Proud parents Kirk and Sarah Readings are celebrating the greatest gift in time for Mother’s Day – the birth of triplets.

The couple married in Antigua last year and triplets Lily-May, Niall and Kristian arrived prematurely on February 17.

News Sarah was expecting triplets came as a shock to the couple, as they had thought she might find it difficult to conceive.

She was bowled over when nurses at Kidderminster Hospital carried out a scan and realised not only was she pregnant but she was set to give birth to three babies.

Sarah, aged 28, of Franche Road, Kidderminster, said: “It was difficult to come to terms with the fact that I was carrying triplets and the nurse doing the scan smiled when she asked me just how many babies I wanted.

“However, everyone has been brilliant – the staff at Kidderminster in the scanning department and our midwife and staff in the delivery unit at Worcestershire Royal as well as those in the post-natal and neo-natal units.

“My consultant Miss Rabia Imtiaz was in London when she heard they were being born and came back to see everything was OK.”

The three bouncing bundles of joy arrived by Caesarean within three minutes of each other.

Lily-May, weighing 4lb 4.5oz, came into the world at 11.31am, followed by Niall weighing 3lb 10.5 oz at 11.32am and Kristian weighing 3lb 11.5oz at 11.33am.

Kirk has recently given up his job as a sales executive with Gerard Mann in Coventry to help Sarah care for the babies and now hopes to find work closer to home.

He said: “I suppose many people eventually have three children but we have had them all at once and are getting to use to a routine.”

Although Sarah has been allowed back home to sleep for the first time this week, the triplets remain in the neo-natal unit.

Shortly she will be moving back into hospital to be with them for two to three weeks before their due birth date which was to have been April 11.

Sarah, who worked at the Briars School, Kingswinford, for 10 years before transferring to Hall’s estate agents, said: “I can’t wait to have them home.

“I am told by people that triplets are still quite rare and we have been very lucky with people giving us clothes and HomeStart have offered us three hours of a volunteers time each week to help with the cleaning or chores.”