The parents of three children were surprised to hear mom was pregnant with triplets and in this case, all are identical. Doctors at Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer explain it is rare, about one in tens of thousands of births.

When Shelly Dagan learned she is pregnant, an ultrasound followed and she was more than a bit surprised to learn of a multiple birth. She was told there are twins. Later in the pregnancy further testing revealed triplets, a trio of embryos created from one egg that split apart.

“I was really surprised” explains mom, who has a 13-year-old son, 12-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old daughter. “I wasn’t expecting twins, yet alone triplets. I was very pressured but the fact I know I have a most supportive family was a calming affect”.

Dr. Yoav Yinon explained it was an extremely high risk pregnancy, adding in 20% of such cases the birth comes at about 32 weeks. He explains often they recommend eliminating one of the triplets but in this case they are identical and sharing a blood supply so this was no longer an option. He added the joint blood supply presents an additional measure of risks that can lead to coronary issues. B’chasdei Hashem this pregnancy was passed without incident. In fact, Mrs. Dagan continued her job as a secretary in an insurance office till week 31. Doctors told her from then on she was compelled to take it easy.

The triplets were delivered in a C-section in week 34 and admitted to the preemie unit, fed with a special formula via a nasogastric tube. B”H the girls are reportedly doing well as is mom.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)