BROWNSTOWN

With a wife and two daughters already at home, Ben Cramer felt outnumbered.

Now, he feels even more so.

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On Oct. 21, via Caesarean section, his wife, Genelle Cramer, gave birth to triplets. Miriam Joy entered the world at 4:45 p.m. at 4 pounds, 7 ounces, while Adalynn Leigh arrived at 4:46 p.m. and Jacklyn Marie was next at 4:47 p.m., both weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces.

After spending some time at St. Vincent Women’s Hospital in Indianapolis, the babies are now all together at the Cramer home in Brownstown.

When asked about all of the women in the house now, Ben said he is taking it one day at a time.

“I had three sisters growing up, so I was pretty used to the whole women in the house thing,” said Ben, 34, who also had a brother in the home until he was 15. “I’m used to it now. There’s a reason God gave me five girls. I’m not 100 percent sure what it is. He probably trusts me. He has more faith in me than I do.”

Multiples is nothing new to the Cramer family. Ben has a twin sister, and one of his other sisters has twins.

The Cramers already had daughters Genna, 5, and Laney, 2, at home and planned to have one more child. They were hoping for a boy.

“We were planning on a third one, and that was going to be it. We just didn’t know the third one was going to be three,” Genelle, 28, said.

“I told her, I said, ‘The next time you pray for a third child, take the gum out of your mouth so God doesn’t think you say three children,’” Ben said, smiling.

Genelle found out she was pregnant in March, and she went to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour on April 18 for her first ultrasound.

“As soon as (the nurse) put the wand (on Genelle’s stomach), I saw two, and I’m thinking, ‘OK, we’ve got this. We’ve parented two kids. We can handle this,’” Ben said. “And then she moved it, and I went, ‘Is that a third one?’ and she goes, ‘I think so.’ She was scared to say, ‘Yes,’ and I thought, ‘Well great, we’re having triplets.’”

Genelle said Ben’s reaction made her laugh.

“He was sitting there leaned up against the table, his hand was on his head and he was like, ‘I really think I might pass out,’” she said.

“I’m just sitting there in complete and utter shock, and I said, ‘Well, maybe I’ve actually got my chance at a boy now,’” Ben said.

An ultrasound in July, however, revealed all three were girls.

“We had quite a few guesses before then because I had ultrasounds every single visit because there was three and there was no way to monitor them,” Genelle said.

Genelle and Ben both called their mothers to share the news.

“I called mom and told her, I said, ‘Well, everything looks good. The babies are doing good. Good, strong heartbeat. The doctor said it looks great,’ and I said, ‘So are the other two,’” Genelle said. “She goes, ‘What? Triplets?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ She goes, ‘You’re kidding,’ and I said, ‘No.’”

Ben said they also shared the news with Genna and Laney.

“(Genna’s) response was, ‘Are we keeping them all?’” Ben said, smiling.

When Genelle was pregnant with Genna, an ultrasound revealed three sacks, but two didn’t develop and wound up being empty.

“Apparently, triplets were just bound to happen eventually,” Ben said.

At 20 weeks with the triplets, Genelle went for ultrasounds every two weeks. Then by 30 weeks, she was going every week. The first 20 weeks involved co-managed care between Schneck and St. Vincent, and then it was just St. Vincent because triplets are considered high risk.

The triplets were due Nov. 27, but Genelle went into preterm labor at 34 weeks and five days.

“The week they were born, that Tuesday that I had my last doctor’s appointment, my stomach measured at 50 weeks pregnant,” she said. “I was in tears about every night because I was just so uncomfortable from being so stretched. I begged every week, ‘Will you please take them out?’”

Fortunately, the delivery went smooth.

“This was probably the easiest pregnancy I’ve had,” Genelle said. “It was probably better than (the first two). It went really well. There was not very many issues or complications.”

Ben said being in the delivery room is something he won’t forget.

“It’s completely surreal watching them keep taking babies out,” he said. “You’re thinking, ‘OK, there’s one. Wait a minute, there’s another one.’ It’s hard to describe. It’s just complete awe I guess is probably the best way to describe it, especially when you’re watching three of them.”

Genelle spent two hours in recovery before she could go to the neonatal intensive care unit to see the three girls.

Jacklyn immediately was put on CPAP because she was breathing too fast when she was born, and Miriam wound up on CPAP for a few days.

Ben said the doctor and nurses called Adalynn an overachiever.

“She was only in the NICU for 11 days,” he said. “As soon as they took her feeding tube out, she took everything by mouth. They said that’s completely unusual for a baby born 34 weeks to be able to do that because they don’t have the suck, swallow, breathe reflex.”

Jacklyn came out of the NICU after two weeks and two days, and Miriam was there three weeks and two days.

Ben and Genelle had to make a few trips to Indianapolis to see them, but fortunately, they had the advantage of staying at St. Vincent House, which offers food and other services.

On Nov. 13, all three girls were at home together for the first time.

“It’s nice having everybody here because we’re all just in the same place, but at the same time, it’s complete and utter chaos, and (Genna and Laney) are trying to get used to it,” Genelle said.

“I knew it was going to be chaos from Day 1, so I wanted to get them home as soon as possible so I could get into that chaos,” Ben said. “It’s like a Band-Aid. I just wanted to rip the Band-Aid, let the pain start and work my way through it.”

Now, the proud big sisters enjoy playing with the triplets and helping any way they can.

“(Genna) said she likes all of the little noises they make, a lot of squeaky noises,” Genelle said.

To tell the triplets apart, the Cramers have color-coded bottles — purple for Adalynn, yellow for Miriam and pink for Jacklyn.

“If you really look at them, they have different features,” Genelle said. “If you glance at them real quick or if they are laying the same way, you might get confused. Miriam is the smallest, so that’s easier to tell. Jacklyn and Adalynn get confused the most.”

As for the babies’ names, the couple already had Adalynn picked out if they had a girl, while it was Owen for a boy. Jacklyn is named after Genelle’s mom, and Miriam is named after Genelle’s grandmother who died a couple of years ago.

As far as having anymore children, Ben gave a quick answer.

“We are done. I’m pretty sure six girls is the most I can handle in the house,” he said, smiling.

“There’s a reason when people have multiples, you don’t see them have anymore because by the time you get to the end, you’re done,” Genelle said.

The triplets came at just the right time because the family has been through a lot this year, including losing two family members.

“These girls were kind of like the joy and the turning point of all of the bad that has happened,” Genelle said. “My sister made a comment losing her husband, thinking it was such a great loss, that they were given triple the joy. With everything that happened, we needed good to happen, and luckily, these girls were born, and everything was fine.”