2 sets of triplets born months apart to different families share same last name

Two families from the same small Mississippi city each welcomed triplets within the last six months, and to top it all off, they all share the same last name, even though the families aren't related to each other.

Meet the Crawford triplets … and the Crawford triplets!

Nicole Crawford, 34, and Jayson Crawford, 42, of Ellisville, Mississippi, welcomed their 6-month-old triplets -- son Jack, and daughters Cherish and Rivers -- on Dec. 19, 2024.

Less than four months later, on April 4, Marisa Crawford, 31, and Dusty Crawford, 30, also of Ellisville, welcomed their triplets, daughter Birdie and sons Bronc and Barnett.

Both couples told "Good Morning America" they were already parents of one child and tried for baby No. 2, but despite the unlikely odds, they both conceived spontaneous triplets naturally, without any fertility treatments.

Nicole Crawford said she and her husband were "super shocked" to find out they were expecting triplets.

"I've had some issues trying to conceive throughout the years, and for us to get pregnant naturally, without any help or anything, was a shock in itself," said the mom of four, who works as an accounts manager and auditor. "But for me to be pregnant with three babies was just, I was speechless."

The couples also shared the same doctor, Dr. Joe Washburne, an attending OB-GYN at Merit Health Wesley in Hattiesburg, about 20 minutes from Ellisville.

"Spontaneous triplets are very unique. They're about one in 8,000 so they're pretty rare," the 30-year veteran doctor told "GMA." "And so, to have two sets of triplets at the same time was really unique for me, and then both of them coming from the same small town of Ellisville, which is a population of about 4,500, and then having two sets of triplets with the same last name of Crawford and they're unrelated and don't know each other, I can't even begin to start trying to figure out the math on that one."

The coincidence is especially striking since the chance of having triplets has been declining in the United States in recent years, dropping about 62% from 1998 to 2023, according to 2024 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fewer triplets are being born in the US. Researchers have a theory as to why

Both Crawford couples said they learned of one another earlier this year and have quickly become fast friends and built an instant community, which Marisa Crawford said has been invaluable.

"[Nicole Crawford] actually reached out to me on Facebook and was like, 'Hey, I don't know if you realize this but we're kind of in the same situation,'" Marisa Crawford recalled. "I was so glad she did, because in that moment of [being in the neonatal intensive care unit with my triplets] and trying to recover and just not knowing what this world would bring, I needed her guidance and her telling me, 'I've been there. This is what worked for us. This is what we did.' And she was so forthcoming with advice and information, and she just calmed my nerves."

Now, Marisa Crawford says she connects with Nicole Crawford nearly every day, as the two moms share their experiences and advice with each other.

"They know the day in and day out and everyday life of having more than one infant child," Nicole Crawford said.

Both Marisa Crawford and Nicole Crawford said their pregnancies went smoothly for the most part. "I had a pretty good pregnancy with very little or minimal complications," Nicole Crawford said. "From the gate, I was a bit nervous, but it was the easiest pregnancy," Marisa Crawford, a retired nurse, added. "I had very minimal sickness or issues at all, really. I tell people it was easier carrying three than it was carrying my singleton five years ago." At about 26 weeks, Nicole Crawford said she started developing high blood pressure and was prescribed bed rest for about a month at another hospital in Jackson, before she was able to transfer to Merit Health Wesley, closer to her home. She delivered Jack, Cherish and Rivers there via scheduled cesarean section after 31 weeks and one day. She said Jack spent 27 days in the NICU, and Cherish and Rivers were able to go home from the NICU after 45 days and 47 days, respectively.

Marisa Crawford said she was able to carry Birdie, Bronc and Barnett to 32 weeks and five days, until she developed cholestasis of pregnancy, where there is a buildup of bile acids that impacts liver function, and also delivered via C-section. Her baby boys were in the NICU for 18 days before they were discharged, she said, and Birdie was in the NICU for 21 days.

Both sets of Crawford triplets are now home, with Jack, Cherish and Rivers joining their 8-year-old sister Hadlee, and Birdie, Bronc and Barnett joining their 5-year-old brother Baker. According to their parents, the triplets are all happy, healthy and thriving.

"They're actually doing super fantastic," Nicole Crawford said of Jack, Cherish and Rivers. "All three are sitting up really good, have good head control, hand-eye coordination -- all the markers that they're supposed to be at at six months, they've met them."

Of Birdie, Bronc and Barnett, Marisa Crawford said, "It's absolutely amazing. They're all home and thriving and drinking their bottles, hitting their milestones … They're starting to form their own little personalities and they're starting to smile at us. And you would never know that they were triplets if you didn't see them all together."

Courtesy of Marisa and Dusty Crawford

Birdie, Bronc and Barnett Crawford were born after 32 weeks and 5 days on April 4.

The Crawfords said they plan on staying in touch as the triplets continue to grow.

"We actually have planned a big Fourth of July cookout here coming up. So we're, you know, we're excited about this journey and to be able to share it with somebody, especially to share it with somebody that has the same last name as us," Nicole Crawford said.