During his first marriage, Chad Ross had two children - a boy and a girl - and thought his family was complete. He had a vasectomy. His new wife, Amanda, had no children and loved Chad’s kids as if they were her own. Still, she really wanted to have a baby of her own someday.

When Chad had his vasectomy reversed, the Franklin, Indiana, couple knew their chance of conceiving a child was only about 66 percent but it was worth a try. If it didn’t work out, there were other options to consider later.

Newborns in nurseryAccording to Chad, 31, “we were thinking we’ll try for one and grow our family just a little bit. ” Grow it did but not by just a little bit. It almost doubled in size.

Twenty-seven-year-old Amanda describes learning she was pregnant as “one of the happiest days of my life” but that was only the beginning of the Doss family odyssey. Amanda soon found out she was having triplets. Then she learned they were all girls. And then, “the icing on the cake,” according to Amanda, was learning her three daughters were identical. Identical triplets. “It’s almost unreal,” Amanda says.

It’s so unreal that Dr. Charles Coddington says there are no studies that establish how often naturally occurring identical triplets are born. Coddington is a reproductive endocrinologist serving as President of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. His nearest estimate is only about once for every one million naturally occurring triplets born.

The Doss triplets were born on December 30, 2013, during the 31st week of pregnancy, but they were named earlier. Their ABC-inspired names designate their positions in the womb but they weren’t born in that order.

  • First was Avery, who weighed 3 pounds, 15 ounces.
  • Cassidy came second, weighing in at 3 pounds, 11 ounces.
  • Then came Bentley, weighing 4 pounds, 3 ounces.

The Doss babies are expected to remain in the hospital until the end of February to give them time to grow a bit more before going home. Meanwhile, the girls are said to be breathing well on their own and coming along just fine.

The triplets’ big brother (Caleb, 12) and big sister (Kaitlyn, 9) by Chad’s previous marriage enjoy visiting their new little sisters in the hospital and are excited about bringing them home. Chad says Kaitlyn is especially excited; “she really wanted some sisters.”

One factor in the couple’s favor when trying to conceive (TTC) was that Chad’s vasectomy was reversed within five years of getting it.

Source: Flam, Lisa. “‘Beyond miracles’: After vasectomy reversal, identical triplets!” TODAY Moms. TODAY. com / NBC News. Jan 8, 2014. Web. Jan 31, 2014.