Maryland woman gives birth to rare quadruplets, 3 identical

[April 18, 2008]  TOWSON, Md. (AP) -- A mother has given birth to a rare set of quadruplets in which three of the four boys are identical. The boys were born 11 weeks premature in January at Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson. The parents plan to introduce themselves and their boys at a news conference Friday.

There are fewer than 100 documented cases of "identical triplets plus one" in the United States, hospital officials said.

Two embryos were implanted into the mother, and both were fertilized, hospital spokesman Michael Schwartzberg said. One of them split, then split again, creating the identical triplets.

The boys were delivered by Caesarian section Jan. 29, their mother's 32nd birthday. Joshua Drew was born first, then Gavin Michael, Cody Benjamin and finally Logan Christopher, the non-identical one, Schwartzberg said.

The babies were treated at the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, and all four have been home in Belcamp for about 2 1/2 weeks, Schwartzberg said.

[Associated Press]

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