PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Allison and Wes Rhoa, of Montgomery County, Pa., have no incidents of multiple births in their family history, and the odds of having identical triplets are one in one million. So the new parents were understandably stunned when doctors told them they would have three identical daughters.
"We were shocked," Rhoa told the Philadelphia Daily News. "Neither of us have multiples in our families, so this came out of nowhere."
Allison gave birth to Ava Grace, Avery Hope and Alyssa Faith earlier this month at Abington Hospital in Abington, Pa. She was only 33 weeks into her pregnancy, though all three babies were immediately able to breathe on their own.
They're still in the hospital, but Allison and Wes hope to bring them home in the next couple of weeks.
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"Of course I feel very happy, but at the same time I am scared," Allison said of her daughters. "I have never even had one kid before."
She said she's already experiencing the challenges that come with caring for newborn triplets.
"It’s (taking care of them) basically non-stop. You know, by the time I am done feeding the third baby, 15 minutes later it’s times to feed the first one."
Ava, Avery and Alyssa are spontaneous triplets, meaning they were conceived without the help of fertility treatments.
“They actually all come from one zygote, one fertilized egg. And they’ve split from that original egg,” an Abington Hospital neurologist told CBS Philadelphia.
Once the triplets leave the hospital, they're expected to lead normal, healthy lives.
[Philadelphia Daily News, ABC News, CBS Philly]
