Can You Tell Them Apart? UK’s Only Identical Quadruplets | Four of a Kind

identical quadruplets are a miracle of nature out of 60 million people in the whole of the UK the college goers are the only ones this year they've reached a pivotal time in their young lives they go into school we follow them out into the big wide world and discovered just how identical the girls really are can you see where you are now and how different you want to open a box you don't want to open any boxes and a trip to America if their parents a glimpse of what the future holds the thought of them going off on their own in different directions made me feel very anxious this is an intimate portrait of an extraordinary family it tries to answer the big question what's it really like to be four [Music] so do you know what a cordis yeah what's the quad and one we'd like what bikes I might like them what's a quad and now you don't know know a new Accord yes so why are you of course it gets I'm for it so Triplett and mean to oldest a le Georgie Holly and Jessica live with their mom and dad in a small village in rural Bedford sure we moved into this house or I should tell my husband moved into this house and the week after the girls were born and it's six doors away from my mum and dad because we knew we're gonna need some help so as you can see we've got four coat Packers four coats and more for coat pegs over there and four coats and lots of shoes your target of four identical homes as own dad Jose an unusual nickname the quadfather as my friends like to call me some of my friends yeah you're the man you're the man you know whatever I'm just fate for a good year parent is always hard work but for mum and Julie even those basic tasks are four times made differently [Music] where does the identical thing people don't get the identical thing don't get a lot of very silly comments and very stupid comments when people not necessarily thinking about what they're saying are they one of each six how many times did you have to have sex to get those and you know things like they're in a quad buggy all dressed exactly the same pink coat what you got there boys well what do you say what do you say to that Julian Jose married in 2005 after a whirlwind romance Jose had a son from a previous relationship but both in their late 30s they were keen to start a family together after a year we discovered that we were sore having a few problems conceiving and so we went to have some tests where we when we discovered that probably more down to do with my age I wasn't ovulating every month so my cycles were a bit irregular and I wasn't producing eggs every month so you know pregnancy was going to be quite difficult you had discussions about using whatever methods when she fell pregnant naturally and that's where it all began [Music] then tour looked forward to the the next months if you like of planning and having a baby a baby being the operative word so we you know lay down on the bed and the snow puts the gel on your belly and then it gets the tour and he tells you to look in the screen I sort of looked at him and he went a bit gray whitish if you like and this is multiple pregnancy I sort of looked at Julie and smiled she fittest you just think twins and a million things went through my head a boy and a girl and he said now this is really really soon as he said there's actually four babies in here at which point Julie burst out crying my legs gave where I literally was on the floor at my knees [Music] Julie was only the 27th woman in the world to naturally conceive monochorionic quads these super rare babies are formed when one fertilized egg splits to create four genetically identical embryos or sharing the same placenta the odds of their conception are 1 in 64 million the family were referred to a specialist hospital in London today they've come back to meet dr. Kalyan O'Donoghue one of the medics who helped me through the pregnancy of course you get you get involved especially when you see a couple quite frequently and I think with them we were aware that it was a very unusual pregnancy we are aware of some of the complications that might that might happen we were aware that the couple were really positive and really wanted a good outcome and very hopeful of course therefore for them that nothing bad would happen Julie was also being cared for by a hugely experienced medical team they warned her that the rarity of her pregnancy held huge risks for both her and her only own children this professor has never seen monochorionic quads survive he said he's I think he said he had one in his lifetime and they didn't survive just a few weeks into her pregnancy the medical team who gave Julie the stark truth about her baby's chances the risks of them surviving and being normal are 20% and at this point makes feel quite emotional and we asked if we would like to reduce the official Terra marina is multi fetal pregnancy reduction and what it means is ending the life of one baby to allow the others to continue and have a better chance so they were offered selective termination of the pregnancy preferably reducing from four babies - two babies and then obviously explained to us that because they are all closely connected with one placenta whatever you do to one can affect the other three and we can't play God so we decide we're going to go for the pregnancy and stick through it I [Music] was healthy and I felt that I wanted to give it the best shot because that was the fairest thing for me to do and I didn't see any reason why we couldn't have four children despite the dangers Julie continued with her pregnancy after just seven months baby Jessica was struggling to survive in the womb the quads were delivered by emergency caesarean at 29 weeks each girl weighed less than three pounds [Music] [Music] this room is you know a bit ice it was wigs I couldn't be a mom even though I wasn't map because I couldn't cuddle them I couldn't breastfeed them could do anything I just had to sit really I'm watching way so it's quite weird coming back and seeing