KANSAS CITY, Mo. –- For two parents, welcoming three bundles of joy into the world last week was a one-in-a-million feeling. Statistically speaking, that’s not too far off.
Identical triplets were born at Truman Medical Center Thursday to Nicole and Caleb Choge. Baby boys Ron, Elkanah, and Abishai were born just minutes apart and six weeks premature.
By Sunday, the brothers were doing well under observation in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
According to doctors, it’s not uncommon for multiple births to come prematurely.
What is uncommon is identical triplets. According to a study in the Journal of Biosocial Science, identical triplets occur only about 20 to 30 times per 1 million births.
While the boys’ mother rested, new father Caleb Choge spoke with reporters Sunday.
The couple, who have a 2-year-old son, was expecting another baby but were surprised when they saw the sonogram.
“My wife and I and our son prayed for another child,” he said. “And then, I like to say, God answered everybody’s prayer: one, two and three.”
Until recently, the couple lived in Kenya, Caleb Choge’s home country. They moved back to the Kansas City area to be closer to Nicole Choge’s family.
