A couple who struggled to conceive for more than a year expressed their happiness at having identical triplet girls.
When Stephanie Latcham and Michael Gough learned they were expecting, they were about to begin IVF treatment.
The first early scan revealed one pregnancy sac, the second scan revealed two, and the third scan revealed three.
The couple, who reside in Ferryhill, gave birth to triplets weighing 3 pounds each on March 30.
Miss Latcham explained, "I had previously experienced miscarriages and I suffer from PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), so after a year and a half of trying, I believed we would never have a child.
"We had just returned from vacation when I took a pregnancy test and discovered a positive result; I screamed and ran to show Michael. I could not have believed it."
Mr. Gough stated, "After the second scan, when we believed we were expecting twins, we informed some family members. We were ecstatic, as we had been trying for years to conceive and were now expecting twins.
"After another scan, we were informed that the number was three. We were unable to believe it. I believe that both of us were in shock.
Ollia-Anna, Brianna, and Isabella were born at 30 weeks via emergency cesarean section at the Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary, where they remained for ten weeks.
Miss Latcham added, "I had weekly scans to make sure everything was okay, and they kept telling me that they were developing normally. I had no complications during my pregnancy, and when my children were born, they required oxygen for only two days.
After a week in the hospital, Miss Latcham returned home to her six-year-old son Zach to assist Mr. Gough in preparing for the release of their daughters.