four cops in the room and thinking that they were that small once you know of the four sisters Jessica was the smallest at just one pound nine ounces for three days her life hung in the balance very emotional inside and but mostly happy time I don't really remember being at all the anxiety that we went through or prior to the birth I mean afterwards for them saying for the first few days it's played down a bit and it's just a happy they're looking forward to getting them home after eight weeks in hospital the girls arrived home and ever since Holly and Jessica and Georgie have spent every moment of their lives together [Music] the girls for the arts and survived and for the first five years of their lives everything they've had has been identical from the food they'd to the toys they plainly to the clothes they wear em sometimes the girls have heard people saying to me why are your children or dress the same and they have actually asked me I mean why are we all dressed hey so I've just said that's because it's the way you like it I don't know if it's right or wrong I don't know why it would be wrong to put it that way but I don't I don't know dressing them differently so I don't know just sort of doesn't sit comfortably with me at the moment do you and your sisters yeah do you all it the same what do you all look different your little sides exactly the same yeah can you tell the difference between you and your sisters having all come from the same egg the girls are genetically identical until the age of one mom and Julie could only tell her daughters apart by writing their initials on their feet the girls can still sometimes Wow can you see where you are no no no that's holy well done up till now the girls lives have always revolved around the healing of the family and each other they're our team they've become so much of a team now they tend to do is when I take them anywhere I feel like I'm David Beckham's minder or something like I'm I'm partially famous reading with them do you struggle with them do you struggle to tell the girls apart no not if they are facing me if they're facing me I find it very easy definitely face on yes yeah hello there oh nice Georgie actually it's not daily I'm just proving that I know I'm doing it this year the girls turn five and will be spreading their wings for the first time I worry a little bit that it'll be very difficult for outsiders to break in because the relationship they have with themselves is going to be better than almost anything anybody else can produce tomorrow is the first day of a new term at primary school and the girls bond will be put to the test my little babies aren't little babies anymore and they're going out into the big wide world and and having input from outside influences not just me and what that will be like it can and it's hard isn't it this year Britain's only identical coins five it's going to be a year of big changes and it all starts with school [Music] they said I'd woken them up to annex it was still dark outside she still said she didn't want to go they requested I put their initials on the collar of their shirt so that they didn't have to keep asking who was hurt I felt that that wasn't fair on their on this children which is fine I never imagined this point wasn't you know it's difficult to imagine having four babies in the first place but in their uniforms on it just seemed so grown-up they're not little girls anymore until their first day at school the girls have never spent a whole day away from their home and family [Music] well one of the first times when I saw them it was this some affair and they all skipped off together and their hair just bounced I thought do you know even their hair is bouncing are deaf so I thought goodness me I am never going to tell them apart I feel a little bit sad saying goodbye because it's a big step you know I'm handing care over to someone else suppose there's a bit of me that feels that I wish they would have been a little bit sad that leave but no this would be easier for me that they weren't unhappy about it and that they were quite confident quite happy to just go the girls are in a class of just 14 children which means they'll make up more than a quarter of the people living in a small village most of the children have known each other since birth but that doesn't stop the Karla's girls losing some confusion how do you know pain or do you think they all look different well they have the same lunchboxes they settled in really quickly sometimes you felt that they moved as a unit so that wasn't easy because sometimes you felt that was four against one [Music] [Applause] [Music] they were bit mean when another child wanted to come and sit down but they just were desperate to be together the girls are settling in at school but for dad Jose what couldn't be further away from domestic life in terms of my position I'm the technical manager here at Sandy and this is where it all begins he works the biggest paving learn factories in [Music] so sometimes it gets into the day and I've had a long day here and I know that when I go at home I've got you know good three four hours of work or entertainment whatever you want to call it and sometimes you I'll do sit here on out 10 minutes have a coffee and just prepare myself for chaos or cardrooms or whatever it might be below when I walk through the door Rosie hasn't just got four identical daughters to look after he has to make time for his teenage son as well having five women in the house all the time can get a bit much come down here to watch house out playing football once a week or once a fortnight depending and yes just nice nice to get out in the fresh air and see him do his boy thing don't feel left out talkers like my dad he plays with him a lot and he like I have fun with him and he takes me to football or not so I don't really feel left out when I'm here bringing up such a large family is a big burden for those parents the fact that I'm not working anymore it makes me wonder how I actually fitted it all in in the first place it's