Ellen Campbell and her husband, James, thought they had a full house when their twin boys, Finley and Malachy, arrived in July 2023. But life had another surprise in store. At the end of last month, the couple welcomed three more babies — daughters Mabel, Sadie, and Lily.
The girls were born at 33 weeks and spent two weeks in the neonatal unit at Ulster Hospital. Now back home, the family of seven is settling into a new rhythm.
Smiling at the whirlwind their life has become, Ellen recalled, “After we had Finley and Malachy, we imagined adding just one more baby to complete our family. I booked an early scan, thinking it would be routine. We were stunned when the midwife said, ‘There are three babies in there.’”
She laughed as she remembered the moment: “James went silent in the corner. I don’t think either of us could process it at first. Even now it doesn’t fully feel real. We spent the whole drive home in disbelief.”
With two boys and now three girls — including a pair of identical twin sisters — Ellen says the family feels extra special. “Sadie and Lily are identical, and little Mabel makes the trio complete. Having twin boys followed by triplet girls… it’s rare, and it feels like such a blessing.”
The girls’ birthday, October 30, turned out to be one of the busiest days the hospital has seen, with 16 births, including three sets of twins in addition to the Campbells’ triplets.
When asked how she keeps track of who’s who, Ellen admitted it’s a learning curve. “To me, Mabel looks quite different to her sisters. Right now Sadie is a bit bigger than Lily, but as Lily grows, it will get harder. They’ve still got their hospital ID bands on to help us. Everyone keeps suggesting painting one toenail a different colour on each baby — we might end up doing that! For now, the labels stay.”
James echoed the excitement and the adjustment ahead. “This is our new normal,” he said. “We work well as a team, and our families have been amazing. We can’t wait to have everyone at home together.”
Ellen decided to share their story in recognition of World Prematurity Day, which raises awareness of the experiences of families with early arrivals and honours the healthcare teams who support them.
“The staff at Ulster have been incredible,” she said. “They’ve become like family to us. They’ve cared for our girls around the clock and made the past two weeks so much easier. The girls have grown so much already — that’s all thanks to the team here.”
Overflowing with happiness, Ellen joked, “We’re over the moon… we’re practically building a football team!”
Looking ahead to life at home, she added, “Having all seven of us under one roof will be such a relief. The girls are going home earlier than expected — five weeks earlier, actually — and we’re just so excited. We can’t believe how well they’ve done.”
