wr it e n e x t d oor with columnist Colleen D’Angelo Photos courtesy of the Borchers and Partridge families
Sisterhood of the Dublin Triplets
Despite the odds, Dublin is home to multiple sets of identical triplets One in a million. That’s the odds of having three identical triplets, according to some experts, though research varies. I specify three identical triplets because it’s possible to have two identical babies and one fraternal, but that’s a story for another day. Given the odds, it’s truly amazing that we have two sets of identical triplet girls living in Dublin.
Anne and Jack Partridge had one 9-month-old child, Mary, when they found out they were pregnant again. At the first ultrasound appointment, Anne called Jack and said, “You had better come down here.” The triplets were born via cesarean section on Jan. 6, 1988, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and suddenly the Partridge family had four in diapers. Thirty years later, Lia and Ben Borchers – who had a 2-year-old daughter, Lauren, at the time – found out they were expecting three more little ones. Lia’s pregnancy was deemed high-risk and there was a team of 12-15 medical professionals in the delivery room at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital. The girls were born via C-section on Oct. 1, 2017, and then the Borchers had four in diapers too. Identical triplets result when a single fertilized egg splits into three genetically identical eggs, meaning all three babies share the same
The Partridges
44 • June/July 2022
DNA, gender and features. One placenta supports all three babies and the risk of premature births increases. Identical triplets aren’t just three copies of the same person, though. Both families express that each girl has her own distinct personality, and birth order may play an interesting role. For the Partridges, the triplets’ big sister, Mary, is so caring that they call her “the saint.” Out of the triplets, first-born Ellen is the mother hen, middle child Lauren is the jokester and entertainer, and Karen is the most likely to turn to her sisters for guidance and companionship. In the Borchers family, Lauren is a patient older sister with a heart of gold, according to Lia and Ben. Oldest triplet Brooklyn is independent and strong willed, Madison is the class clown and entertainer, while youngest sister Katelyn is the girliest. The similarities between the sets of triplets don’t stop there. A little digging turned up a peculiar dental fact. “The triplets each had a cavity in the exact same baby tooth at the exact same time,” Ben says. The Partridge girls also confirmed that they once all had a cavity in the exact same tooth at the same time. “I can still remember us lying next to each other in the dental chairs, three in a row,” Karen says with a laugh. Raising three babies at a time can be a challenge, but both families have wonderful support systems with relatives and friends living near enough to lend a hand. The Partridge triplets are all married now, living in Dublin and starting www.dublinlifemagazine.com
