I can't afford MY TRIPLETS

Leila Green adores being a mum but it comes at a huge price - literally!

- LEILA GREEN METRO

How much do you love your job?' asked my brother. 'Enough to do it for free?'

This question truly stumped me. After all, he'd witnessed first-hand the hours, days and years I'd put into building up our publishing business - he was my business partner and we'd both sacrificed a lot over a decade.

He knew how much this meant to me. Yet he'd also seen how desperate I'd been for a child. Now, it seemed, I had more than I bargained for - literally. Because after plugging the numbers into a calculator, I'd discovered that to cover nursery fees for my triplets, I'd need a salary of £85k. I have never earned that in my life.

Sadly, costs like these, and a whole host of other challenges, are not uncommon for parents like me.

In fact, research by Twins Trust states that due to these financial, social, emotional and health challenges, the UK is 'one of the worst places in the world to bring up multiples'. This wasn't a problem I'd ever expected to have. To be honest, at first, my main concern was whether my husband James and I would ever be parents.

I'd conceived twice before but we'd never got as far as hearing their heartbeats. So when I fell pregnant a third time, I was naturally anxious. However, the weeks came and went quickly and soon I was booking in for my first heartbeat scan.

Enormous shock

Imagine my surprise when the consultant flipped the screen to show me not one, but three beating hearts.

We didn't think about the potential costs until we took a trip to Mamas & Papas where a sales lady tried to sell James a very expensive travel system. Walking around and seeing the price tags for the first time was sobering.

At the next scan, though, our consultant suggested we consider selective reduction. This is where an embryo or foetus is aborted to reduce the risks of miscarriage, stillbirth and other complications in a multiple pregnancy.