Identical Triplets Return Home for Christmas Celebration

The mother of “one in a million” identical triplets expressed her “overjoyed” feelings regarding their return home for the Christmas period. Hunter, Bodhi, and Travis, the triplets, were born to Stacey and Grant Silk in November at the Royal United Hospital in Bath. After spending several weeks in neonatal care, they have now returned to their home in Oakhill, near Shepton Mallet, Somerset, where they are becoming acquainted with their older siblings, Juke, aged seven, and Blake, aged three. Mrs. Silk humorously remarked that “sleep is not on the agenda” for her during this Christmas season. She stated, “We’re so lucky that they’ve all been born healthy and have made such good progress so quickly. It feels as though someone’s been looking over us.” At birth, Hunter and Travis each weighed 4lb 6oz, while Bodhi’s weight was 4lb 5oz. In an interview with BBC West, Ms. Silk commented, “Sleep is not on the agenda, that’s for sure. But to be fair, our three-year-old still hasn’t slept through the night.” Mr. and Mrs. Silk conceived naturally, and initially, they were informed they were expecting twins. However, Mrs. Silk requested an additional scan after sensing that something “wasn’t quite right” with her pregnancy. She recounted, “We were told there were three – (my husband’s) face dropped and then we just burst out laughing. Who could write it?” She added, “We’re taking it one day at a time and embracing the chaos.” The couple has since acquired a nine-seater van, replacing their previous vehicle. Identical triplets develop when a single zygote, or newly fertilized egg, divides into three, a phenomenon estimated to occur in only one in a million pregnancies. Typically, triplets result from two eggs being fertilized at the same time, with one of them subsequently dividing into twins. The announcement of the Silk triplets’ birth comes after the news of identical triplets born to Shannon and Ace Page in October at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol. Cruz, Aljo, and Enzo, the Page triplets, each weighed under 3lbs (1.4kg) at birth and required several weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit. Mr. and Mrs. Page pursued IVF after years of attempting to conceive and characterized the arrival of their triplets as a “gift from God.” Information regarding BBC Somerset is available on Facebook and X. Story ideas can be submitted via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC does not assume responsibility for the content of external sites. Further details on their approach to external linking are available.