Britain’s oldest mum of quadruplets, 51, celebrates first birthdays of babies born at 31 weeks

Grandmother of eight Tracey Britten hit the headlines in October last year when she gave birth to four IVF babies at 31 weeks.

After surviving a dramatic fight for her life in intensive care, her young ones have defied the odds to see their first birthday yesterday.

To mark the occasion, Tracey, 51, who has three adult children, took her tots to Preston, Lancashire, to visit the grave of her mother.

It was a fitting tribute to Pauline Smith, who died in 2007 and left £7,000 for her daughter which she spent on fertility treatment.

Tracey said: ‘If it wasn’t for mum leaving me that inheritance then I wouldn’t have been able to have the IVF.

‘I’ve always wanted to do this on their first birthday, to say thank you to her.’

Tracey, who was raised in Preston but now lives in London, explored the option of IVF with her 40-year-old husband Stephen after unsuccessfully trying for a baby naturally.

After being deemed too old for treatment on the NHS, the couple travelled to a clinic in Cyprus where an embryo was successfully implanted first time.

When Tracey found out she was pregnant with four babies she ‘nearly fell off the bed’ and felt like she was ‘having an out-of-body experience’.

She added: ‘I was crying, thinking I can’t have seven kids no way.

‘When I got home and told Stephen he was as happy as Larry. He just said at least we don’t need to have any more.’

But their joy turned into heartbreak when doctors later recommended two of the babies be aborted.

They were given just days to make a decision after scans revealed one of the identical twins was taking her sister’s blood supply.

Tracey decided to ‘leave it up to nature’ after seeking advice from a US doctor who had delivered 120 quads.

The former drugs counsellor added: ‘I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I’d have chosen the termination.’

Despite the risks, she gave birth to George, Grace and identical twins Francesca and Fredrica in London on October 26 last year.

Tracey said she had always been saving her mum’s money ‘for a rainy day’ and thought her dream of having more children was the perfect way to use it.

She added: ‘Mum always wanted one of her girls to have twins so I feel blessed that I was able to do that for her.

‘She was a wonderful person, she would give you her last penny.’

Tracey describes Francesca as a ‘bossy boots’ who sets off Fredrica if she cries.

She says Grace ‘is her own person, nice and placid’, while George is ‘laughing from when he gets up to when he goes to bed.’

Due to their premature birth, the babies are not yet crawling, and only began sitting up six weeks ago.

Their mother said: ‘They will be mobile soon, but it doesn’t bother me.

‘I’ve got a big playpen and I will use that for when I need to go and do something in the house.’

Tracey tied the knot with roofer Stephen seven years ago after meeting in 2005.

She was a teenager when she had her older daughter and son and 28 when she had her third.

More than two decades later, she’s noticed plenty of changes in her approach to parenting.

She added: ‘When you’re young, you want to go out, go clubbing, go abroad and you get frustrated when you can’t get a babysitter.

‘But when you’re older you’re more relaxed and you’ve got that out of your system. I want to enjoy the blessing I’ve been given.’