just always things to do like house work cleaning washing tidying organizing or cooking you know I have to make him a plate look the same otherwise if one of them looks different they'll wonder why or they want to don't want whatever the other ones go so I try to make every plate look exactly the same you may think that's strange this is life living with four identical girls you see when Julie returns to work she'll need to depend on losing more than ever to help with the kids and mom and dad's parenting styles trouble is with four excited girls even simple things like bedtime become difficult [Music] what's going on hey hyped up Russell is that once they're like that they're in they're in a zone that you can't no human can break into is that that foursome thing that they have is quite a fierce bond that they they seem to have that you just can't break and once they're in that doing that kind of thing this is no point in saying stop doing that because it's just not going to probably what's happening now is what I've started in the bath of course I've gone in there and got them going wearing them up for bedtime and it's not very good she across with employment month yeah the girls have been at school for a tonne and their individual personalities are becoming more obvious Georgie is very challenging she would challenge everything you say she will always be right and you will be wrong she's even said to me mummy you don't know best I do and Ellie is most laid-back Wow very very I don't know she just wants to be happy all the time you know most everybody else to be happy holy is little minx she likes being center of attention definitely who's your favorite boy at school your boyfriend yeah to give you kids because what do you mean he's been giving you kisses Holly my best friend is just good to lose your best friend Jess amazing jess has always been slightly different she's sort of beats to a different drum and always been a little bit more independent they weren't around quite happy in her own skin jessica has been invited by an amazing to go on a first date this is a very new thing this is the first time this has ever happened where one of them has gone to play with someone else on their own without the more together so this is quite new for us what do you think about just going to Macy's house the girls are growing up and changing and it's raising questions for mom and dad and know that personalities aren't the same why is that because they're identical surely their personality should be the same but they're not I'm pretty ignorant on these things I'm not a medical person but I'd love somebody to come and tell me how it all works and why [Music] dr. bonhomie Oliver and dr. Allison pipe a psychologist specializing in child development they both have a particular interests in multiple siblings twins these days dime-a-dozen quadruplets Wow you know this this is fascinating Julie and Jose have bought the girls to London's Institute of Psychiatry to get answers to some big questions about their unique children what's unique about the girls is the fact that there are four of them there are four of them growing up in the same environment of the same age with you know very similar needs and wants and wishes and so on at the same time it gets a really nice natural experiment to try and explore and tease out and what's nature and what's not sure what the results show will be a surprise for both the doctors and mum and dad at the Institute of Psychiatry the UK's only identical quads are undergoing a series of tests what I'm interested in is seeing whether particular assessments might uncover some nuanced differences between the girls and their genetically identical they have shared the same rearing environment same parents same school and so I am a little bit worried that our assessments may only show similarity among the girls hi George you can through play my game yeah the first time actually is the pain but now tell me Georgie can you sit at our sets designed to show how the children might differ in their risk-taking so it's a kind of gap almost like a gambling task there are nine treasure chests that have got stickers in and you can open as many treasure chests as you like but in one of the treasure chests there's a pirate and he's going to take your stickers away if you open the box with him would you like to open a box and see if you can find a sticker as the experts predicted georgie Blanchester will behave in a similar way that seemed happy to take a few calculated risks however that Elly's reaction is a surprise which one's got the pilot i'm not going to tell you that's the game do you want to open a box you don't want to open any boxes that's fine then you can have your lovely stick what really stood out about Elly and the risk-taking to us is she's the only one who didn't want to open any of the boxes but even Elly wasn't anxious about it she was sure that she wasn't going to open them but the risk-taking task did show big differences in their impulsiveness next up Alison takes each go through the puppet test I don't tell my sisters what to do I do tell my sisters what to do how about you so what this puppet interview is designed to do is to get children's own perspectives on family life on their relationship with mum and dad with president brothers or sisters when I'm at home I like to play with my sisters when I'm at home I like to play alone how about you they were actually very similar in a lot of ways so they all were talking about their relationship with mum and with dad and with each other in extremely positive terms Jess's interview with the puppets definitely stood out something else I don't cry a lot I cry a lot how about you Jess then she was more bold in you know stroking Iggy and Ziggy she was less willing to follow the exact protocol of the interview so she stood out from me as being a bit more of an individual does your mum's Ben more time with your sisters or more time with you nay that sounds like my mom she was the one girl who did report parental favoritism so all the