Rogers City family celebrates birth of rare identical triplets

by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor

Home from the hospital for a little more than a week, the newest additions to the Darrin and Milanne Darga family are still sporting their identification ankle tags. It?s the only way the couple absolutely knows for sure how to tell Haven, Eden and Lily apart right now. The identical triplets were born Dec. 20 in Traverse City at Munson Medical Center. Identical triplets are a rare feat alone, but the odds of identical triplets being conceived naturally, without the influence of fertility treatments, are staggeringly low. Estimates on the odds of identical triplets being born range from one in every 60,000 births to one in 200 million births.

Identical triplets occur when one fertilized egg splits to create three separate embryos. Non-identical triplets occur when three separate eggs are fertilized. The how and why have certainly taken a backseat to the ever-pressing needs of three helpless infants, who for all intents and purposes, will technically be preemies until Jan. 30. That would have been the actual due date for a singlet; however, for high-risk multiples, pediatricians only wait 34 weeks.

?It?s been challenging,? said Darrin, who had one girl resting on each shoulder Tuesday afternoon, as he rocked in a living room recliner. ?Not to say it hasn?t been a blessing, but there are all new dynamics. Even twins, you?re not out numbered. If all three of them need something at once, that?s where the challenge comes in.? ?It takes three times as long to feed them and change them,? added Milanne. The Darga triplets go through about 30 diapers in a 24-hour period, or, a little more than one an hour.

THE FAMILY has only been back in Rogers City since Jan. 3. Except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, they were living at Munson Manor Hospitality House since Dec. 10. Milanne?s blood pressure was 140/90. She was kept there on bed rest until the 20th. The Dargas believe the birth of identical triplets isn?t the only miracle. The babies have been healthy and without additional medical issues. ?There?s a risk of a heart valve issue with multiples,? said Darrin. ?We had to take a special trip to Grand Rapids to see a neonatal doctor to do a special ultrasound. You could see in his face, when he was reading the ultrasound how impressed he was with what was going on. He said, ?I can?t see anything.? It?s almost as if he was surprised. We really didn?t hit any of the stumbling blocks.?

The babies also were born within ounces of each other. Haven Elizabeth-Anne was born first at 4 pounds, 11 ounces (18 inches long); Eden Isabel-Anne was second at 4 pounds, 7 ounces (18); while Lily Abigail-Anne was the third arrival at 4 pounds, 6 ounces (18 3/4). Oftentimes, one baby is stronger and more dominant than the others, resulting in different birth weights, or a stillbirth. From the moment of their arrival, the girls were breathing on their own, and were released from the neonatal intensive care unit a week early. ?Everything about them, from the beginning, up until now, we?ve just been really blessed,? said Darrin. ?They?ve been healthier than the professionals expected.? Being born premature presents another set of challenges.

?Their clothes never fit,? said Milanne. ?They are always drowning in their clothes.? Diapers are difficult to find, but soon Darrin vows to switch to cloth. He doesn?t want to clog the landfill, besides, he believes it?

s only a little extra laundry. The girls share a crib and rest in birth-order, with the oldest to youngest starting from the left. It’s just another way to identify the infants when the lights are out. ?They are really cute,? said Grace Darga, 10, the oldest of the Darga bunch. THERE WILL be a community open house at Rogers City Senior and Community Center Feb. 19 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. ?There have been so many people that have sent us well wishes and card, and expressed interest well before their birth,? said Darrin. ?People, we wouldn?t have expected knocking on our door to drop off handmade blankets.

?There was so much interest and love coming from the community, we thought it would be nice to just have it as a big open house, and invite anybody who is interested or wants to come and meet the girls and celebrate their arrival with us.? Darrin and Milanne owned and operated Big D?s in downtown Rogers City, but were forced to close Sept. 24 due to the poor economic conditions. He said it had nothing to do with the birth of the triplets. ?If we weren?t having three babies, Big D?s would have closed,? said Darrin. ?We couldn?t continue down the path we were going.? He also served as a Rogers City Councilman, before stepping down in November. The new arrivals were joined with big sister Grace and brothers Seth, 8, and Gideon, 3. The grandparents are Larry and Dianne Darga of Rogers City and Darwin and Susan Nicholson of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and great-grandmother Emilie Yarch of Rogers City.