It's hardly surprising that Ryleigh Shepherd is the image of her 11-year-old twin sisters when they were babies. For despite being born in different centuries, the three were all conceived on the same day.
While the embryos of twins Megan and Bethany were implanted in their mother in 1998, Ryleigh’s was frozen for more than 11 years.
Experts say they know of no other case where three siblings from the same round of fertility treatment have been born with such an age gap.
Safe in her big sisters' arms: Baby Ryleigh at home with twins Bethany (left) and Megan
‘When Ryleigh arrived she looked like both the girls did when they were born 11 years before,’ said their mother Lisa, 37. ‘It was uncanny.’
Mrs Shepherd and husband Adrian, 45, married in 1994. They were keen to start a family but she had been diagnosed with endometriosis and polycystic ovaries so they knew their chances of her becoming pregnant naturally were slim.
‘I was given drug treatments to help me conceive, but nothing worked,’ she said at the family home in Walsall. ‘It was devastating.’
In September 1998, the couple underwent treatment at Midland Fertility Clinic. Doctors collected 24 eggs, 14 of which were successfully fertilised with Mr Shepherd’s sperm.
Two embryos were implanted and the remaining 12 placed into freezer storage.
Mrs Shepherd, a sales manager, said: ‘We knew there was a chance the treatment wouldn’t work, so we tried not to get our hopes up.
Proud parents: Adrian and Lisa Shepherd. Lisa said it was uncanny to see how much Ryleigh looked like her sisters when she was born
‘I did a pregnancy test after a week which was negative. That was so disappointing. But a week later when the clinic did another test, it was positive.’
Scans showed Mrs Shepherd was expecting twins.
The pregnancy went smoothly and the twins were born by caesarean section at Walsall Manor Hospital, Megan weighing 4lb 4oz and Bethany 3lb 3oz.
Their mother said: ‘It was so emotional when they were born and even though they had been six weeks early they made a really good recovery and we were allowed to take them home just three days later.’
When the girls were nine, the couple started to consider another baby. ‘We had been so busy raising the twins that it wasn’t until then that we stopped to think about having another one,’ said Mrs Shepherd, whose husband is an engineer for Network Rail.
‘So we asked the girls what they thought about having another addition to the family and they really wanted it.’
Record breakers: Bethany and Megan Shepherd as babies 11 years ago
In December 2009, the couple returned to Midland Fertility Clinic for another cycle of IVF, using the embryos stored ten years previously.
Mrs Shepherd said: ‘It seemed strange to think that we were using embryos that we had stored all those years ago, that were conceived at the same time as the girls. We knew that if we had another baby it would in effect be the girls’ triplet as they were all conceived at the same time.
‘We didn’t know if it would work, and we agreed that we would just have one go with one embryo and if it didn’t work we wouldn’t try again. It was one last chance, and if it was meant to be, then it would happen.’ Ryleigh arrived last month, weighing a healthy 7lb 10oz.
Mrs Shepherd added: ‘The girls are thrilled to have a sister – and they know that she was conceived at the same time that they were, but has been in the freezer.
‘She’s a really happy baby and has got a really good appetite – it’s as though she’s making up for lost time.’