Levi and Amber, a couple from Alabama received triple the blessings when they learned that they would be having triplets. Little did they know that their triplets would be identical when the chances of that happening were only 1 in 20 million.Amber Ertley and Levi Nelson already had their hands full as they raised their two daughters, Lillian and Josey, in the small town of Oneonta. When Amber learned that she was pregnant again, she got the shock of her life while at a routine ultrasound. As the doctor performed the procedure, Amber was informed that she was having triplets. The chances of giving birth to triplets are extremely rare in and of itself, especially because Amber wasn’t taking any fertility drugs. Nevertheless, Amber and Levi were excited to welcome the three sweet babies into their home. Levi later told reporters that before Amber went to the hospital to deliver the babies, she went about her daily routine doing small tasks around the house, such as washing clothes, and was even able to carry the 2-year-old Josey, according to Advance Local.
Amber was admitted to the hospital 34 weeks into her pregnancy when she began showing signs of preeclampsia, according to Advance Local. Five days after being admitted to the hospital, Amber gave birth to the triplets through cesarean section. Levi recalled to reporters how he comforted Amber during the delivery. The young dad remembers how each baby was born crying, but how after the third little girl came out, Amber began struggling.
When doctors yelled “Code Blue,” Levi feared the worst. Eventually, the medical team was able to stabilize Amber with the help of a blood transfusion. Scarily, the young mom was considered dead twice before the team could successfully revive her, according to the Nelson Family’s GoFundMe.
Once Amber was stabilized, Levi noticed something very special about his little girls. Each girl was perfectly healthy, weighing around 4 pounds each. The children were unique, however, in that they were all identical. Having identical triplets is incredibly rare. One study estimated that the chances of having identical triplets are as low as 1 in 20 million, according to Fox 35 Orlando. Amber and Levi named their children Norah, Rylan, and Remi.
While the triplets were in great shape and could go home a few days after their birth, Amber needed to remain hospitalized for several weeks. A few days after being discharged, the proud mom had to be hospitalized again when she started bleeding. Unable to take care of the children on her own, Amber relied on Levi to do much of the work with the triplets.
As Amber recovered and Levi took care of the children, the family’s finances began to suffer. In addition to Amber’s medical bills, supplies for the triplets were also expensive. Levi estimates that their household goes through about 21 diapers a day. To help Amber and Levi pay their expenses, friends of the couple setup a GoFundMe page. To date, the family has received over $16,000 in donations. In the end, Amber and Levi’s story shows the power of family and friendship. When Amber faced complications after delivering her three identical little girls, the community stepped up and helped the family, proving for once and for all that you can count on the kindness of others.