Couple welcome their 'one in a million' naturally conceived identical TRIPLET girls - and reveal they are having to use nail polish to tell them apart

  • Indiana couple Ashley and Matt Alexander welcome their identical triplets in Greenfield on Thursday night
  • Ashley was 36 weeks along 
  • They named the girls Sophia Mae, Alexis Kae and Ella Shae 
  • Odds of having identical triplets range up to one in 200 million 
  • Ashley plans to keep track of triplets by giving them different nail polish

By Joel Christie and Christopher Brennan For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

An Indiana couple who shocked doctors by naturally conceiving identical triplets welcomed their three daughters into the world on Thursday night.

The event was one-in-a-million, medical professionals said, and Ashley and Matt Alexander, of Greenfield, outside Indianapolis, said they knew how they lucky they are. 

Sophia Mae and Alexis Kae weighed in at more than 4 pounds, while Ella Shae weighs 5 pounds, according to 6 ABC, and were born at 36 weeks.

'It's just an awesome blessing for God to entrust us with three more little blessings all at once,' Ashley told the Indiana network.

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They're here!: Indiana nurse Ashley Alexander and her husband Matt welcomed their incredibly rare identical triplets on Thursday night, calling the girls Sophia Mae, Alexis Kae and Ella Shae

They're here!: Indiana nurse Ashley Alexander and her husband Matt welcomed their incredibly rare identical triplets on Thursday night, calling the girls Sophia Mae, Alexis Kae and Ella Shae

But now comes the part of being able to tell each of them apart.

While it will be easier as the girls grow up and develop their own characteristics and personalities, as babies it will be difficult.

But Mrs Alexander thinks she has the answer - nail polish.

She intends to keep track of the girls by painting each of their nails a different color - purple, pink or light blue.

The couple were looking at an ultrasound when the technician told them they were expecting triplets.  

Mr Alexander asked whether the hospital worker was joking when he asked the technician to check.'Sir, we do not joke about this,' the technician said before telling Mr and Mrs Alexander about the triplets, the Greenfield Reporter reported.

Ashley Alexander (left) and hubsand Matt of Greenfield, Indiana, were surprised weeks ago when they learned they were expecting three new additions to their family during a routine sonogram

Ashley Alexander (left) and hubsand Matt of Greenfield, Indiana, were surprised weeks ago when they learned they were expecting three new additions to their family during a routine sonogram

 

'Is this a joke?': Mr Alexander asked the technician to double check when she told the couple they were expecting triplets

'Is this a joke?': Mr Alexander asked the technician to double check when she told the couple they were expecting triplets

While triplets have become more common with the rise of methods such as in vitro fertilization, having an identical trio naturally, where one egg is fertilized and splits into three separate embyros, is rare.

One in a million is commonly reported as the odds of having natural identical triplets, though estimates range from one in 60,000 to one in 200million.

There were in 4,600 triplets out of nearly 4 million US births in 2012 according to date from the Centers for Disease Control. 

However there is no record of how many were identical or how many births involved fertility treatments.

The mother, who works as a part-time nurse, had hoped to wait until mid-February to give birth, with multiples often born early.

Ashley's rapidly growing belly lead her to believe that there would be more than one child, though she and husband Matt did not expect triplets. She is seen here at her baby shower

Ashley's rapidly growing belly lead her to believe that there would be more than one child, though she and husband Matt did not expect triplets. She is seen here at her baby shower

Friends and family held a baby shower in January for the happy parents, who said that the triplets are a blessing.

The couple will get help raising the girls from nearby relatives, and are buying in bulk for their bulging brood.

'Thank goodness for Sam's Club and Walmart,' Mrs Alexander, who estimates that the babies will go through 7,000 diapers in their first year, told RTV6. 

Mr Alexander works as a supervisor at a church-building company, and the couple hope to be able to continue working while splitting time caring for the Sophia, Alexis and Ella along with their two-year-old son, Stefan.

Though friends have warned them about the difficulties ahead, the couple said they don't view the children as an inconvenience, but as something that 'makes marriage a family'. 

The Alexanders expect their new children in the coming weeks and may try to keep track of their girls by giving them different nail polish colors

The Alexanders expect their new children in the coming weeks and may try to keep track of their girls by giving them different nail polish colors

DELICATE DUPLICATES: MULTIPLE BIRTHS EXPLAINED

  • Twins are the most common form of multiple birth, and the whether a pair are identical or fraternal is determined by the number of eggs involved.
  • When two separate eggs are fertilized during the same cycle, the children are fraternal twins while identical twins are produced when one egg splits into two embryos meaning that the two children would share genetic material.
  • Triplets are more of a rarity, and can be the result of a variety of combinations. Two eggs can produce the twins as one would be fertilized on its own while the other splits into two, meaning that the threesome comes from one pair of twins and one individual embryo.
  • The process of conceiving identical triplets comes from when one egg is used for all three, so the one egg splits into two embryos, and then one of those embryos splits again to produce the third child.
  • There is a one in 8,000 chance of conceiving triplets naturally, and the while chances of identical triplets get even more slim and range from 1-in-60,000 to 1-in-200,000,000.

After first finding out about the triplets in September, Mrs Alexander has been preparing to give birth for the past several months.

She first started having contractions at work in December and still experiences them frequently. 

A rapidly growing belly first made her suspect that there was more than one child even before she knew 

'Just last night, I felt a kick on my left and a hit on my right; then, I’ll have one push here, one push there, and I’ll have one pounce on my bladder,' she said. 

The babies will be born through caesarean section, as the risks of naturally birthing the triplets are too high. The sisters will likely stay in the neonatal intensive care unit for several weeks. 

However doctors have said that Sophia, Alexis and Ella appear to be developing healthily.  

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