WOOTTON Bassett couple Alison and Neil Twine and their five-year-old son Jack are coping admirably with three new additions to the family after the birth of triplets Lauren Mae, George Andrew and Harry Neil on June 25.

The babies, now at home in Clarendon Drive, are thought to be the town's first triplets for nearly 50 years. The last known case was the Tooze triplets, two boys and a girl, born in 1954. The Cox girls were born in 1950.

Predictably, their parents are tired and Mr Twine, 36, admitted: "One time I woke and couldn't focus on the clock." Even so, far from finding life chaotic, the Twine family convey an enviable air of calmness and contentment. The support that they have had from family and friends has helped and both sets of grandparents live locally.

But even getting the babies ready to accompany their brother Jack to school is hugely time-consuming.

"Sometimes we use a double buggy and carry one baby in a pouch; other times we use the triple buggy but that's a bit tight for space if you meet people on the pavement," said Mrs Twine.

Lots of organisation is required whenever the family goes out and getting all the children into the car is quite a task. "You have to be extremely organised, which fortunately is my strong point," said Mrs Twine.

Most of her day is taken up with feeding the new arrivals. There's three-and-a-half hours between feeds, and to feed, wind and nappy change all three takes about an hour-and-a-half.

Happily, the triplets are peaceful enough afterwards not to need holding. "Having been in Special Care at Princess Margaret Hospital, it's fortunate that they are used to being put down after a feed, rather than being held for any length of time," said Mr Twine.

The babies' parents are becoming used to putting their own mealtimes on hold. "We eat either before or after their bedtime feed," said Mr Twine. "The other day, I was feeding two of the babies and eating a roll at the same time."

The new routine gives fresh meaning to the phrase 'sleepless nights' with Mrs Twine rising just after midnight to feed the babies and her husband taking over at about 4am.

Friends and family have been very understanding about visits, though, and always call beforehand so that they don't disturb the family during a precious rest. "When we're trying to rest, I put a notice on the door saying 'No visitors, please' and that has worked," said Mr Twine.

"We both get five or six hours each night," added his wife.

"We've only had a couple of bad nights. Sunday night was quite tough. The last feed was at 9pm and we were looking forward to two or three hours' sleep before the next feed, but all three didn't settle for a couple of hours, so it was 12am before we managed to get to sleep and then it was time to feed them again half an hour later.

"Neil got up and fed them then, and I got up at 4am for the next feed.''

But Mrs Twine added: "We were under no illusions about how difficult it was going to be. We do get stressed, but because of the pattern we have got ourselves into, we are getting some sleep and we are happy."

Before the birth of triplets, the couple adapted their household to accommodate the new arrivals, and to ensure play space for Jack.

They have made sure that they still make lots of time for their five-year-old son, who is equally delighted with his siblings and has learned to tilt their bottles properly. "I like helping to feed them," he said. "I like helping washing them and bathing them, and they like me washing their hair.''

In addition to the physical and emotional demands of triplets, financial considerations loom large. "We bought a people carrier because it isn't possible to fit three babies into an ordinary car," said Mr Twine. "The special milk costs £7.50 a box and at present we use two boxes a week. Nappies cost £20 a week, and wipes £9."

The triplets, now just over four weeks old, are all gaining weight. Last week, Lauren, whom her parents describe as "a forceful little girl", weighed 5lbs 14oz; Harry, "the impatient one" was 6lbs 4oz and the more laid back George weighed 5lbs 6oz. "We think the babies are an absolute miracle. We are very lucky," said Mrs Twine. "I find it hard to realise that they were all inside me."

Mr Twine, who works for an electrical wholesalers, has nearly finished his paternity leave. His wife is on leave from Zurich Financial Services.

Another long day in the hecticTwine household

6.30am: Wake up. Feed, change each nappy and wind. It all takes an hour- and-a-half.

8am: Jack, five, has his breakfast and gets ready for school.

8.20am: Babies put in pushchair for walk to school.

9am: Drop Jack off at school. Collect baby necessities from the High Street.

10am: Back home ready for the next feed which finishes at about 11.30am.

11.30am-1pm: Lauren and Harry tend to be wakeful between feeds and play on a mat with a baby gym.

Meanwhile, get lunch, do jobs around the house and make up the sterilised bottles.

1pm: Another feed, which needs to be finished in time to collect Jack from school.

2.15pm: Start getting triplets ready to collect Jack from school.

3pm: Collect Jack from school.

3.30pm: Jack's time to play with us before his dinner is prepared.

5pm: Another feed for the triplets.

6.30pm: Prepare Jack for bed and read a story to him.

7pm-7.30pm: Jack goes to bed

8pm: Prepare Jack's lunch for next day and cook dinner.

8.30pm: Another feed for the triplets and then the babies are bathed, two at a time. Dinner is eaten whenever there's a chance within the next two hours, sometimes while the babies are being fed.

11pm: Tired parents go to bed.

Some time between midnight-2am: Alison gets up to feed the babies.

Some time between 4am-5am: Neil gets up to sterilise and prepare formula for the next feed. He then feeds the triplets while Alison sleeps.