Mother's delight after having triplets despite doctors telling her she had lost baby

In addition, the fear that, at 40, she may have lost her final chance to have another baby only added to her misery and despair.

But 24 hours later, after a scan to confirm the miscarriage, she and her husband Andrew were given the most incredible news of their lives.

Against odds of almost a million to one, Mrs Cunningham was still pregnant - with triplets.

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She had conceived quads naturally, but had miscarried one of them at the 12 week stage.

The delighted couple told of their joy after Mrs Cunningham gave birth to three healthy boys - Samuel, Benjamin and Joseph.

"I had given up on having another child," said an exhausted but elated Mrs Cunningham from her home near Warrington, Cheshire.

"When they told me I'd miscarried I was so sad and part of me thought, it just wasn't meant to be.

"Then when we realised there were triplets it was just the most surreal, exciting news ever.

"We were crying with relief because I was still pregnant and laughing because it was triplets."

The chances of conceiving quads naturally are 729,000 to one.

"Tests have yet to be carried out to determine whether the boys are identical or a set of twins and a sibling. If they are identical they will have beaten staggering odds of 200million to one.

The triplets, who were born last month, have had a dramatic impact on the couple's lives.

They have to make up to 18 feeds and change nappies 30 times a day. Mr Cunningham, a shop manager, said: "The triplets have only been home four weeks and already our lives have changed beyond belief. We are tired out, but happier than ever. All we need now is a bigger car."

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They already have a five-year-old son, Thomas, while Mrs Cunningham also has three children from a previous marriage - Naomi, 21, Lucy, 18, and Charles, 16.

Mrs Cunningham, a trainee midwife, said they decided to try for another baby so that Thomas would have a sibling to play with nearer his own age.

They were delighted when she fell pregnant and reached the crucial 12-week milestone.

But soon after, as she celebrated her eldest daughter's 21st birthday, Mrs Cunningham started to bleed. She kept it to herself until the next day, not wishing to spoil the occasion. But when she went to the hospital, a doctor confirmed her worst fears.

He told them to return the next day for a scan to confirm the diagnosis.

"It was horrendous," said Mrs Cunningham. "We were just at home waiting, knowing what had happened. I'd never felt so awful."

But the scan revealed the incredible news.

"I heard a word beginning with 'T' and thought they were going to say it had been twins," Mrs Cunningham said.

"Then I realised they were saying triplets. It was too much to take in.

"People were coming in to look at our scan - it was like looking at three peas in a pod.

"But we couldn't feel sad about the baby we'd lost because we'd gained so much."

The couple were warned that the pregnancy would be high risk and Mrs Cunningham was monitored every two weeks throughout.

She admits it was her most exhausting pregnancy. She had swollen feet and varicose veins and suffered from almost constant morning sickness and insomnia that left her sapped of energy.

At 33 weeks and five days, her consultant at Warrington Hospital decided to deliver the babies by Caesarean section.

"I was very, very nervous," Mrs Cunningham said. "Although I'd had children before, it had always been natural."

The delivery turned out to be extremely traumatic, so much so that Benjamin's leg was broken in the process. He is recovering well and will not suffer any long-term damage.

"It was so stressful because it all happened so fast and you're just waiting to hear them cry.

"I could feel them pulling and tugging to get them out, then I only got to see them briefly before they were taken away."

The three boys are now happily settled in to the Cunninghams' three-bedroom terrace.

Some 159 sets of triplets are born every year in the UK, and more than half are the result of IVF treatment. They are usually delivered after 34 weeks.

Mrs Cunningham added: "All the work is worth it - it's lovely, it makes us feel very special."