Woman in Kansas City gives birth to three sets of twins
- Published
A mother in the United States has given birth to three sets of fraternal twins in a little over two years.
Danesha Couch, 20, from Kansas City, gave birth to daughters Darla and Delanie on 17 June - just 26 months after her first set of twins were born.
All six babies, she told the BBC, were conceived without fertility drugs and delivered by caesarean section.
She gave birth to her first set of twins - sons Danarius and Desmond - on 13 April 2014.
Desmond died shortly afterwards because of a placental abruption.
Danesha was left devastated: "Losing a child hurts, and it's mentally damaging to anyone that has a heart.
"All I could do was pray. It was a really tough time."
A few months later Danesha met her current partner, Jeffrey Pressler, and on 29 May last year she gave birth to her second set of twins, Delilah and Davina.
"It was a blessing," she said, especially after the death of Desmond.
"My mum started calling me double trouble," she said, laughing.
"When Danesha gave birth to the first of twins [we had together], our families were very excited. The second time around they were like 'What? It's another pair of twins!'"
But Danesha said both of their families had been incredibly helpful since the birth of Delilah and Davina.
"I'm grateful for every bit of help that I can get!" she added.
A few months later, in late 2015, Jeffrey and Danesha received the news that Danesha was expecting twins for a third time
"When I got the news, I pretty much knew that we had to step up," the mother-to-be explained. "I knew that I had to buck up and put on my big girl panties."
The couple began making preparations for the new arrivals, selling both of their cars to buy what Jeffrey refers to as their 7-seater "van".
And on 17 June this year Danesha gave birth to daughters Darla and Delanie.
So how are Danesha and Jeffrey finding life looking after their five healthy children, all of whom under the age of three?
"It's definitely my second job," says Jeffrey, who has taken on extra hours at work to help provide for the family while Danesha is on maternity leave.
"It's changed both of us. We have been maturing and working harder to provide for our kids."
"It's tough sometimes, but Jeff and I try my best," says Danesha. "They are my top priority. They keep both of us awake all through the night."
She says that meeting other people who have had twins has been very helpful: "I've been to various parenting groups, and it's been good to hear that I'm not alone in these things."
"It's tough enough to wake up and smile in the world at the moment. But as long as I know that my children are safe, I'm happy."