Daily Mail - The Devon school with an amazing 15 sets of twins ... and a set of triplets

It would be fair to say that teachers at that teachers at a Devon college and primary school have seen more than their fair share of sibling rivalry.
With 15 sets of twins and even a set of triplets between them, teachers at Chulmleigh Community College and the nearby primary school certainly have their work cut out for them remembering who is who.
The sibling symmetry has been causing some confusion at the college, because five sets of twins are identical and there is even one set of triplets, while staff at the primary school have been left befuddled over four sets of twins.
The four sets of twins bring the total to 20 sets from just 750 pupils - more than double the national average at nearly six per cent.
Head teacher Michael Johnson said: "It's amazing that we have so many twins here and triplets are even rarer. I've never come across triplets at any of the previous five schools I've worked at.
"It's an astonishing figure that's for sure, I've no idea what if anything has caused it - a bit of a strange phenomenon really."
Tom and Oliver Bradley, 12 from Winkleigh, are identical twins in Year 8 at the college.
Tom said: "People are always getting us confused, teachers especially. We get on really well and very rarely squabble."
Oliver added: "Sometimes, if I haven't done my homework, Tom gets told off about it which is hilarious although I've done a couple of detentions for him, so we're pretty much even."
For identical twins Jennifer and Rachel Manning, 16, from Witheridge, their favourite subject is PE.
Jennifer said: "People who don't really know us tend to think we're the same person but we have different personalities.
"Rachel is known as a bit of a naughty girl whereas I'm just an angel." Rachel said: "We both play rugby for Cullompton under 18s and work well on the field together.
"We get on well at home but sometimes we can spend too much time together, just don't mention boys."
Music appears to be the only similarity for non-identical twins Freddie and Tom Sasse, 14 from Burrington.
Freddie said: "I play the drums and Tom plays bass guitar. We're in a band together and seem to have a good chemistry when playing together on stage.
"Aside from that, we don't look or sound the same or even like the same subjects."
It's a similar story for Year 7 triplets Charlotte, Alex and Georgia Jones, 12, of Eggesfprd.
Charlotte said: "We're not identical and we definitely wouldn't want to be either. Although we're all very active people, we each specialise in different sports."
Georgia said: "I'm more of a girly girl whereas Charlotte could be described as a bit of a tomboy.
"We're in different classes but we all share the same group of friends which is cool. We're very close and are always talking at the same time and thinking alike."
Charlotte added: "We always know what each other is going on about and even what we're thinking sometimes.
"No one ever guesses we're related unless we tell them - strange really."

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Multiple births group launched in Otley

A TEDDY bear's picnic will launch a new support group in Otley for parents expecting a multiple birth.
Helen Page, of Fowlers Croft, knows from personal experience how much of a shock it can be for an expectant mother to discover she is going to have twins, triplets or quadruplets.
The 25-year-old was eight weeks pregnant when she found out she was expecting twins (due in August), and remembers having a massive list of questions to ask - but being unable to find a group to help.
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She said: "There are groups around, including one in Menston, but they are very difficult to get to from Otley when you have three young children, no car and need to be back in time to do the school or pre-school run.
"I'm lucky to have Internet access and to have looked after my friend's twins when they were small, but not everyone is this lucky"
Through TAMBA, the Twins and Multiple Births Association, and Twinsclub.co.uk, Helen made contact with other mums interested in starting a group focussed on supporting parents and carers of multiple birth families.
Otley Multiples will be launched at a Teddy bear's picnic at Wharfemeadows Park at 1pm on Wednesday, May 28.
Anyone interested in finding out more can contact her on 07939 535 260 or visit

telegraph.co.uk - Midwife gives birth to identical triplets

A midwife has beaten odds of a million to one to give birth to identical triplets.
Carmela Testa, 23, gave birth to Gabriella, Alessia and Olivia, who were all naturally conceived, seven week prematurely.
The proud parents with their identical triplets Olivia, Gabriella and Alessia
Identical triplets are so unusual that doctors are divided over how often they occur.
Some research has even suggested that the odds are as high as 200 million to one, but the UK’ s Twins and Multiple Births Association said one in a million was a more realistic figure.
The girls were kept on an incubator in Peterborough Maternity Unit where they built up their strength until they were taken home to the house Miss Testa shares with the proud father, her fiancé Richard Rees, 22.
As a midwife, Miss Testa was aware just how exceptional her pregnancy was. ”I found out at my 12-week scan I was having triplets,” Miss Testa said.

