Identical triplets born in New York

Forgive Kerry and Desmond Lyons if they sometimes mix up their sons’ names. After all, they’re brand-new and look alike.

The rare set of identical triplets, conceived without fertility treatments, left a Manhattan hospital Tuesday for their suburban home.

Kevin, Declan and Cormac Lyons rolled out of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in style, asleep in a stroller that looked something like a stretch limo.

“We never thought we’d be leaving with three healthy, beautiful, amazing baby boys,” Kerry Lyons said as she beamed and wiped away a tear. “We are just so, so grateful, and so moved and so happy.”

Twins, triplets and quadruplets have become much more common in the last few decades because of fertility treatments, but identical triplets are still rare. Some scientists estimate they occur in as few as 1 in 100 million births. Others put the number higher, at 1 in 500,000 or even 1 in 64,000.

On nearby Long Island, another set of identical triplet boys was born in February. Their parents used in vitro fertilization.

Whatever the odds, the Lyonses said they were thrilled with the outcome, even if they can’t tell the boys apart yet.

“My suggestion was to put tattoos on them,” joked their father. For now, they’ll wear ID bracelets.

The triplets were born Friday by caesarean section. Their father is a lawyer. Their mother works for an Internet advertising firm.

The couple have two other children, ages 2 and 4.

Kerry Lyons said she gained 50 pounds during her 36-week pregnancy. A lot of that was baby; combined, the boys weighed a little more than 16 1/2 pounds at birth.

At home in Irvington, N.Y., the babies will share a crib for the time being to keep cozy.

As for the prospect of managing five children during an economic downturn, their mother said she wasn’t worried.

“I think this is God’s way of turning me into an easygoing type,” she said.