The Kinsey triplets are truly one in a million.
Cade, Ian and Milo, sons of Jody and Jase Kinsey of Miles City, born Dec. 5 at Billings Clinic, are identical triplets conceived naturally without the use of fertility drugs.
Identical triplets conceived with fertility drugs are more common, said Dr. Dana Damron, Billings Clinic maternal fetal medicine physician. So are spontaneous triplets that are fraternal.
“To have a patient with spontaneous identical triplets is incredibly rare,” about one in a million and the first he’d seen in his practice, Damron said.
On Saturday afternoon, the trio of infant boys lay side by side in a crib at the clinic’s birthing center. They napped and occasionally stretched, oblivious to their star status.
The infants wore identical blue-striped sleepers. Blue name tags were taped to the crib above their heads.
Jody, 30, and Jase, 29, sat on a nearby hospital bed, recalling their journey toward becoming the parents of triplets. The couple has one older son, Jax, who is 6.
The two met while students at Custer County High School. They’ve been married nine years.
Jase works for Miles City in the water and sewer department. Jody is a bookkeeper at Murdoch’s Ranch and Home Supply.
Jody found out she was pregnant last May. Since Jase’s father was a twin, the idea of a multiple birth wasn’t out of the question.
But an initial ultrasound at a pregnancy outreach clinic presented an even bigger surprise.
“The technician said ‘there’s a lot going on in here,’ ” she recalled. “She said ‘you need to get a second opinion, but to me it looks like triplets.’ ”
Jody’s initial reaction was shock. Then she called Jase and told him he had better sit down.
“Why, are we having twins?” he asked her. “She said, ‘no. We’re having triplets.’ ”
Jody’s Miles City obstetrician forwarded information about the identical triplets, including a second ultrasound, to Damron who told Jody he wanted to see her the next day.
“With them being identical, they all shared the same placenta so there could be possible complications,” Jody said. “And he wanted to make sure everything was OK.”
After the initial appointment, she saw Damron every four weeks. The physician’s main concern was making sure each triplet was growing equally and symmetrically.
“Having to deliver early is another one of our greatest fears and worries,” he said. “So that’s why we watch the patients closely.
In September, Jody stopped working at Damron’s behest, to reduce the stress on her body. In November, he admitted her to the clinic when early signs of labor began to appear.
On the morning of Dec. 5, Damron visited Jody, surprised to see her smiling and sitting up in bed. She told him she had experienced what she thought were mild contractions throughout the night.
“She was one of the most amazing patients I’ve ever had, so even-keeled, so nice, and she must be tougher than anything,” Damron said.
It turned out that Jody’s cervix had already dilated 8 centimeters. Damron and a large team of physicians and nurses soon went into action.
They delivered the three infants by C-section, and each one came out bawling.
“When you have three different babies crying at once, it makes a very unique melody,” Damron said.
The triplets, whose due date was Jan. 25, were delivered just before the 32nd week of Jody’s pregnancy. The average gestational age for triplets is 32 to 33 weeks, Damron said.
The three were born “in excellent condition,” he said. Cade (born first) weighed in at 3 pounds, 13 ounces; Ian (born second) weighed 3 pounds, 11 ounces; and Milo (born last) was 4 pounds, 1 ounce.
When babies are born premature, Damron said, the biggest concerns are how well they can breathe and eat.
“Breathing was never a problem,” he said of the triplets. “Eating was a little bit more of a challenge for a couple of them.”
Jase didn’t make it in time for the births, but Damron made sure a nurse snapped photos with Jody’s camera so he could see the delivery.
Jody and her mother are staying at the Ronald McDonald House with Cade, who has been released from the hospital. Milo and Ian, who have come a long way, will remain at Billings Clinic for a little longer, until they are proficient at eating.
But all three are doing well, which Jody says means more than anything. She admits she’ll sometimes have to look twice to figure out which baby she’s holding.
“I’m sure it’s going to be tough, especially when they get old enough to understand that people can’t tell them apart,” Jody said, laughing.
Jase said that managing three babies at once will be a bit of a challenge.
“It’s going to be interesting,” he said. “I think it will be a blast, though. I can’t wait.”
Damron is pleased that the pregnancy went off without a hitch.
“When you see a patient with triplets, you take a deep breath and realize all sorts of complications that can occur,” he said. “But when it turns out well in the end, it’s one of the most amazing experiences.”
He also gave Jody a piece of advice, telling her she ought to buy a lottery ticket.
“I said, ‘wait till the odds are 1 in 300 million and then you should go out and buy a ticket because you’ll win,’ ” he said.