NEW YORK — First-time mom Luz Cruz is celebrating a major blessing — times three.
Cruz delivered triplet girls at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center on Nov. 9. The Cruz babies are spontaneous triplets, meaning they were conceived naturally, without the help of fertility treatments.
“I didn’t expect to have three babies, to be honest," said Cruz, a Jamaica resident. "I wanted to have just one, but I have three."
What You Need To Know
- Jamaica Hospital set a record when doctors delivered two sets of triplet girls in November
- Both sets are spontaneous triplets, meaning they were conceived without fertility treatments
- According to the CDC, the chance of triplets being conceived naturally occurs in one in every 10,000 pregnancies
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the chance of triplets being conceived naturally occurs in one in every 10,000 pregnancies. While Cruz’ pregnancy was rare, she was in good company.
Just two days after the Cruz triplets were born, Coney Island resident Yasmine Hoyos also gave birth to a set of a spontaneous triplet girls. The moms have since formed a tight bond.
“It was something very beautiful,” Hoyos said through an interpreter. “From there, it was a very beautiful friendship that grew between us."
“We are still in contact with the babies, and talking about the babies and how it's doing,” Cruz added.
Both pregnancies were considered high risk due to the multiple births.
"We made sure that they felt empowered and that their voices were heard, and they felt very supported by the team at Jamaica Hospital,” said Dr. Ugochi Akoma, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and director of Perinatal Diagnostic Centers and Obstetric Ultrasound at Jamaica Hospital.
The women also formed special relationships with the doctors and nurses. One of the Hoyos babies is even named Akoma, after Dr. Akoma, who delivered her.
"I always get so emotional," Akoma said. "I was totally shocked when that happened, and honored."
Because both sets of triplets were born early — in the 32nd week of pregnancy — they spent about a month in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
"It was a smooth sail. They were lucky, and so are we,” said Dr. Ajey Jain, the chairperson of Pediatrics at Jamaica Hospital.
After graduating from the NICU in December, the triplets made it home for the holidays, ringing in 2022 with a clean bill of health — and a set of future friends.