"I knew they would be identical because there was just one placenta, so they were from the same egg.
"I was very shocked. They weren’t planned. They were born on January 9, two days after my birthday so they were a lovely present.”
There was a family history of multiple births, but her were the first triplets.
"I’m quite small - only 5ft - so at the unit, they joked that out of all the midwives, it would have to be me that gave birth to triplets,” she said.
"Everyone was great there. My three close friends delivered each of the babies.”
Non-identical triplets are far more common than identical ones with around 160 born in Britain each year. Non-identical triplets occur when two or three different eggs are fertilized by different sperm.
Identical triplets are caused by one fertilized egg splitting into three genetically indistinguishable eggs.
Another method of producing non-identical triplets is when three separate sperm fertilise three different eggs.
Triplets of this type became increasingly common during IVF.
The 15-week old triplets were tiny when they were born in January weighing between 3lb 4 and 3lb 10.
Telling them apart is a challenge.
Mr Rees, a vocational coach, said: “Olivia has a strawberry birthmark on her neck, Gabriella is a little bit smaller and Alessia has a sharper cry.”

Newsquest Essex network - And triplets make 8!

A TRIO of babies was the last thing Michele Campbell and husband Robert were expecting to see when she went for her scan.
Michele and Robert Campbell, who are both 41, already had five children - the youngest being 12.
Michele said: "I had been feeling ill but to be told I was expecting triplets was a total surprise.
"I could see my husband looking at the scan and saw his facial expression but could not make it out."
She added: "We did not expect it at all. It was quite funny. She asked if I had had IVF. I said No, I have five children'.
"I suddenly thought, it's twins but she said, no it is triplets. Robert was laughing but I wasn't! It took me four days to get over the shock."
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Michele had to be hospitalised when she was 24 weeks pregnant and the babies were delivered by Caesarian section at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge at 30 weeks - ten weeks early.
Sophie weighed the most at 3lbs and 2ozs followed by Daniel, who weighed 2lbs and 151/2 ozs and little Arthur, who weighed 2lbs and 5ozs.
The babies were taken to the intensive care unit in Addenbrookes before being transferred to Colchester General Hospital's special care baby unit.
The babies were transferred at separate times as their health improved, but it meant them being in different hospitals at times.
The triplets were born on November 6 and Sophie was allowed home on Christmas Eve with Daniel going home before the new year.
Arthur, who was the smallest, was the third one home.
Michele, who is a nurse, said taking care of the triplets was hard work but she said she was getting help from her other children, Rachel, who is 19 and attends Reading University, Joseph, who is 18 and at Colchester Sixth Form College, Edward, who is 16 and is studying to be a chef at Colchester Institute, James, 14, and Anne, 12, who are students at St Benedict's College.
Michele, of North Station Road, Colchester, said: "Individually the triplets are all good. They are healthy apart from the usual things premature babies have."
She added: "All the children have been fantastic. They are absolutely marvellous.
"With Rachel being at university, it is like my right arm has gone but the boys have gone above and beyond - they are so good with them."

Daily Mail - Mother gives birth to one-in-500,000 quadruplets, including three identical boys

A mother has given birth to a rare set of quadruplets in which three of the four boys are identical, it was revealed today.
The boys were born 11 weeks premature in January having already survived odds of one in 500,000 to leave their mother's womb alive.
Their parents plan to introduce themselves and their babies at a news conference later today.

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 January 29, on their mother's 32nd birthday, at Baltimore Medical Centre in Towson, Maryland.
Joshua Drew was born first, then Gavin Michael, Cody Benjamin and finally Logan Christopher, the non-identical one.
The babies were treated at the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, and all four have been home in Belcamp, Maryland, about two-and-a-half weeks weeks.