THE PARENTS of rare sextuplet babies have spoken about the “hardest and happiest” year of their lives.

Vicky and Andy Lamb, from Abingdon, became the first parents in 17 years to give birth to six siblings in Britain.

But only four of the babies would come home after spending the first months of their lives dangerously ill in intensive care.

Layla, Eric, Ellen, Rose, Matthew and Pippa were born 14 weeks premature at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital on May 14 last year. Each weighed less than two pounds.

Matthew, who suffered bleeing on the brain, died at just two weeks old.

And the smallest baby Pippa, who weighed one pound five ounces, died at sevenweeks.

After three months, Eric and Ellen came home, and a month later Rose joined them.

First-born Layla, who had to have surgery on her oesophagus, finally came home after five months.

Mrs Lamb said: “It’s been the hardest year of my life.”

And Mr Lamb, a former soldier, added: “Quickest, busiest, saddest, happiest.”

In total, about 60 medical staff at the JR helped care for the babies.

The couple married in 2006 and conceived the sextuplets after Mrs Lamb took the fertility drug Clomid – the same drug prescribed to help her have five-year-old Grace.

Mrs Lamb, a health and safety consultant, said: “We thought we would get one.

“But we really did hit the jackpot getting our babies.

“Some people say it’s the fertility treatment, but if that was the case there would be sextuplet pregnancies all over the place.

“The fact that we fell pregnant with six was a miracle – it was fate.”

The couple had to make 18 bottles of formula a day and feed the babies round the clock, while their garage had to be converted in to a bedroom for the youngsters.

But Mrs Lamb, a former nursery manager, said: “Because we lost Pippa and Matthew, we kind of geared ourselves up for it to be so much more busy. This is kind of not what it should be – it’s too easy.”

She added: “There is a big, big bit missing, but they will always be remembered.”

The couple were warned of the dangers of giving birth to so many children and given the option of reducing the pregnancy. Live births of sextuplets are very rare – roughly one in every 4.5m pregnancies.

But Mrs Lamb said: “It just went against every bone in our body to reduce a pregnancy that you had tried so hard to get.

“We decided we were going to give it the best shot and if something did happen to the pregnancy then it’s fate.”

Kate Convery, matron of the neonatal unit at the JR, said: “Because they spent such a long time here we got to know the babies and Vicky and Andy really well, and we are always delighted to hear about their progress.”

The Lambs’ story is to be told in an ITV documentary next Tuesday.