VIDEO: Horsham family welcomes three babies in a fortnight

Former Millais School pupils Julia Phillips, Caroline Comper and Emily Fawcett, not only found out they were expecting in the same week, but their babies arrived near their due dates as well.

Julia’s daughter, Sophia, was the first to arrive on July 25.

For Caroline, 32, Poppy was her second child and she was born just four days later on July 29.

Emily, 26, gave birth to her daughter Evie on August 9.

Julia, 30, of April Close, Horsham, said: “Caroline found out she was pregnant the day after me.

“It’s been really good to go through it together and share. Being able to phone and say ‘I feel like this’.

“It’s amazing how different our pregnancies have been.”

She added: “Me and my husband (Stuart) joke about it. We were trying for quite a long time.

“Then we finally managed to get pregnant and then my sisters get pregnant.

“I joke they were stealing my thunder. You couldn’t make it up.”

Caroline, of Victoria Street, Horsham, said: “I was convinced Julia was having a boy.

“I had a feeling mine might be because it was quite different to my first pregnancy.

“I was quite worried at first because in my first pregnancy I lost my baby at ten weeks.

“I was worried they would and then the other two would still be pregnant.”

Emily, who now lives in Crawley, had to wait more than a week after her sisters for Evie to arrive.

She said: “I was getting quite impatient once they all had theirs. It’s all a bit surreal.”

They all gave birth at East Surrey Hospital and the coincidences do not stop there.

Caroline said: “Emily was in the same bed as I was in when I was in hospital and Julia had the midwife who looked after me.”

The past nine months have been a bit tortuous for mum and grandma Linda Mapp.

She said: “I was very worried. None of them had a straight forward time.

“It’s been very difficult. I was talking to someone who’s got a son and a daughter and saying it’s hard watching your own daughters.

“It’s wonderful when it’s all ok. I would rather it be me than them.

“We didn’t get much sleep for a couple of weeks.

“We went on holiday together about a month ago and they all had to take their bags.”

She has enjoyed looking after Caroline’s 22-month-old son Jack before the birth of his sister and she is now looking forward to more of the same with her granddaughters.

She added: “I was ‘granny day care’ for Jack anyway.

“It’s possible we will run a creche here.”