Mother Says Surprise Triplet Pregnancy After Reunion With Ex Brought Their Family Back Together

A mum of three never imagined that a brief reunion with her former partner would completely change her life — but one unexpected night led to a rare triplet pregnancy and ultimately reunited their family.

Charliann Broadhurst, 28, from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, was already raising three daughters when she found herself pregnant again following a one-night encounter with her ex-partner, Ryan Hill — the father of her children.

Charliann and Ryan, who had been together since their teenage years, had separated after a difficult period in their relationship. Despite the split, Ryan continued to visit regularly to spend time with their daughters. During one visit, emotions resurfaced — and months later, Charliann discovered she was pregnant.

What came next stunned everyone.

Doctors revealed she wasn’t expecting just one baby, but three. The extraordinary news ultimately brought the former couple back together as they prepared to raise a family of six.

“I tell people I got pregnant from a one-night stand,” Charliann said. “It just happened to be with the man I already had three children with.”

“At the time, Ryan and I weren’t together at all, so no one could believe it. We’d been sweethearts since we were 15, but we were going through a really bad patch.”

She added: “It honestly feels like a miracle — like something was meant to bring us back together. It’s a real fairytale.”

Before the surprise pregnancy, Charliann and Ryan were already parents to daughters Cassi-Lee, eight, Caira-Jae, seven, and Siena, five. While Charliann describes Ryan as a devoted father, the couple had decided to separate after struggling in their relationship.

The triplet pregnancy came completely out of the blue.

“I didn’t even think I was pregnant,” Charliann explained. “I went to the doctor because I felt really unwell, and when he told me I was expecting, I was in complete shock.”

After experiencing bleeding, she was sent straight to hospital. Within hours, scans revealed she was carrying triplets.

“I honestly couldn’t take it in,” she said.

At Kettering General Hospital, doctors determined she was around six weeks pregnant. During the scan, the sonographer initially spotted twins — but then noticed something else.

“She’d been scanning for ages when suddenly she found another little dot tucked away,” Charliann said. “She told me there might actually be another egg.”

The news left her stunned.

“I’d always dreamed of having twins — that was my fairytale. But triplets? That was something else entirely.”

Still in disbelief, Charliann phoned Ryan on her way home.

“He nearly crashed his car,” she laughed. “He went completely silent. We didn’t really speak for 12 hours — we just needed time to process it.”

A week later, doctors confirmed three strong heartbeats. At 12 weeks, the couple gathered their daughters and told them they would soon be big sisters to three babies at once.

While joyful, the pregnancy was extremely tough on Charliann. Starting at a size 16, she lost so much weight that size eight clothes hung off her frame.

“The pregnancy was horrific,” she admitted. “I didn’t enjoy any part of it. I was constantly scared. I had scans every week and tests all the time. I was terrified something would go wrong.”

At 20 weeks, the couple learned they were expecting two boys and a girl.

“I was convinced they’d all be girls,” Charliann said. “When they told me two were boys, I cried. It felt like a dream. We’d always had girls, and I never thought I could even carry a boy.”

Because of the risks associated with multiple pregnancies, Charliann was closely monitored at Kettering, with monthly visits from a specialist from Leicester Royal Infirmary. Doctors were particularly watchful for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a dangerous condition that can affect babies sharing a placenta.

Although Charliann showed some worrying symptoms around the 20-week mark, the babies continued to grow well — until 29 weeks, when she began contracting.

Determined to keep the babies inside for as long as possible, she spent two weeks in hospital. After being discharged, a routine scan revealed devastating news.

“Within seconds of the scan starting, the sonographer said I needed an emergency caesarean,” Charliann recalled. “The babies had stopped growing.”

She was rushed to Nottingham City Hospital at 33 weeks for surgery — and Ryan almost missed the birth.

“He went to the wrong hospital in his panic,” she said. “I was already on the operating table, crying and asking where he was. He was on loudspeaker while the surgeons directed him. But he made it just in time.”

The triplets were born on May 31, 2019, all within the same minute. Ryana arrived first, weighing 4lb 4oz, followed by Carter at 3lb 7oz and Cayon at 3lb 8oz. Carter and Cayon are identical twin boys.

All three babies were treated for infection and admitted to neonatal intensive care. Cayon was transferred to Kettering Hospital and spent 24 hours alone before his siblings joined him. Charliann followed a week later and remained there until she was discharged.

Once home, life quickly became intense. For the first month, Charliann spent up to eight hours a day breastfeeding. These days, she wakes at 4am to start laundry and prepare breakfast for six children.

“Mealtimes and bath time are like a military operation,” she said. “From the moment the older kids get home from school, it’s non-stop. I wouldn’t even invite someone over for a cup of tea.”

She added that keeping the house clean is another challenge.

“My life is cleaning, cooking, washing, school runs — it never ends.”

Despite the chaos, Charliann says her older daughters have been incredible.

“They’ve turned into little mums overnight. They help entertain the babies, and the triplets just sit and watch them — they absolutely love it.”

Looking ahead, Charliann hopes that once the early years settle, she may explore volunteering — and she even jokes that marriage could be on the cards.

“But for now,” she laughed, “I think I’ll be far too busy.”