Triple the love! Long Island couple welcomes two girls and a boy
EAST MEADOW, Nassau County (WABC) -- Triplets, two girls and a boy, were born to a couple on Long Island!
Nassau University Medical Center announced the rare triplet birth on Friday.
The babies, Joanna, Alison, and Steven, were born via cesarean section on Wednesday.
Each baby weighs in at approximately 4 lbs., "For triplets, that's a pretty healthy weight," said NUMC President and CEO Dr. Victor Politi.
Proud parents Maria Escobar, 32 and Jose Hernan Guevara Amaya, 33, of Hicksville conceived the babies naturally.
Dr. John Riggs, Chairman of Obstetrics for NUMC said that another factor making this a rare birth, is the fact that the babies were born at 36 weeks gestation. "That's about a month, or even two, longer than most triplet births," he said.
It wasn't easy on mom though, at 16 weeks pregnant she suffered from an "incompetent cervix." The weight of the babies and pressure on her cervix was just too much.
She underwent a cerclage, where stitches are placed to close her cervix and keep the babies in.
"Without this team effort, we wouldn't have such a successful outcome," Dr. Riggs said.
The number of triplets has been on the decline and are becoming rarer every year since the "triplet-boom" in the late 1990's, according to NUMC.
The parents, originally from El Salvador, say they have cribs and car seats, but that's about it so far.
"We're very thankful, we are going to do what we can to raise them," Guevara Amaya, the doting dad said.
All of the babies are doing well and thriving.
You can watch the full news conference below:
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