A young couple who were told by doctors they might never become parents have welcomed two sets of twins - just a year apart.
Today, with four children under the age of two, Alisha Young, 25, and Connor Craster, 26, from Hartlepool, describe their life as beautiful but extremely intense. They sleep a maximum of five hours a night, change around 50 nappies in 24 hours and spend around £18 a day on them alone. “It’s like having quadruplets,” they say with a laugh.
“We are very happy and extremely grateful,” says Alisha. “I have always dreamed of a big family and wanted to be a mother.”
From serious diagnosis to unexpected news
The road to parenthood wasn't easy. The couple met in May 2022, while working at a hospital, and got engaged in November of the following year.
A few months later, Alisha received shocking news: due to endometriosis – a disease in which cells similar to those that line the inside of the uterus grow outside of it – she might not be able to have biological children. From a young age, she had suffered from painful and heavy periods, as well as severe pelvic pain. Doctors even recommended a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus), warning her of the risk of losing her right ovary.
"With endometriosis it's always difficult. There's a lot of information, a lot of choices and difficult decisions," she says.
The surgery was scheduled for February 2024. But before the procedure, Alisha took a pregnancy test – which came back positive.
"It was a huge shock, but also an incredible blessing. I was speechless," she recalls.
At the eighth-week ultrasound, the surprise was doubled: she was pregnant with twins, just a few months after being told she wouldn't be able to conceive.
Connor recalls the moment: “I saw two circles on the screen, connected by a little line – it looked like a smiley face.”
At 16 weeks they learned they were expecting girls. Lottie (1.88 kg) was born at 05:07 and Hattie (1.76 kg) at 05:40, on November 2, 2024. Both spent 29 days in neonatal care.
Another surprise
Five months after the girls were born, in April 2025, another pregnancy test came back positive. A month later, an ultrasound confirmed that the couple was expecting twins again.
In the UK, the chance of a multiple birth (twins, triplets or more) is around 1 in 65 pregnancies, or approximately 2.4% of live births. If the first twins are non-identical, the chances of having twins again increase, as the genetic tendency to release more than one egg per cycle may persist.
“We couldn’t believe it,” Connor says. “The first time it was unexpected. Now we were becoming parents to four children, when we were told we wouldn’t have any.”
Alisha went into labor on October 29. When the process did not progress, the intervention was accelerated and on November 2, 2025 – exactly on the older sisters’ first birthday – Florence (2.41 kg) was born at 15:15 p.m. and William (2.36 kg) at 14:35 p.m., six weeks premature. They spent 14 days in the same neonatal beds where their sisters had stayed a year earlier.
An organized life in minutes
Today, the couple's life revolves around feeding, diaper changing, and nonstop care.
“I can't tell when the day begins, because the day before never ends,” says Connor.
They have swapped their Mitsubishi Mirage for a seven-seat Kia Carens to accommodate their extended family. However, they wouldn't trade this reality for anything else.
"As soon as they were born, we felt like our family was complete," Connor says.
While Alisha emphasizes the importance of routine: "With four children, organization is essential. Only by respecting schedules can you find some time for yourself. And it's true that it takes a 'village' to raise children - we are lucky to have an incredible support circle." /GazetaExpress/
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