(GoFundMe)
An Alabama family grew from four to seven with the addition of rare identical triplets, but the delivery nearly lost one key member of the family: their mother.
Amber Ertley, gave birth on February 20 to the identical triplet girls— who shared the same amniotic sac and placenta, AL.com reported. The odd of identical triplets is one in 20 million births.
Ertley, already a mother of two girls, delivered the first two babies via caesaren section, but after the third was delivered, the Oneonta, Alabama, woman struggled. According to her husband, Levi Nelson, it looked as though she was having a seizure.
Ertley’s heart stopped twice and coded twice.
"It was the scariest moment of my life," Nelson told AL.com. "I was afraid I was going to be be-bopping home with three new babies and no momma."
Six hours after the ordeal, Ertley was sedated and hooked up to a breathing tube, but her husband was able to see her.
The girls, Norah, Rylan and Remi, weighed more than four pounds at birth and didn’t need any oxygen or IV fluids, AL.com reported. However, their mother suffered heavy blood loss and didn’t return home until March 7. Ertley still has a wound vac to help her heal.
A GoFundMe page has bene started for the newly expanded family to help cover medical expenses and baby supplies.
The family hopes to eventually build a larger house, but for now they’re happy to be out of the hospital.
"We are forever grateful to be a happy family together," Ertley told AL.com. "We say every night, 'We don't have much, but man are we blessed with kids and the outpouring of love and support from friends and even strangers.'"
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