Three sisters from the UK - Rubi-Rose, Payton-Jane and Porscha-Mae Hopkins have created Guinness World Records (GWR) for being the lightest and most premature triplets to survive. Born 121 days early, at a gestational age of 22 weeks 5 days the triplets weighed a combined 1.28 kg, according to the records keeping company.
Born on February 14, 2021 the Hopkins trio spent 216 days in the neonatal intensive care unit at Southmead Hospital, Bristol. They are dizygotic triplets, meaning Rubi-Rose has a unique genetic makeup whilst Payton-Jane and Porscha-Mae are identical twins.
All the three kids are now two years old and said to be healthy.
"The whole journey between finding out that they were triplets and then actually being here was I think the quickest pregnancy I've ever known," said the father, Jason Hopkins to GWR.
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For the triplets' mother, Michaela, the birth of her babies was "very traumatic." She added, "I was contracting but the baby wasn't coming out."
According to the Guinness World Records, Rubi-Rose was born first, at 10:33 am, weighing 467 g (1 lb). But being premature and extremely underweight, she was swaddled in a polythene wrapping which acted as a makeshift womb, reducing heat loss and risk of hypothermia.
After Rubi-Rose’s birth, Michaela was rushed to the operating theatre for an emergency C-section.
Payton-Jane and Porscha-Mae were delivered at 12:01 and 12:02 p.m. respectively, one and a half hours after their sister. Payton-Jane weighed 402 g (0.89 lb); Porscha-Mae was 415 g (0.91 oz), said GWR on its website.
The triplets remained in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for several months. Rubi-Rose and Payton-Jane were cleared to leave in July, whereas Porscha-Mae stayed until October.