“I was like, three? Really?” said Ke'Ashlee Taylor, the mother of Kaiden, Kaleb and Korey.

HRMC President Will Mahone said the night before the scheduled delivery held much excitement and very little sleep for Taylor.

“We had to be at the hospital at 5 a.m. and I didn't start to get nervous until we got there. In the delivery room I asked when they were going to start and then heard Kaiden crying,” she said.

The news Taylor was carrying triplets was discovered during an ultrasound on November 25, the day before last Thanksgiving. HRMC said in a statement.

“I can still remember the look on my ultrasonographer's face when she asked me to look at the scan,” said Dr. Kelly Holder of Rural Health Group. “The mother already had some significant life changes in terms of first being diagnosed with pregnancy and then finding out she was pregnant with triplets, but she has taken all those things in stride.”

Mahone said from that time on, Halifax Regional's Birthing Center and the surgical suite staff, pediatricians, respiratory therapy and laboratory staff from HRMC and Rural Health focused on preparing for the historic event.

A multi-disciplinary team was created early in her pregnancy for an emergency if Taylor was preterm and Halifax Regional was unable to transfer her. “The average age for triplets is 32 to 33 weeks,” Mahone said. “The goal was always for her to have the safest delivery possible, whether it was stabilizing her for transfer or delivering her at Halifax Regional. Ke'Ashlee wanted to deliver close to home in her community.”

Holder and the team met early on to make sure they had the resources they would need. “Respiratory and nursing staff conducted a walk-through to make certain everything was ready,” Mahone said. “The vice president of nursing, Karen Daniels, said the entire multi-disciplinary team was committed to ensuring the best outcome for Taylor and her sons.”

News Taylor was expecting triplets spread quickly.

“Everybody in the community felt it,” said Dr. Kristen Dorsey, director of pediatrics at Rural Health. “You heard it being talked about all over. People knew somebody who knew somebody who knew the mother and that she was carrying triplets.”

In the photo gallery:RN Tony Walker and Holder; Kaiden, Kaleb, Ke’Ashlee and Korey; Beth Harrison, BCCT; Stephanie Heath, RN; Ke’Ashlee, and RNs Nikki Harris and April Clay.

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There was stress for the medical staff because of the higher risk of triplets preterm birth and possible risks because of the mother's condition. “We knew we had everything together, but just the unknown added to the stress. Is she going to walk in at 2 in the morning in labor so we have to do everything in a hurry? We had a lot of people on call in case that did occur because being pregnant doesn't always happen like you want. Once the triplets were born and we saw they were doing well, there was a definite sigh of relief.”

Mahone said the births of triplets were remarkable on many levels. “Remarkable they were born without any type of fertility medication; that the mother was able to carry to nearly 36 weeks; that the boys were born healthy and needed minimal services and that the family was able to go home in just three days.”

Kaiden came into the world at 6-pounds, 8 ounces; Kaleb 5-pounds, 12 ounces and Korey 5-pounds, 9-ounces.

“I attribute the good outcome to, number one, God's blessings and, number two, that we have an exceptionally qualified and experienced nursing staff and respiratory therapists,” said Dr. Maqsood Valliani, chief of pediatrics at HRMC. “Everybody was on the same page so we were very well-planned for the delivery. Twin births are not uncommon in this community, but triplets are very unusual anywhere. Nationwide, triplet births occur at a rate of one in 8,000 births.”

For Taylor, the reality is setting in. “My biggest challenge will be when they start walking and I start chasing after them.”

For Holder, the support of the mother and the three boys has made a lasting impression. “I was impressed that the medical center and community really came together in ways she may not have been aware of. Even though there was a lot of excitement about the delivery, there was a lot of respect for the patient and her privacy given by the staff and the medical center. Ms. Taylor has helped other women in the future have more successful and safer deliveries.”