Baltimore Couple Becomes Family of Five after Birth of Rare Identical Triplets

Kristen and Tom Hewitt got the surprise of their lives when they learned they would become parents — to identical triplets! The couple, married for four years, became an instant family of five upon learning they would have three boys. This is their story, in their own words.

We always knew we wanted to have children. After Tom’s sister gave birth to a baby boy in March of 2015, she jokingly said, “You guys are up next!” Oddly enough, later that week Kristen took a pregnancy test and it was positive! We were thrilled to find out we were expecting, since we had been trying to conceive for more than two years.

We had an ultrasound scheduled during our first appointment at Perinatal Associates at GBMC. After the technician started moving the wand across Kristen’s belly and looking at the screen, she didn’t say anything for a while. Eventually, Tom broke the awkward silence by joking, “So, is there more than one baby in there?” When she told us there were three babies, we looked at each other in pure joy — and shock! Finding out we were having triplets, especially without any fertility treatments, was a huge surprise! When we learned that the babies were identical a few months later, we knew this had to be something rare.

Kristen was scheduled for a Cesarean section on October 13; however, the boys decided to come early. After Kristen’s water broke early in the morning on October 6, she was admitted for delivery that day. On October 6, 2015, we welcomed our three sons: Thomas “Trip” Hewitt III, weighing in at 4 lbs, 3oz; Finnegan “Finn” James at 3 lbs, 6 oz; and Oliver “Ollie” Dean at 3 lbs, 12 oz. Aside from Trip needing initial support with breathing, the boys were all in great health from the start.

When the boys were born, the news of their arrival garnered a significant amount of media attention. It was honestly a bit overwhelming! We knew the boys were special from a statistical perspective, but did not realize how popular they would be in the news. When we saw ourselves on “Good Morning America” and the front page of The Baltimore Sun, we really had to step back and realize how unique our situation was. Things have settled down for now; however, we do get attention whenever we leave the house. It’s not something we’re used to, but we haven’t really gone anywhere in public with the boys except for short walks around the neighborhood. We suspect when the weather gets warmer and as the boys grow, we’ll draw more attention!

We want to thank the labor and delivery nurses and the NICU nurses. Everyone took great care of us and the boys. The labor and delivery nurses were so helpful and kept Kristen as comfortable as possible during the hospital stay.

The logistics of raising three identical boys is a constant challenge. When we first got home from the hospital, we used a color-coding system Tom developed to tell the boys apart. Now that the boys are nearly three months old [as of January 2016], the three are looking more and more identical every day. It took some time, but we have finally found our groove as parents of multiples. We live four hours at a time. Everything revolves around those four hours, in which over an hour is dedicated to changings and feedings. Then it’s the countdown to the next changing/feeding session. Depending on the time of day, the “in-between” consists of stimulation and interaction with the boys, reading books and of course, naps!

One challenge we have run into is the sheer volume of diapers and formula needed for all the changing/feeding sessions! When we purchased our home in Baltimore City’s Hampden neighborhood, we had the addition of one baby in mind! Storage for diapers and formula for three babies in a rowhome is nonexistent, so we have frequent Amazon deliveries to our house!

Our support system has been incredible. To anyone who is reading this who has assisted us during our journey, we want to say thank you. It seems like everyone who has helped us went above and beyond because they knew they were part of a special situation, and we’re truly grateful for that. We are specifically appreciative of our doctors at Perinatal Associates, to include Dr. Victor Khouzami, Dr. Margaret Cyzeski and Dr. Kristin Engorn. The NICU nurses took such great care of our boys and got them healthy enough to come home. We also appreciated all the tips and tricks we needed to start our lives as parents!

All the reading and planning doesn’t prepare you for the determination needed to raise triplets. The boys are truly a joy and a blessing to us, and that gives us strength. People often ask us how we’re adapting to life with triplets. Our answer? We’re running on love and awe…and coffee.

Follow the Hewitt triplets at https://www.facebook.com/hewitthattrick/