‘One In A Million’ Triplets Born In Indiana, Ashley Alexander Naturally Conceived Rare Identical Babies

A set of “one in a million” triplets born in Indiana had their mother, Ashley Alexander, feeling shocked at being blessed with such a rare occurrence. But what is it exactly that makes doctors describe them as one in a million triplets?

In a related report by the Inquisitr, a rare set of identical triplets were born in Montana. When a baby girl was born already pregnant, many had theories to how this medical miracle was even possible.

Ashley and Matt Alexander of Greenfield, Indiana, found themselves surprised when a routine baby sonogram suddenly told them their family was soon going to be much larger than expected. They did not use fertility treatments and conceived naturally, so at first they thought the results from the ultrasound technician were a joke.

“She was checking [Ashley] and right away there were twins, and she goes, ‘Let me check for a third,'” Mr. Alexander said. “I’m like, she’s just joking. I said, ‘You’re joking,’ and she said, ‘No, we don’t joke about this stuff.’ So [Ashley] about came off the table.”

Dr. William Gilbert, the director of women’s services for Sutter Health in Sacramento, explains why the identical triplets are being described as one in a million triplets.

“It’s hard to calculate a conservative estimate,” Dr. Gilbert said when asked by ABC News about the rate of naturally conceived identical triplets. “One in 70,000 – that would be on the low end. The high end is one in a million.”

Having identical triplets naturally is very rare, and when couples desire to have a larger family, they usually have to use in vitro fertilization.

Although having these one-in-a-million triplets was unexpected, the Alexander family feels blessed to have them. Telling identical babies apart can be difficult, so they already have a plan for identifying the identical triplets.

“It’s just an awesome blessing for God to entrust us with three more little blessings all at once,” Ashley said. “I’m painting their nails. One’s going to be pink, one purple, and the other probably pale blue.”

The one-in-a-million triplets were born on Thursday, March 26, 2015 after 36 weeks in the womb. According to the Daily Mail, doctors recommended a Cesarean section due to the difficulties of natural birth with so many babies. The babies’ names have already been announced to the world, with babies Sophia Mae and Alexis Kae weighing in at more than four pounds while Ella Shae weighs five pounds.