Australia’s most unusual 'triplets' – IVF babies born to three separate mothers

A Sydney mother who had gone through hell and back in a bid to have a child has created one of the most modern families you’ll ever hear of.

Single mums Natalie Lovett and Fiona Fagan are not related, they had never met and yet their daughters are sisters.

Natalie has forged a successful career but after four years, tens of thousands of dollars, a number of unsuccessful IVF attempts and a miscarriage, there was still a gaping hole in her life.

When the Leichhardt woman was told she could not carry her own child, she decided to go it alone and sought out an American database to legally choose anonymous donor eggs and sperm.

“I wanted it all, picket fence, children running around, it just didn't pan out for me that way unfortunately,” Ms Lovett told Today Tonight.

“It's a surreal process, you are on a database, you're putting in criteria, eye colouring, hair colouring."

It would take only one egg.

A home pregnancy test confirmed it and a little less than nine months later, Lexie, a healthy baby girl was born slightly prematurely by caesarean.

When a second IVF attempt failed to give Lexie a sibling, Natalie decided to donate the remaining 24 eggs on the condition that they all stay in touch.

After advertising the eggs on an embryo donor network, she was inundated with couples wanting to be parents.

It's illegal to bring the embryos to Australia, so the recipients would have to travel to the US for the transfer, which costs around $5000.

Until last year, Natalie and Fiona were complete strangers, living separate lives in different cities but fighting the same battle.

Fiona was widowed in her 20's before a number of operations forced her into early menopause.

Single again at 47-years-old, she didn’t want to wait any longer – and thanks to Natalie she didn’t have to.

A successful transfer in the US saw the Adelaide woman give birth to Adeline.

Ten days later, Mia Bee of Naraabeen gave birth to her own son, Sam.

Adeline and Sam are now 18-months old while their big sister Lexie has just turned three.

Natalie has written a book about her journey to raise awareness about the importance of egg donors in Australia.