PORTLAND -- It's just a short stroll, give or take 50-meters as the wheelchair glides, from 19-year-old Courtney Smith's hospital room, to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Oregon Health & Science University. But for Smith and her 17-year-old fiance, Anthony Barkheimer, the road of parenthood stretches long before them.

On Thursday, Smith gave birth to fraternal triplets via cesarean section: Julian (4lbs), Gavin (4lbs) and Forest (3 lbs, 7 oz), all healthy, Smith said.

"The first thing I felt (when I learned I was pregnant) was shock and fear," recalled Smith. "I kept wondering if I was going to be a good mom."

As Barkheimer wheeled Smith to the NICU to visit their new family, the couple recalled their shock after a routine, but revealing ultrasound in November.

"They found a third head," Smith said. "Every little ounce of love, happiness and fear was multiplied by three, but the minute I saw them, there was no more fear," she said.



The babies are "spontaneous triplets," meaning no fertility drugs were used in their conception. Doctors believe the odds of spontaneous triplets are about one in 8,000.

"I can honestly say (the triplets' birth) was the very happiest moment of my life," said Barkheimer, who dropped out of school to care for Smith, and was just three credits shy of a high school diploma. Smith quit school to raise the kids. The couple said they know their life will be marked with many challenges because of their choices.

"Abstinence is the best choice," advised Smith, in retrospect.

"I want people to look at us and learn from us," said Barkheimer.

Despite their situation, neither teen said they believed having the triplets was a mistake. Still, Smith said a lot of advice she received was borne from the belief that it was.

"Some people told me to get an abortion, but that was out of the question for me," Smith said. "I even had some people tell me I should put (the triplets) up for adoption, or put just one or two of them up for adoption," she said. "How could I ever separate them? They're brothers."

Barkheimer said he hopes to one day return to school and get his diploma. In the meantime, he's looking for work to help support his family. Smith said she's been overwhelmed by the generosity of loved ones including her parents, who are letting the couple stay at their home. Donations from friends and family have included thousands of diapers, clothing and other baby supplies. "All those things should take care of the triplets' first couple of years,"said Barkheimer.

Smith said she doesn't know what the future will hold for her new family, except that the babies should get to go home in about a month. Even with so many unknowns, Smith said she hopes her determination to be a good parent will encourage other young moms and moms-to-be, who may not have courage of their own.

"If I can help make one of those mothers feel as though she can do it, then that's all I want," she said.