Special delivery: Family's natural triplets birth is one in a million

It is quite a celebration at the Whiteley house marking the one-month birthday of natural triplets Timothy, Nicholas and Alexander.

The chances of having natural identical triplets is one in a million - which Mike and Lauren Whiteley accomplished.

Even more surprising, is that triplets do not run in either families of the Mike and Lauren, who are Macomb County teachers.

"I found out at my ultrasound this summer," Lauren said. "It was pure shock, fear."

The couple already has two young boys and planned for a third child, thinking they would take a chance at adding a girl.

"We thought we'd play the odds, 50-50," Mike said. "And the odds were in favor of a boy - three of them this time."

FOX 2: "Is there any anxiety bringing home three babies in addition to your other two toddlers?"

"We were nervous bringing them home," Lauren said. "But we've had a lot of help and it's been good. We're just trying to make sure we know how blessed we are."

FOX 2: "Is there a plan, are there shifts or how does this work?"

"Right now we have family coming over," Mike said. "They sleep two to three hours, they're up for one hour. We're just adjusting to that and drinking lots of coffee."

The triplets were born at 34 weeks and spent about a month at Henry Ford Hospital in the neonatal intensive care unit.

In order to make triplets, a fertilized egg splits and one of the pieces splits again. 

Dr. Savitri Kumar of Henry Ford Hospital said the babies had an uncomplicated course.

"The only problem was with the breathing," she said. "They were breathing irregularly and they needed medication to regularize the breathing."

The Whiteleys now have five children under the age of 4 years old - thanks to one special delivery.