One-in-200m IDENTICAL triplets conceived after couple met on a dating app during first Covid Lockdown set to celebrate their first Christmas
- Megan Smyth, 32, of Nottinghamshire, delivered Colby, Odyn and Rico in March
- She met father Clayton Whittaker, 42, on Bumble dating app during lockdown
- Couple say the medical marvels will be ‘absolutely spoiled’ by family this Xmas
Parents of a one-in-200 million set of identical triplets are pulling out all the stops to celebrate their first Christmas this year.
Megan Smyth, 32, from Nottinghamshire, gave birth to the medical marvels at 32 weeks and six days in March, having met their father Clayton Whittaker, 42, on dating app Bumble during the Covid lockdown.
Brothers Colby, Odyn and Rico, now nine months old, have already visited Santa and Christmas markets and are set to be ‘absolutely spoiled’ by family and friends.
The chances of the trio being identical was incredibly slim, with the phenomenon occurring in just one in every 200 million naturally-conceived pregnancies.
Triplets are usually non-identical and are created when two eggs are fertilised and one goes on to grow into twins.
They become identical when the fertilised egg splits into three after conception.
Megan said: ‘It was a complete shock when we found out we were having triplets.
Colby, Odyn and Rico, now nine months old, have already visited Santa and Christmas markets and are set to be ‘absolutely spoiled’ by family and friends (Pictured with mother and father Megan Smyth, 32 and Clayton Whittaker, 42)
The chances of the trio being identical was incredibly slim, with the phenomenon occurring in just one in every 200 million naturally-conceived pregnancies (Pictured: Colby, Odyn and Rico pose in Santa hats ahead of their first Christmas)
The identical brothers were born in March (Pictured: Trio don matching Mickey Mouse Christmas onesies)
Megan from Nottinghamshire, gave birth to the medical marvels at 32 weeks and six days in March, having met their father Clayton on dating app Bumble during the Covid lockdown (pictured together)
Identical triplets are conceived when the fertilised egg splits three times.
The odds against them occurring without fertility treatment have been put at between one in 60,000 and one in 200million.
If twins or triplets shared one membrane in the womb, they must be identical (monozygotic).
If not, the placentas are indistinguishable from those of non-identical (dizygotic) siblings, and only DNA testing can confirm for certain.
‘I just burst into tears, and Clayton went white as a sheet when the doctor told us.
‘Twins do run in my family but it was still completely unexpected, we’d only been trying for six weeks.
‘They’ll be absolutely spoiled by all our friends and family.
‘We’ll barely have to get them any gifts at this rate.’
She added: ‘All our family are coming to us because we’ve just moved house, so I’m really looking forward to having a big Christmas here.
‘We’re not really sure what we can do with the triplets to make it special, because obviously they’re still so young, but it’s their first Christmas so we want them to experience all those classic Christmas things.
‘We don’t normally put up a tree or anything so this year is so different for us, not just because of the babies.
‘Life is so manic with triplets, but we’re making time for them to experience everything we can.’
Megan says the thing she’s most looking forward to is seeing the triplet’s faces as they experience everything for the first time.
She said: ‘For me the magic of Christmas is children.
‘Last year we walked past all these people queuing up to see Santa.
‘This one little boy’s face was such a picture, he absolutely lit up because he was so excited.
‘Now, all I want is to see the boys’ faces light up as well, and see the magic through their eyes.
Megan said when she found out she was having triplets: ‘I just burst into tears, and Clayton went white as a sheet when the doctor told us.’ (Pictured with nine-month-old Colby, Odyn and Rico)
When they were facing another lockdown, the couple (pictured) took the plunge and decided to move in together in Megan’s two bedroom home in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
‘For me, stuff like that is what Christmas is all about.’
So far, the pair have taken the triplets to see Santa, and get a picture with him, as well as visiting a Christmas market.
Megan said: ‘We’re always trying to do things as a family.
‘They have no idea what’s going on, so it does feel like it’s purely for me when I take them out to do this stuff.
‘We’ve been out to do everything Christmassy we can think of.
‘We’ve also bought them Christmas onesies and little Christmas jumpers for them to wear as well.’
The couple have now set up an Instagram page for them and the triplets, named @me.andourthree .
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