Beating 700,000 to one odds to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ ǫᴜᴀᴅs ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛɪ.ᴠ.ꜰ, in a case that’s thought to be unique in the U.K, Katalina’s ᴇɢɢs ꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪsᴇᴅ sᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛᴇʟʏ at the same time – ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ꜰᴏᴜʀ ɴᴏɴ-ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ǫᴜᴀᴅs, who have just celebrated their fourth birthday.

Katalina tells her amazing story: “I was lying on the sᴄᴀɴɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴀʙʟᴇ, wondering whether the sᴏɴᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜᴇʀ would hear a ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛ. I’d been so thrilled when I fell ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ as doctors had told me that they thought I had ᴘᴏʟʏᴄʏsᴛɪᴄ ᴏᴠᴀʀɪᴇs, which would make it difficult for me to get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. They’d put me on a low dose of ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ to try and make things easier for me to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ, but the months had gone by and each time I was ᴅɪsᴀᴘᴘᴏɪɴᴛᴇᴅ. I thought I would ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ be a mum – that it would ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ happen for me, as each month left me ᴄʀᴜsʜᴇᴅ. But then finally I had ᴀ ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛ. I couldn’t believe it as I looked at the test stick in my hand.”

She added: “Then a few days later I went on holiday for a week to Spain. The doctors rang me when I got back with the results of my ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛᴇsᴛ. They told me I had to come in quick – my ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛᴇsᴛs had shown sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴜɴᴜsᴜᴀʟ. The sᴏɴᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜᴇʀ peered at the screen for what seemed like an eternity. I knew there was something ᴡʀᴏɴɢ. She turned to me: “I’ve seen ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ɢᴇsᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ sᴀᴄs, possibly four,” I just ʙᴜʀsᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛᴇᴀʀs. I couldn’t take it in. Was she telling me that I was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ǫᴜᴀᴅʀᴜᴘʟᴇᴛs? Surely that couldn’t be a ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ. It had taken ages for me to fall ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ.

Another doctor came in and confirmed the news. I was carrying four babies. It was so ʀᴀʀᴇ that I’d fallen ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with four sᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛᴇ ꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪsᴇᴅ ᴇɢɢs. Usually naturally ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇd ǫᴜᴀᴅs happen when one or more ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs sᴘʟɪᴛ, but experts had ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ heard of it happening like this before. I was unique, and so were my babies. There was no way I could ᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴀᴛᴇ any of them. They all had to be ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ᴀ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ.

She said: “I had morning sɪᴄᴋɴᴇss until I was 12 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ, and then luckily everything went smoothly until I was 30 weeks. My ʙᴇʟʟʏ ᴡᴀs ᴀʙsᴏʟᴜᴛᴇʟʏ ᴇɴᴏʀᴍᴏᴜs. I kept saying to Matt I couldn’t believe it was going to get any bigger, but it just kept growing and growing. It looked like I ᴡᴀs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴏᴘ. When I was just 12 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ I looked about five or six months gone and when I was 20 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ I looked ready to ɢɪᴠᴇ ʙɪʀᴛʜ.”

She was admitted to Sᴛ Mᴀʀʏ’s Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ɪɴ Mᴀɴᴄʜᴇsᴛᴇʀ in early 2015 when was 27 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ and put on bed rest to try and prevent the ǫᴜᴀᴅʀᴜᴘʟᴇᴛs ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʙᴏʀɴ ᴇᴀʀʟʏ. The ǫᴜᴀᴅs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʙᴏʀɴ ʙʏ ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ in February when she was 30 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. Sofia weighed 3Ib 11oz, Roman 2Ib 13oz, Aston 3Ib 2oz and Amelia 3Ib 7oz. She said: “I was overwhelmed by relief when they were all born safe and well. We were able to bring them home after a few days and found they all had different personalities. Aston is always happy and smiling, Sofia loves her food and is so placid, Roman may be the smallest but he’s the loudest one and everyone falls in love with Amelia.