Rare identical triplets born in US

Update: 2013-12-08 16:21 GMT
Hannah and Tom Hepner hold their babies, born on November 22nd in a hospital in California. -AP

Washington: In an extremely rare occurrence, a 29-year-old mother in the US has given birth to naturally conceived three identical baby girls without fertility drugs, beating the odds of millions to one.

The triplets Abby, Laurel and Brin Hepner were born in Northern California on November 22 and are doing well, doctors at Sutter Memorial Hospital said. The triplets, born to parents Hannah and Tom Hepner, were produced when a single, fertilised egg split into three, the 'Sacramento Bee' reported.

Hannah and Tom Hepner with their babies

The odds of conceiving identical triplets without fertility drugs are anywhere from 1-in-1-million to 1-in-100-million, said Dr William Gilbert, director of Sutter Women's Services. "It is so rare that it is hard to calculate how frequently they occur," said Gilbert.

At birth, Abby weighed 3 pounds, 2 ounces; Brin was 3 pounds, 11 ounces; and Laurel tipped the scale at 4 pounds, the report said. Doctors said those are good weights for triplets and the babies are doing well.

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