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FAB FOUR
I had IVF quads at 50 & ended up living in a Travelodge – docs told me to abort two babies, but I’m so happy I didn’t
Tracey Britten, 55, became the UK’s oldest mum of quads five years ago.
BEAMING from ear to ear, the miracle quadruplets laugh as they celebrate their fifth birthday.
But only their mum Tracey Britten, 55 — who in 2018 became the UK’s oldest mother of quads — knows how close all four came to not making it.
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Today, on their special day, she reveals how doctors encouraged her to ABORT two of her children to save the other two.
But Tracey — a mum of seven and grandma of ten — tells how “the best and bravest decision of my life” was holding her nerve and ignoring their advice.
Today, George, Grace and identical siblings Francesca and Frederica — some weighing as little at 1lb 15oz at birth — are all healthy and thriving.
Tracey, who conceived them all through IVF, told The Sun: “There isn’t a day that goes past when I don’t look at my little angels and think, ‘How are you here?’.
“They are miracles.
"The chances of my having quads were one in a million, but to do it at the age of 50 scared the heck out of doctors who wanted me to abort my twins to save the other two.
“But something told me to stay strong and try to deliver four miracles.
"And here they are — cheeky, tiring, wonderful bundles of happiness and they’ve made it to five. I’m the luckiest mum in the world.”
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In an exclusive interview, Tracey told how she is indebted to two experts who told her having all four would be possible.
The former drugs counsellor, her roofer husband Stephen, 43, and their kids are “the happiest we have ever been” in their three-bedroom house in Enfield, North London, after spending five months living in a Travelodge due to being made homeless.
Tracey’s story made front page news five years ago when she give her first ever exclusive interview to The Sun.
She became Britain’s oldest mum of quads when her babies arrived via caesarean on October 26, 2018, at 31 weeks — nine weeks early.
All four were born within four minutes. But it was not plain sailing for Tracey and Stephen.
Tracey, who already had three children from another marriage plus ten grandchildren, said: “When my mum died she left me some money.
“I know how desperately she loved grandkids and always wanted twins in the family, so I thought it would be a great use of the money to give parenting another go. I love being a mum.”
Tracey spent £7,000 on IVF at a clinic in Cyprus.
She had the maximum four eggs implanted, fertilised with Stephen’s sperm, and one divided to create identical twins.
She said: “It was a very stressful time. Doctors advised me to selectively abort two foetuses to give the other two a chance of survival.
“They identified the egg that was carrying Francesca and Frederica but it didn’t feel right.
“I called my eldest daughter in tears, saying, ‘What should I do?’. She told me to stick to my gut feeling, which was to keep them all.
“I spoke to two experts, one in the UK and one in the US, who told me that it was possible to have all four and for the babies to be healthy.
“I’m so grateful for that reassurance. I went ahead but it wasn’t without drama.”
At her 30-week scan, it was revealed one baby was struggling with blood flow — potentially putting the other three in jeopardy.
A week later, Tracey was admitted to London’s University College Hospital, where 35 doctors buzzed around her in the delivery suite.
Francesca arrived first at 10.01am, weighing 2lb 2oz, followed a minute later by her identical twin Frederica, weighing just 1lb 15oz.
Grace was born at 10.03am at 2lb 7oz, while George was delivered at 10.05am, weighing 3lb 10oz.
Tracey said: “It was a gift from God. A miracle.
“I named the kids as they came out. I knew the names I wanted but I named them in order.
"I knew George was going to be named after George Michael.
"The relief I felt — I just remember crying tears of joy when I first saw them.
“It is still hard to get my head around the fact that in a matter of minutes I went from being a mum of three to a mum of seven.”
Five years on, Tracey said she is just as in love with her kids.
She added: “I’m constantly pinching myself about how lucky I am.
“They all have their own personalities. Grace is a little busybody who tries to mother them all, Francesca is lippy and cheeky with a wicked sense of humour, Frederica likes being the baby of the group while George keeps himself to himself playing Duplo and away from girls’ games.
“They have no idea yet that they are one of quads. They occasionally say ‘we’re twins’ but I don’t think they understand.
“One thing they are aware of is that is their birthday and they get to share it all together.”
But Tracey admitted that five years of looking after quads takes its toll physically.
She said: “It really is hard work. All the lifting and picking up toys and pushing prams is exhausting.
“I have a quad pram which we still use and it weighs a ton.
“It’s OK if me and Stephen each push a double pram — but it’s tough if just one of us has to do it.
“I’ve got a bad back and sciatica from all the heavy lifting.”
Tracey revealed she has a bizarrely early bedtime to keep up with her four younger children, but insists being an older mum has not held her back.
She said: “I find we have to have a routine to get it to work.
"I get up with the kids at 6am and get them to bed at about 7pm.
"I give it half an hour and then I’m in bed at 7.30pm. I need the sleep and the energy. You don’t get a minute.
“But despite it being physically hard, I don’t feel like I’m an older mum.
"I might be 55 but I don’t feel it or get treated like I am.”
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Even so, Tracey admits strangers often struggle to believe the kids are all hers.
She said: “Maybe they think I’m looking after other people’s kids or something.
"I think it’s hard to get your head around someone having four of the same age, but after they get to know me, their reaction is, ‘Wow, that’s amazing’ or ‘I can’t believe you manage’.”
Just last month, the kids all started school.
Tracey said: “They are loving it.
"And it gives me a breather during the day now and a chance to clear up the house before the chaos continues when they get back.”
But Tracey and Stephen have had their fair share of ups and downs too.
In December, George was diagnosed with autism after the family realised his development was not progressing at the same rate as his sisters’.
Tracey said that despite the school putting in a care plan for him, she is getting “no help” from local authorities to look after him.
And earlier this year, through no fault of their own, the family had to live in a Travelodge for five months after their landlord sold the home they were renting and the council was unable to provide alternative housing for them.
Tracey said: “It was so hard for us and the kids.
“We had two rooms at the Travelodge.
"One was for our stuff, clothes, toys and prams, while the other room was where we all slept.
"It was terrible. We had to regularly move rooms because other guests would have been booked into our rooms, and we had to repeatedly shift all our stuff.
“We ended up staying on every room on one of the floors.
“The kids would often lock themselves out of the rooms and get lost in the hotel.
“It was a nightmare. I would have to ask the hotel reception staff to look at the cameras to check where they were.
"It was no place for kids to stay full time.”
Thankfully, they were rehomed in July and now have a three-bedroom property with a big garden.
Tracey said: “It’s a huge relief.”
To celebrate their kids’ fifth birthdays, Tracey and Stephen are taking them to Blackpool for a holiday and are having a get- together with the rest of their family.
But with seven children ranging from five to 37 years old, and ten grandchildren aged 18 months to 16, it won’t be a quiet affair.
Tracey said: “Get-togethers are brilliant and it is kids central. Birthdays and Christmases can get very expensive.”
But one thing Tracey is still getting used to is having grandchildren who are older than her quads.
She said: “It can get confusing. My eldest grandchild is 11 years older than the quads.
“I remember one of my older grandchildren holding George when he was younger and saying, ‘It feels weird to think I’m cradling my uncle’.
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But that is how it is.
“We’re certainly not a conventional family but we’re a very happy one.”
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