Doctors say couple’s birth of identical triplets ‘incredibly rare’

Kristen and Tom Hewitt have their hands full after welcoming three bundles of joy to their family.

Doctors say what makes their experience rare is that all three of their baby boys are identical.

Earlier this month, three healthy Hewitt boys were born at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), Fox45 News reports.

The odds of having identical triplets, where one fertilized egg splits three times, are slim. According to ABC News, it’s as high as one in two million.

“Incidence of fraternal twins are much higher (90 per cent) than identical (10 per cent), but it is even a more significant ratio for triplets,” Victor Khouzami, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics at GBMC told Fox45 News.

The hospital told ABC News that they deliver 30 to 40 sets of triplets per year, but this was the first time they had an identical set.

Thomas III (Trip), Finnegan (Finn) and Oliver (Ollie) were also conceived without the use of any fertility treatments, ABC News reports.

The boys were born by C-section at 33.5 weeks old, weighing in between three and five pounds.

The new parents learned they were expecting three babies during their first ultrasound, Fox45 News reports.

Tom said he remembers the technician being quiet at first, so he decided to break the silence by jokingly saying: “So is there more than one in there?”

“Through our relationship, we’ve found that Tom and I work the best under pressure, so we take the triplets not only a blessing, but also a challenge that we’re most certainly up for,” Kristen told Fox45 News. “Finding a new place to live will be another welcomed test since our current row home is not conducive to raising triplets.”

The babies are now at home, ABC News reports. The parents are using a “colour-coding system of anklets and bracelets” to tell the boys apart.