Mum beats one in 500,000 odds to have three sets of twins
Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
An "astonished" mum has beaten odds of one in 500,000 by giving birth to three sets of twins - and she's a twin herself.
Growing up, Misty Lang, 35, dreamed of becoming a mother to one or two children, but never thought she'd end up with seven after all but one of her pregnancies were with twins.
And she's got a lot on her plate; Alex and Lexie, both nine-years-old; non-twin Calista, seven; Lacie and Nash, both five; and now Lana and Phoenix, who are both ten-weeks-old.
Misty, a twin herself, of Seattle, USA, said: "I’m amazed this has happened. ‘It’s twins ,’ are words I never thought I’d be hearing three times over.
“Life with so many little ones can be chaotic, but we get through it by learning to laugh, and not sweat the small stuff. There’s a lot of closeness in age so, right now, their main hobby is fighting.
(Image: PA Real Life)
“Calista sometimes feels left out being the only singleton," she continued. "Our dog Rosie is the same age as her, so she often says they’re twins. On the other hand, she likes not having to share her birthday.”
Misty grew up in foster care, so only had limited knowledge about her extended family and does not know if twins are commonplace.
When she first fell pregnant aged 25, with a former partner, she was delighted to discover at her nine-week scan that there were two little ones on the way.
“I thought twins skipped a generation, so I was really surprised,” she said.
When Lexie and Alex – Misty’s eldest – were a year old, she discovered she was expecting again, this time with her “singleton” Calista.
(Image: PA Real Life)
Sadly, Misty split from her ex when she was seven months pregnant with Calista, but met her now-husband, Peter Lang, a 32-year-old Amazon worker, in March 2010.
The pair became engaged that December after he proposed in front of her family on Christmas Day, marrying the following summer.
“Peter is an only child, so was very eager to have children,” said Misty. “We decided we’d start trying on our honeymoon – but it didn’t get that far.
“I found out a week before the wedding that I was pregnant again.”
Recognising the same extreme fatigue she had experienced during her pregnancy with Lexie and Alex, Misty suspected she was having twins again.
When the news was confirmed at her nine-week scan, she felt “happy and scared all at once.”
“We were going to have five kids under three. But, once the initial shock passed, we were incredibly excited,” she said.
(Image: PA Real Life)
As time passed, Misty juggled working and being a mum with studying, eventually aiming to go to medical school.
Then, incredibly, she fell pregnant with yet another set of twins in March 2017.
“I was in total shock when I found out. I thought it’d be another singleton to match Calista,” Misty said. “Somehow, I still managed to graduate in May of that year.
“On my graduation day, I was 11 weeks pregnant, so that last semester was pretty tough.
(Image: PA Real Life/Veronica Victoria P)
“I’m taking a break from studying while the babies are so young, but will hopefully go to medical school in 2019 instead.”
For now, Misty has worked out a tightly-run schedule to ensure that family life runs smoothly.
Working nights means Peter can take the children to school in the mornings before going to bed, while Misty, currently on maternity leave from her job as a surgical technologist or scrub, can stay home with the newborns.
“We try to have a routine, but we have to be flexible in case something throws a wrench in the plans,” she said.
“Peter is brilliant, it’s a real team effort between us. We’ve learned to laugh at things and to pick our battles wisely.
(Image: PA Real Life)
“Yes, it can be messy sometimes – but that mess always gets cleared up.”
Having seven young children means Misty struggles to keep grocery costs down, admitting she can spend up to $400 (£286) per shop.
But, she tries to save by buying in bulk - shopping at wholesalers and cash and carries, instead of regular supermarkets.
She also finds that handing down clothes, toys and cloth diapers helps her be more frugal.
“We were luckily gifted a load of cloth diapers at my baby shower, so although we can’t use them right now, as the babies are too small, when they fit in them that’ll save a lot,” she said.
(Image: PA Real Life)
“Hand me downs are ideal. Aside from shoes, the kids share pretty much everything else. They don’t mind at all.
“With so many little ones to look after, it can feel never-ending. I must do three or four big loads of laundry a day – so much we keep it in a portable cot rather than a basket."
Now, Misty has started a blog called Triple Twinning, where she writes about everything from how her body changed during pregnancy, to how she donates the leftover milk she expresses to other mums in need.
Reflecting on her miracle family, she said: "I love our life, and wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Read Misty's blog at www.triple-twinning.com