bringing their happy and healthy babies home - hopefully just in time for Christmas.