MANSFIELD, Ohio — Life for Kathy and Jim Stantz changed dramatically when their daughter Kristen and her husband Thomas Hewitt, Jr. announced they were going to have triplets–and not just triplets, identical triplets.
“We have no history of multiple births,” Kathy Stantz said.
After learning the exciting news in April, the Stantz’s pulled up stakes, moving from Mansfield to Baltimore, Maryland to help their daughter Kristen and Thomas take care of the trio.
“We put the house up for sale to get ready for the move. It sold in two weeks. We had a huge yard sale and with the help of family and friends, we moved on Labor Day with a caravan of friends. I’m a ‘granny nanny’ now,” Kathy Stantz said.
“Now we’re only seven minutes away instead of seven hours,” Stantz said.
The identical triplets, Thomas III, Finnegan and Oliver, were born approximately six weeks early at Greater Baltimore Medical Center on Oct.6, 2015.
Their combined weight was just under 12 pounds; Thomas weighed 3.6 pounds, Finnegan weighed 4.3 pounds and Oliver weighed 3.12 pounds.
The odds of identical triplet births can vary quite greatly. One source suggests that identical triplets can occur in one out of every 60,000 pregnancies.
Identical triplets come from a monozygotic pregnancy, three fetuses from one egg. Triplets are far less common than twins, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When identical triplets are formed, it means that all three share the same identical DNA, gender, characteristics and features.
Kristen spent the final weeks of the pregnancy in the hospital on strict bed rest.
“Kristen put herself on modified bedrest at home for three weeks before going into the hospital. The triplets were delivered at 33 weeks. They were delivered during an emergency C-section,” Stantz said.
After spending several weeks in intensive care, the trio came home to an adoring family, one baby on Tuesday October 20 and the other two on Wednesday October 21.
Along with tracking everything about the trio, the family has also put a plan in place to tell them apart-each baby has been assigned a color for their clothing and they wear distinctive strings on their wrists and ankles.
Proud father Thomas Hewitt has named the trio the “Hewitt Hat Trick” and established a blog.
Moving meant Kathy Stantz would no longer be involved in “Nostalgia Cottage,” a business she started with several friends on the square in Mansfield.
“I may start selling again,” Stantz said, in referring to “Nostalgia Cottage” and the vintage, antique and jewelry items sold in Mansfield–but babies come first.