Couple wants another boy, gets 3 instead

TACLOBAN CITY—A Samar couple wanted another son and got more than they asked for.

To their surprise, the wife delivered triplets, all boys, through cesarian section at 6 a.m. on  Feb. 22 at Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) here.

The couple, Romeo and Rowena Copra, have had five girls and a son; their youngest was born in 2008.

“My husband wanted another baby boy. But we never thought that we would have three boys right away,” said Rowena, 35, from an island village in Barangay Salvacion, Basey, in Samar.

The fishing village is about two hours by boat from the town proper.

Her husband, Romeo, 46, works as a fisherman, whose daily income is less than P200. He was fishing at sea when his wife delivered their baby boys.

Rowena said that both their families had no history of multiple births. “That’s why we were shocked and surprised that I delivered three boys,” she said.

The three boys were named Romil, who weighs 1,095 grams; Roniel, who weighs 1,530 grams; and Reniel, who weighs 1,750 grams. The three babies, who remained in the intensive care unit of EVRMC, were under observation, as they have yet to reach their ideal weight of 2,000 grams.

Dr. Alberto de Leon, chief of hospital of EVRMC, said that the delivery of triplets was rare in their hospital.