Rare 'one in a million' triplets return home after being born six weeks early

'My first thought is, I need a bigger car,' said father Caleb Choge

Identical triplets Ron, Elkanah and Abishai Choge were born prematurely in Kansas City, Missouri (Choge Family handout)

A rare "one in a million" set of identical triplets have returned home with their parents after being born six weeks premature.

Ron, Elkanah and Abishai Choge weighed between 3.4 pounds and 4.5 pounds on arrival at the Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, last month.

The boys spent two weeks in the neo-natal intensive care unit preparing for the outside world.

As they left hospital father Caleb, a pilot, joked that he and partner Nicole can still barely tell their sons apart.

“Our little guy here, Ron, is a little smaller than his brothers - about a pound smaller - so we know him by size,” he told KCTV. “These two, we know them by their arm bands, their hospital arm bands.”

The couple, who already have a two year-old son, were living in Kenya when Nicole fell pregnant and moved to the Kansas City area to be near her parents.

They were told at first they were going to have twins, only for a later scan to reveal it was in fact triplets.

Parents Caleb and Nicole Choge with their newborn sons Ron, Elkanah and Abishai (Choge Family)

Caleb, who is applying for immigration papers so he can work in the US, said: "My mind as the dad was very excited. My first thought is, ‘Our car doesn't fit. I need a bigger car.'"

“We were hoping for a second child,” he added. “I prayed, my wife prayed and our son Corban prayed. God answered all three of our prayers."

Because each child was growing in separate amniotic sacs, Nicole was able to choose not to have a C-section.

Thanking the local community for their support, Nicole said: “The people have come around us and have really helped. People we don’t know have really come out to support us.”

The boys surprised doctors with their development. “They don’t act like they’re premature,” Charlie Shields, president and CEO of Truman Medical Centers, told ABC.

Dr Josh Petrikin estimated the chances of having identical triplets was one in a million, although one study put the odds as high as one in 30 million.

“When you come a month and a half early, you’re at risk for all sorts of complications," he told InsideEdition.com. “These boys don’t seem to realize that and are doing better than expected for their gestational age.”

A Gofundme page set up by a friend of the family to support the triplets has so far raised just over $2,000 (£1,400) out of the $15,000 (£10,800) target.

"These parents are the most modest, biggest hearted people I know," wrote Rachel Myers on the site.

"There are three more minds to teach, three more hearts to encourage, three times as many laughs to be had, and three additional mouths to feed.

"If God puts it on your heart to donate to this deserving family, do so, and if not, prayers are equally appreciated and welcomed."