Yorkshire couple speak of gratitude to charity after triplets were born prematurely

Lucy Beilby has spoken of the support given to her and her partner Rob by the Sick Children’s Trust when they stayed at the charity’s accommodation, Eckersley House in Leeds, after their three daughters, Adeline, Beatrix and Clementine, were born 12 weeks' early.

Ms Beilby found out she was pregnant in September 2021, although didn't know then that she was having triplets

She said: "When we went to our first scan the sonographer told us that there were three heartbeats, my partner, Rob, said ‘are you joking?’

"It was huge news to process, but after we did, we were ecstatic."

However she said they did not realise the ramifications of the birth, and were transferred from Selby to York Hospital and then to Leeds General Infirmary (LGI).

"At 26 weeks, one of the heart rates dropped worryingly low. The options were discussed with us by the LGI doctors, including an early delivery, but with odds of all three surviving below 50 per cent, we couldn’t risk it.

"Luckily we made it through to our 28-week scan, but with increased concern around the heart rate, a decision was made for delivery by emergency Caesarean section. It all happened so fast, with the smallest weighing 1.5lbs and the other two weighing 2.5lbs each.

"A couple of days after she was born, Addie had a chest haemorrhage at 3 o’clock in the morning.

“On the day I was discharged, the girls were still very ill. As well as her chest haemorrhage, Addie had also suffered a brain bleed. Because of her tiny size, we were told to expect the worst.

We’d just received the most devastating news and had nowhere to stay. But thankfully The Sick Children’s Trust came to our rescue. The charity gives families with seriously ill children in hospital a place to stay free of charge, and a room had become available at their Eckersley House ‘Home from Home’, just minutes from where our girls were being treated.

"To get the room just hours after being told we might lose Adeline was so important. It gave me and Rob a private space where we could talk it all through, away from the staff and the constant beeping machines of the NICU. On what was probably the worst day of my life, I cannot explain how much that was needed. We ended up staying in the same room for three months, an incredible lifeline for us.

“Eckersley House was such an amazing base for us, a place where we could look after ourselves and get the rest that we needed to look after the girls as best we could.

Ms Beilby said the triplets have been home for nearly six month, with Beatrix and Clementine coming home a week earlier than Adeline, who eventually came home on oxygen.

She added: "Since then, they have all been doing amazingly.

"Due to the brain bleed and foetal growth restriction, Adeline is a few weeks behind her sisters in terms of her development. We were told that there was a very high chance of her being disabled, but so far, she is doing brilliantly, trying to sit up, grabbing things.

"We are so incredibly grateful to Eckersley House and The Sick Children’s Trust for allowing us to stay close to our wonderful girls, they made such a difference to us and our new family in one of the most difficult times of our lives, we will be forever grateful to them."