Sextuplets mother 'ignored doctors' advice'

The mother of Ireland's first sextuplets revealed today she ignored medical advice to abort several of the foetuses.

Nuala Conway, 26, from Dunamore in Co Tyrone, was warned about the high risks of carrying on with the multiple pregnancy.

At 14 weeks, she said she was given the option of terminating some of the unborn babies.

"They more or less advised us to," she told the Sunday Express.

"They told us about the risks we faced if we went ahead with the pregnancy."

But the former fashion store sales supervisor insisted on putting her faith in God and pressing ahead despite the risks.

"Whatever God laid out for our lives we were taking it," she said.

The six babies, Ursula, Austin, Shannon, Karla, Eoghan and Kerrie, were born in a successful Caesarean section birth involving 30 medical staff at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.

The sextuplets born within just five minutes of each other last month, and who weighed between 1lb 7oz and 2lb 2oz, are all stable in intensive care.

Nuala and husband Austin, who were married in 2006, did not conceive the babies through IVF. The births are the first sextuplets in the UK since the Waltons, all girls, who were born in Liverpool in 1983.

The birth of sextuplets is rare, occurring in about one out of 4.5 million pregnancies.

"I'm in love with every single one of them," said Mrs Conway.

"I fell in love when they were in the womb. When one moved they would all move and I could definitely feel 24 limbs kicking.

"Every day seems like a year. Every minute seems like an hour.

"I just want time to go faster so they can get home. I just want to have a cuddle with them."