DESPITE how 'extremely difficult' it is to raise triplets, a Bicester mum says the joy of parenting her daughters is being surrounded by 'unconditional love'.

Brittani Meador, 24, naturally conceived triplets Layla, Luna and Darcy when she was just 19-years-old. They were born on July 28, 2017, when she was 20, are non-identical and all have different colour hair.

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Ms Meador said: "Layla weighed 3lb 13oz and Luna and Darcy both weighed 3lb 11oz. I delivered them via C-section and they were in the John Radcliffe low dependency unit for three weeks as they didn’t have the instinct to suck bottles yet, so were tube fed.

"I raised them with my mother Sharon Hamilton, I couldn’t have done it without her."

Bicester Advertiser: Brittani Meador and her triplet dauhters Layla, Luna and Darcy when they were newbornsBrittani Meador and her triplet dauhters Layla, Luna and Darcy when they were newborns

The chances of having triplets are around one in 10,000, but if couples use fertility treatments such as IVF to conceive, the chances of having multiple births are much higher.

Ms Meador, who also gave birth to a baby girl on August 12 last year, says raising the girls hasn't been easy especially as Layla and Darcy have a developmental disability.

She said: "It was extremely difficult. I had the support from a family nurse and my mother is disabled so it was more emotional support than physical.

"It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but the older they get the easier it is getting. Layla and Darcy both have autism so I still have my challenges, and with a new baby it was a little bump to my usual routine, but it’s finally easing up again now.

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"I’m starting to get used to being a single mother-of-four."

The mum says getting her daughters ready for the day and doing the night time routine are the most challenging times of the day, as well as taking the children out shopping.

She said: "The most difficult part of looking after the girls, is definitely getting them dressed and bath time, as they fight for space in the bath and toys, but I make it as fun as I can. Also I don’t like to take them out too much as Layla and Darcy are sensitive to lights and sounds and have meltdowns and people stare and whisper.

"But when I do, I use a four seater pram, two in the front and two in the back, and it doesn’t fit in a lot of shops so I prefer to order to my house and it saves a lot of time and stress. I don’t like to stress the girls unnecessarily."

Having her daughters has brought Ms Meador a new sense of purpose. She added: "I am constantly surrounded by unconditional love. Before having children I didn’t really do much, but now I have a sense of purpose and a reason to wake up everyday, and seeing them smile, learn and grow is the best feeling I’ve ever had besides holding them in my arms for the first time."

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