Mother-of-seven who's given birth to THREE sets of twins admits having five babies in four years was 'really hard' but insists she 'wouldn't change it for the world'

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A mum of seven had three sets of twins which meant that she gave birth to five babies within the space of four years.

Meredith Maitland, 40, from San Francisco, California, had seven kids from just four pregnancies after giving birth to three sets of twins and a single child.

After discovering she was pregnant with twins at the age of 19, Meredith says she thought she had cashed in her twin card and never expected that she would have another set of twins let alone two more sets.

'So I had my first set of twin girls, Gabriella and Julia, now 21, and then after me and my husband, Brady, got married we decided to try for another baby,' she said.

'After falling pregnant, I never dreamt that I would be pregnant with my second set of twins.

Meredith Maitland, 40, from San Francisco, California, had seven kids from just four pregnancies after giving birth to three sets of twins and a single child. Pictured, Meredith and Brady's family of nine. Gabriella (left), Elsa, Cambia, Thane, Vera, Lucia and Julie

Meredith gave birth to her fifth daughter, Cambia, now 10, in August 2010. Pictured, single child, Cambia

'I didn't even really know that you could have more than one set. I thought that once you'd had a set of twins, that was it and you'd just have single babies. But I was very wrong.

'We were so shocked when we discovered that I was pregnant with twins again. I never knew of this happening to anyone.

'I had my next set of twin girls, Elsa and Lucia, who are now 12-years-old, in July 2008.'

After having four girls from two sets of twins, Meredith and Brady were desperate for a baby boy.

She says that the couple really wanted to experience what it was like being parents to the opposite gender.

Meredith and her husband decided to try for another baby in the hopes it could be a boy. 

After discovering she was pregnant with twins at the age of 19, Meredith says she thought she had cashed in her twin card and never expected that she would have another set of twins let alone two more sets. Pictured, with her husband, Brady

Pictured, Meredith's oldest twins, Julie (left) and Gabrielle (right)

Brady and Meredith and twin girls Elsa and Lucia, who are now 12-years-old, in July 2008. Pictured, with their kids - Gabriella, Julia, Elsa, Lucia, Cambia, Thane and Vera

She said: 'I fell pregnant to a single baby which wasn't a shock because I definitely didn't think I would have another set of twins. I gave birth to my fifth daughter, Cambia, now 10, in August 2010.

'Having a single baby was crazily easy compared to having twins. She was such an easy baby I think she lured us into trying for a baby boy just once.

'I just thought that having two sets of twins was a fluke, especially after having a single baby. I definitely never could have imagined I would have a third set of twins. It wasn't on my radar at all.

'So we tried again for one more baby. After having Cambia, we just took it for granted that we would be having another single baby. We were so sure that the twin thing was over that I went to the scan by myself.'

At the scan, Meredith recalls seeing two embryos appearing on the screen and the feeling of shock running through her body.

She said: 'I was like "oh no." My first thought was about having to do another two college educations at the same time again. For the third time.

'During my pregnancy people were always joking with me about if I was having twins again, but I actually was.

'It got quite annoying because people would always say about my hands being full, which seemed kind of negative, so I would just respond by saying that my heart was fuller.'

Meredith gave birth to her third set of twins, Thane and Vera, now 8, in December 2012.

This was Meredith's first set of boy and girl twins and she says she was so happy to also have a baby boy in her family.

She added: 'I'd never planned to have such a big family. Having five kids in the space of four years was really hard, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Meredith gave birth to her third set of twins, Thane and Vera, now 8, in December 2012. Pictured, Meredith's set of boy girl twins - Thane (left) and Vera

Meredith says she never planned to have such a big family. Pictured, all of Meredith's seven kids

'It's super fun. It's like having a big slumber party every night. Being a family of nine is organised chaos but it's a whole lot of love.'

While doing their food shop, Meredith and Brady are often asked by strangers if they own a restaurant because of the amount of food they have to buy to feed their family.

And when the whole family is on a trip, Meredith does a roll call where each child calls out their number to make sure that she doesn't lose anyone.

She said: 'I also have a laundry day on a Thursday to make sure everyone's clothes are washed. I usually do around ten to 12 loads of washing every Thursday. It's craziness but I love it.

'I feel blessed to have had three sets of twins because it means I have a big family without having to go through that many pregnancies.

'It was hard when they were younger due to time management, but it has been amazing too.

The mother-of-seven says having five kids in the space of four years was really hard, but added she wouldn't change it for the world. Pictured, Meredith with her eldest set of twins, Julia (left) and Gabriella (right)

Meredith explains that the same way she couldn't imagine Cambia with a twin, she'd never have her family any other way. Pictured, Gabrielle (right) and Julie (left)

'I really couldn't imagine any of the twins without their other twin. There's something about them that means they were meant to be born together.

'The same way I could never imagine Cambia with a twin. I'd never have my family any other way.

'I didn't end up finishing college until the age of 38 because of all the babies, but it is something I wanted to do it to motivate my kids and to show people that if I can reach my goals, then so can anyone.

'It hasn't always been plain sailing as after my first and fourth pregnancy I suffered with postpartum, with medical help and running I was able to pull out of my depression.

'Currently, I run about 40-50 miles a week to help with my mental and physical well-being and to keep up with my active family.'

To keep up with Meredith's family on Instagram visit: @Maitlandmultiplemultiples