A mother of quadruplets, who resisted pressure to abort two of her children, has celebrated all four babies’ first birthday.
Emma Robbins, 31, was repeatedly told to terminate two of her children to increase the chances of the other two babies surviving.
But she said she felt an “overwhelming sense of love” rush through her, and decided to go through with the pregnancies.
Scan
Mrs Robbins and husband Martin, 39, already had a three-year-old son, when they tried for what they thought would be their second child.
But a scan showed that the couple were having four children.
Mrs Robbins said: “Each time I went to the hospital it was all about the risks and asking me to consider aborting the twins to save the other two babies.
Surviving
She added: “But I knew that each time I looked at my surviving babies I’d also be thinking about the ones I’d lost. The thought of it broke my heart.”
She said she felt under immense pressure to have an abortion.
At 18 weeks, the couple were warned 20 weeks was the last time a termination could take place, but they refused again.
Reason
Mrs Robbins said: “We didn’t know how we’d manage financially and practically but I felt it must have happened for a reason.
“I decided I’d do everything in my power to give birth to four healthy babies.”
Two months before the due date, the quadruplets were delivered by caesarean section, with Reuben weighing in at 2lb 14oz, followed by Zachary, 2lb 8oz, and his twin Joshua, 3lb 1oz, and finally Sam, 2lb 13oz.
Mrs Robbins said: “I’d be lying if I said it was easy, but we’re so glad we never gave up on our babies.”