Tracey, who was raised in Preston but now lives in London, explored the option of ⒾⓋⒻ with her 40-year-old husband Stephen after ᴜɴsᴜᴄᴄᴇssғᴜʟʟʏ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ for a baby naturally. Now, Bʀɪᴛᴀɪɴ’s ᴏʟᴅᴇsᴛ mother of quadruplets has celebrated her babies’ first birthdays.
Tracey Britten, now 52, from Eɴғɪᴇʟᴅ, Nᴏʀᴛʜ Lᴏɴᴅᴏɴ, started her family aged 18 and had three kids with her first husband, who she went on to divorce in 2003. By 2012, she had married second husband Stephen, a roofer, and become ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. But the pair chose to have ᴀɴ ᴀʙᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴ. She said: “It was the ᴡʀᴏɴɢ decision. Six weeks later, my mum Pauline ᴅɪᴇᴅ sᴜᴅᴅᴇɴʟʏ ᴀɢᴇᴅ 66 of ᴀ ʙʟᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴛᴇʀʏ and I felt sure it was the world ᴘᴜɴɪsʜɪɴɢ me for what I’d done. Despite ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ, I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ again. So, when I was 49, we decided to spend £7,000 of my mum’s inheritance flying to Cyprus for IVF. Spending that much was daunting but we desire to have a baby .”
Fɪᴠᴇ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs were inserted into Tracey’s ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs. Tracey said: “ⒾⓋⒻ was really ᴛᴏᴜɢʜ and sᴛʀᴇssғᴜʟ, both emotionally and physically. Every day for two weeks Stephen ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ me with ʜᴏʀᴍᴏɴᴇs in the ʙᴜᴍ ᴛᴏ sᴛɪᴍᴜʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴍʏ ᴇɢɢs , before I was given ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs were ɪᴍᴘʟᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ. It was ᴀɴxɪᴇᴛʏ-ɪɴᴅᴜᴄɪɴɢ. Would the ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs take? I wondered how I’d ᴄᴏᴘᴇ if it didn’t work and I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ give Stephen a child.” When Tracey found out she was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with four babies she ‘ɴᴇᴀʀʟʏ ғᴇʟʟ ᴏғғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴅ ’ and felt like she was ‘having an ᴏᴜᴛ-ᴏғ-ʙᴏᴅʏ experience’.
She said :” I burst into tears and felt full of ɴᴇʀᴠᴇs. I wondered how we’d ᴄᴏᴘᴇ but we eventually realised we could afford it and started to get excited.” But their joy turned into ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ when ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs later recommended ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʙɪᴇs ʙᴇ ᴀʙᴏʀᴛᴇᴅ . They were given just days to make a decision after scans revealed one of the ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴡɪɴs ᴡᴀs ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ sɪsᴛᴇʀ’s ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ sᴜᴘᴘʟʏ. Tracey decided to ‘leave it up to nature’ after seeking advice from ᴀ US ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ who had ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ 120 ǫᴜᴀᴅs. Fortunately the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ went well and the babies ᴀʟʟ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇᴅ . She gave birth to George, Grace and ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ twins Francesca and Fredrica in London on October 26. She added:” If it wasn’t for mum leaving me that inheritance then I wouldn’t have been able to have the IVF. I’ve always wanted to do this on their first birthday, to say thank you to her. When I couldn’t get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ, I thought I’d put it towards that. Mum always wanted one of her girls to have twins and so I feel blessed that I was able to do that for her. She was a wonderful person, she would give you her last penny.”
After sᴜʀᴠɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀᴛɪᴄ ғɪɢʜᴛ ғᴏʀ ʟɪғᴇ ɪɴ ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ , the babies ᴅᴇғɪᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴅᴅs to see their first birthday. Tracey describes Francesca as a ‘ʙᴏssʏ ʙᴏᴏᴛs’ who sets off Fredrica if she cries. She says Grace ‘is her ᴏᴡɴ person, nice and placid’, while George is ‘laughing from when he gets up to when he goes to bed.’ Dᴜᴇ to their ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ birth, the babies are ɴᴏᴛ ʏᴇᴛ ᴄʀᴀᴡʟɪɴɢ , and only began sitting up six weeks ago. Tracey said: “They will be mobile soon, but it doesn’t bother me. I’ve got a big playpen and I will use that for when I need to go and do something in the house. When you’re young, you want to go out, go clubbing, go abroad and you get frustrated when you can’t get a babysitter. But when you’re older you’re more relaxed and you’ve got that out of your system. I want to enjoy the blessing I’ve been given.”