other girls said you know no mum and dad treat us exactly the same but according to Jess she was the favorite and it was a behavioral tests but mark Jessica had another one shall we near a star this game is testing and what we call phonological awareness is testing skills that are linked to reading can you find two that start with the same sound for some of them the sort of concept of taking the first letter off the word was quite difficult if you take that girl off gate what do you get left with Thanks if I take the birth off bar what's left house it's quite a tough test for this age Jess she sort of flew through everything she did really well on all of it she really got a hold of the task if you take this off scarf what you get left with ah well Jessica has already shown signers of independence being the first to go on play dates without her sisters and it's her results that have proved the most revealing first when she was born we probably did treat her with a little bit more delicacy maybe fall into a better word she was actually going to die which is why the birth was planned for the next day the other thing also that I've just remembered was she I would leave her alone more because she wasn't doing the trying to walk or track we know so she should be quite happy left on her own and I always remember thinking this is going to affect the way she becomes as a person and you know we are all a product of our experience those tiny differences you were talking about in terms of the way you hold them or the way you speak to them as small as they are it's those tiny differences in their environmental experience that could make a big difference to who they are [Music] biologically physically personality-wise they certainly are not identical and so our expectation is that as the girls grow older that they will become more and more distinct over time more and more individual the tests of given mum and dad a better idea of the vital part experience plays in their kids development treating them in different ways because of maybe you know like jess was small so you teach there with more care that has had a knock-on effect with the way she is is piecing all that together and understanding that it's okay this is this is why and like their very first swimming lesson every event their lives will be important Julie understands that her daughters are growing and changing but as Britain's only mom of identical quotes there's been no one for her to turn to for parenting advice when I first found out I was having quadruplets I did try and contact a couple of other families but you know they never called me back so I sort of gave up after that cuz I was too busy being back home and looking after them in search of health she's been forced to look further afield and has recently made contact with an American family who've also got four identical girls they've invited her to come and visit Oh Julie mine my family is very excited to meet you the girls names are Kelly Kendra Megan and Sarah age 18 very recently teenagers well can't imagine what mine are gonna be like when they're teenagers mommy's going to go tomorrow she's gonna go on the aeroplane and go to their home and meet them maybe some people would say well you shouldn't look into the future but it'll be nice to have an idea of what lies ahead love you oh okay don't forget the light in the kitchen [Music] are you feeling a little bit emotional but excited as well [Music] if there's somebody on my life or is it maybe you should use your rearview me I can't I can't see if you use my coming face to face with Kendra your room yours right in front of your face this leads me right out of town I've got oldest to camp Cali Kendra Megan and save often Bakken in the state of Minnesota where they live I want to know what life's gonna be like over the next 15 years oh yeah right now you think it's competitive over what church there were and you just wait there'll be more close fights than you can ever know it depends it's daily Hey ladies probably the most important tip you need is to have label labels because otherwise they will fight and fight and no one will knows know whose stuff is what so always label it being teenage girls one of their favorite ways to spend a Saturday is at the local mall [Music] I like this shirt like I like this one this is one I just have Fannie Mae with Tara you can wear I was wear a cami I'm great you should wear a belt with it we're about black would you if you say you will bought what you've got would you all swap and we're each other's more than like they were Sarah's not theirs if Callie bought any things you wouldn't share with us I wouldn't wear it and you might have really cute stuff really I would definitely not wear that I would wear it what I'd wear that I would know I don't know if I would read but I don't together I would wear these either the red or the green I were in the bowls in the house ready like Julie's girls the durst quads are approaching a pivotal point in their lives they're leaving high school and going to different colleges it'll be the first time the girls have ever been separated I I think College very good for us to establish her own individuality we read more about being apart from each other that's gonna be a lesson behind what you think is going to do to your personalities in terms of the differences another figure of weird yeah they will figure out who you are without your sisters I think I think we're on different just because we're so used to thinking people think we're so similar where people are like yeah it's one of the quads you know if one of them does this I bet you they're the one does that too we definitely think differently on a lot of stuff and we act differently and so used to people just only looking at the similarities in us College is a perfect place to start and branch off on your own as much as we are together in as much as we do stuff now the Taylors are gonna change going off to school and and stuff but we'll always have something that can't be broken will always share stuff that will