Three is a magic number for this Ipswich family
THE arrival of triplets is a very slim, one-in-8000 chance, but Ipswich couple Michelle and Cameron Duncan are counting their blessings with three new additions to their family.
On January 14 little Violet, Sebastian and Max joined the Duncan family, in an occurrence that is becoming less likely as IVF treatments improve.
The trio arrived after 34 weeks and only three minutes apart and soon afterwards were brought home to Flinders View.
Mrs Duncan thought she would give birth to one more bundle of joy, giving her 19-month-old daughter Isabel a brother or sister.
That all changed after a scan early on in her pregnancy revealed the couple needed to triple their preparations.
"It was quite amusing. I was eight weeks and I was up here visiting family. We were living in Newcastle at the time," she said.
She had a scan and the doctor asked whether there was a history of twins - or triplets - in the family.
"My husband was in Newcastle, it was the funniest phone call."
The family quickly moved to Ipswich to be closer to family, with Cameron, a member of the RAAF, transferring to from Newcastle to Amberley.
In the lead-up to the triplets' arrival, doctors had constantly warned of the risks and the possibility of losing one.
When Mrs Duncan gave birth to three healthy babies, months of worrying came to an end.
"Every scan was a relief because they said how high the chance was of losing one. When they made it out they didn't need any help breathing. They were out of the humidity cribs in three or four days."
The triplets are approaching four weeks old, and Mrs Duncan said she was still overwhelmed.
"I still can't believe it happened to us. It doesn't even happen to someone you know. It happens to someone someone else knows. It still feels so weird."
