Becki-Jo Allen, a 23-year-old mom, was shocked when doctors told her that she was expecting triplets. Most parents would be surprised, but the news was even more unexpected for Becki-Jo. She had no idea she was carrying three babies!
After giving birth, there was another surprise. The three baby boys weren’t just regular triplets – they were identical triplets. This is extremely rare, about one in two hundred million!
Becki-Jo and her partner shared the exciting news with their daughter, Indiana, who was about to become a big sister – to three brothers! The family lives just outside Liverpool, England, and they were already thinking about expanding their family, but they never expected it to be like this.
Becki-Jo’s pregnancy had been difficult. She had bad headaches and felt very sick, which led to an earlier ultrasound. That’s when the triplets news came as a huge surprise. She recalled, “It was the biggest shock of my life! We haven’t got any triplets in the family so it came completely out of the blue.”
The three boys – Rohan, Roman, and Rocco – were born by Cesarean section at 31 weeks. They weighed around 3 pounds 5 ounces each and spent their first six weeks in intensive care. Despite the usual complications of having triplets, they were healthy and gained weight quickly. After six weeks, they were strong enough to go home.
Doctors initially said the boys weren’t identical, but everyone who saw them noticed how similar they looked. Becki-Jo decided to get a private DNA test, which confirmed the boys were completely identical genetically.
Although identical triplets are rare, it’s becoming more common with in vitro fertilization. Still, natural occurrences are extremely rare. In 2015, only four sets of identical triplets were born in the U.S.
Becki-Jo has no trouble telling her sons apart. She said, “They all have different personalities. But they do share some traits, like dark birthmarks between their eyebrows.”
The family stays busy with the babies, using 130 diapers a week and several packs of wipes. Six-year-old Indiana is excited to have her brothers and loves them very much. Becki-Jo added, “Indiana loves them. She’s not one bit jealous.”
These three boys have certainly brought a lot of joy and attention to their family!