never change even if we're not as a part of each other's lives as we use we as we have been for the past 18 years whilst Julie is getting to grips with her future the cat that I rescued to work it's not the first time wrong I think she does trust me I think she just likes to have things carry on in her routine while she's not here anymore triangles and most housing deals with domestic Julie's getting an insight into the Durst family why do you talk to me like this - oh I didn't know that's why you asked me do you want to see Kendra's ethnographies yeah I asked you guys back let me finish oh my god I hope my not as loud as they are but they're gonna be you know that the girl said they talk but it gets loud cause it's four of them and they were talking over each other and then they're all answering back and oh my god it's crazy I'm gonna need lots of um Prozac this week it's Julie's last day in America with the identical durst girls and she's thought of a way to bring all the courts together Holly how's Nathan you still got your hair Esme yeah just about Caddy's got a headband on well cause she likes to be different would you not to be different because because it's more fun and she has three sisters that look like her and she wants to be different I think we look the same either you're not the same we can all stay in touch each other [Applause] before she leaves Julie wants to get some final words of wisdom from someone who's been there before we see our girls and you know that they're together all the time yeah even still you and I don't even really fully know what it's like to go somewhere and have people not really know who you are sometimes family yeah we experience it through them but you know you did you trust yours the same when they were younger I did and really enjoy those days right now because once they get to a certain age they do not want to dress the same yo casa leaving high school going off to college is in different places how does that make you feel you know a little sad and you know even with all the chaos and the noise and the the fighting and the disagreements and all that it's still it's going to be a big adjustment for me I'm sure but you know it's just the next step in life and on the other hand your children need to move on I mean it's just part of life would come have you got one piece of advice for me that you think would be really useful that I could take back to England yes I think I think as they grow up it's important that you know because you're always gonna be spending time with all them but make sure you find your individual time with them all and like help them to like figure out their differences and not focus on their similarities let them be who they want to be you know and not push each other's personalities on each other it's kind of like coming to the realization as a parent and as their own sibling has to worry we gotta you gotta let go of the reins a little baby like you know let him kind of run free you know certainly one thing I've got from this weekend is that before the thought of them going off on their own in different directions maybe I feel very anxious and worried and emotional having met the girls I should maybe try to encourage individuality sooner rather than later so that they have a sense of independence and freedom from each other I'm looking forward to getting on the plane and seeing my children [Music] [Music] [Music] this has been an important year for the courts with some big milestones along the way as they've spread their wings and stepped out into the big wide world the girls have grown and changed the personalities are really beginning to develop and and they are very different they behave differently they play differently and so they're getting more independent walbro now today is the biggest milestone so far the girls fifth birthday [Music] preparations underway blown up balloons cakes food banners the last year's experiences have had a big impact on mum and dad they've decided today's the day to let the girls express their individuality by choosing what they wear beautiful way to show some expertise with the party that my own Beatrice nice purple why are you wearing different dresses because we like to be different are you always gonna dress differently from now on yeah it's right here I think it means their individual personalities coming out different totally different we continue now [Music] I've always thought that they would it were better if they all stuck together all the time of course you know now they're developing and they're becoming individuals I see that that's not practical and not right at all we've always done things as a as a collective as a as a group and you know like dressing in the same it's been easier but as we've sort of gone through this process we've started to pull them apart a little bit more and it's been nice I think as they grow and they develop and their differences become more different I think how lives will probably be busier may be more complicated the oh the homework how we're gonna do four different sets a homework there's the you know the wanting to look different the peer pressure from other friends the different friends they might have boys oh my god boy boys things like hair styles hair straighteners shoes if they're anything like me oh my god how many pairs of shoes a week and a half I have to have a whole room again to sweat [Laughter] [Music]

Channel: Origin

Views: 4,165,779

Rating: 4.9190035 out of 5

Keywords: bbc documentary, origin story, parenting, wellbeing, mindfulness, support network, shelter, nct, first second third trimester, mums meet up, charity for parents, family lives, kensington mums, mind, mums group, mummy social, raising a child, snowplow parenting, inuit parenting, co parenting, weird parenting wins, respectful parenting, quaruplets, raising twins, triplets, four of a kind, identical twins, identical quads, monochorionic quads, twins, child development

Id: DgxGa7-hVsY

Length: 46min 8sec (2768 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 25 2019