A BARNSLEY couple are celebrating after welcoming their 'miracle triplets' into the world - conceived naturally at the same time as they underwent IVF treatment!

Marie Mellor, 29, and her partner Marc Hutchinson, 30, are hitting the national headlines after the success and had been trying for a family for eight years without any joy.

As a last attempt, Marie started IVF treatment, opting to have just one fertilised embryo implanted.

After a pregnancy test came back positive, the couple eagerly awaited the scan - only to discover three healthy babies!

Stunned doctors believe Marie, who was born with spina bifida, became pregnant naturally at the same time as having IVF treatment - despite her fallopian tubes being blocked.

"I was speechless! Marc just burst out laughing," said Marie, of Syndale Road, Cudworth.

"I kept saying how can I be having three babies when they only implanted one embryo - it's just impossible.

"At first I thought it must have been that the one embryo had split into three, but the babies are different sexes and are not identical so doctors said they must have come from three different embryos."

Marie and her doctors have decided that she had managed to get pregnant naturally at the same time as undergoing IVF treatment - despite having been told her fallopian tubes were blocked so a natural pregnancy would be impossible.

"They're my miracle babies, this time last year I didn't even dare dream of having one baby and now I have got three," she added.

The couple were all set to get married last month. The venue and reception were booked and paid for, she had collected her wedding dress and all was ready.

But the multiple pregnancy caused Marie, who was born with spina bifida, to put on so much weight that the wedding had to be postponed until next year.

The triplets no-one expected would have been born on Christmas Day had Marie carried them to full term.

However, while in Jessop Hospital, Sheffield, on bed rest, Marie went into labour eight weeks early and underwent an emergency Caesarean.

Last week the babies were transferred to Barnsley Hospital where Olly Jack, Freya Carole and Ava Noelle and all doing well.

Olly, the biggest baby at 3lbs 13oz, is already out of his incubator. Ava Noelle, who weighed 3lbs 6oz and Freya Carole, who weighed 3lbs, are still in their incubators.

"We're going to have our hands full but we couldn’t be happier," Marie said.