A Los Angeles family has welcomed an exceptionally rare set of naturally conceived triplets, with the three healthy babies weighing a combined nearly 19 pounds at birth — just about three pounds short of the World Record for the heaviest triplets at birth.

Nylah Craft and her husband, Marco Bernal, welcomed their sons Elio, Elias and Enzo on August 18 at Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center.

According to Dr. Rohit Passi, chief of neonatology at the hospital, naturally conceived triplets occur in only about one in 10,000 pregnancies. The pregnancy was even more unusual because two of the babies are identical twins, while the third is fraternal. Despite the additional risks associated with a triplet pregnancy, Craft carried the babies for 36 weeks, considered a strong gestational period for triplets.

All three babies were born at healthy weights, reaching a combined total of approximately 19 pounds. Their combined weight came within about three pounds of the World Records benchmark for the heaviest triplets at birth (living). While the babies did not break the world record, their unusually high combined birth weight and healthy condition made the delivery particularly remarkable.

Because of the complexity and risks involved, the hospital assembled a team of nearly 15 medical professionals for the Caesarean delivery. The family requested that the C-section take place on Marco Bernal’s birthday, making the arrival of the three boys even more memorable for the family. Both the mother and babies recovered well, and the family was able to return home approximately three days after the delivery.

Craft and Bernal already had a daughter and a two-year-old son, meaning the arrival of Elio, Elias and Enzo has expanded their household to five children. Despite the challenges of caring for three newborns alongside two older children, Craft said she had always dreamed of having a large family. The rare natural conception, unusual combination of identical and fraternal siblings, 36-week pregnancy and nearly 19-pound combined birth weight have made the arrival of Elio, Elias and Enzo an exceptional medical story — and one that came remarkably close to a World Record.