A New Jersey couple welcomed identical triplets into their family, a medical rarity, 6ABC News Philadelphia reported Monday.
Mark Bodrog and Gabriela Mosquera, the parents, told local news they were in disbelief. “I kind of walked in circles for about 20 minutes,” Bodrog told 6ABC. “I mean, what do you do when you hear ‘triplets?'”
Bodrog explained that the triplets originated from the same egg, and shared a placenta with three separate amniotic sacs. Triplets are already rare, and only 10% of those rare cases result in the fetuses becoming identical, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Most of these cases develop as twins or fraternal triplets. (RELATED: Woman Who Claimed To Have 10 Babies Was Lying, Officials Say)
The newborns, Anastasia, Olivia, and Nadia, were delivered at 34 weeks. Each one weighed a little over 5 pounds. The trio of baby girls is going home to two big sisters, 3 1/2-year old Isabella and 2-year old Sofia.
Three beautiful, healthy newborn girls in Camden County are one in a million. Well, make that one in 200 million. https://t.co/wHQDk6zubC
— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) August 2, 2021
Bodrog and Mosquera told 6ABC that they are “blessed” by the new additions, but “[they’re] never going to sleep again.” She also said they’re going to paint their toenails to tell them apart.
The University of Pennsylvania hospital, where the triplets were born, rushed to take the case because of the rarity and inherent risks. The University is keeping a close eye on the triplets even after sending the family home, to document their case for research purposes.
Bodrog and Mosquera are not the only ones who brought identical triplets into the world. An Oklahoma couple welcomed their own set in June. Identical twins were recorded in 2015 and 2016.