A Father of Three Faints at His Wife’s Ultrasound (And You Would Too!)

By: Kate Row | Last updated: Nov 18, 2023

Nia and Robert Tolbert were no strangers to surprise when it came to pregnancies. They had their first son in 2011 and then when they got pregnant again in 2014 they were shocked to find out they would be having twins.

However, the surprise they got at the sonogram for their third pregnancy was something they never expected, and it even made Robert faint. You might have too if you saw what he saw!

Nia and Robert Begin a Wild Journey

Nia and Robert experienced a life-changing moment during their third pregnancy that would change them forever. Their third pregnancy felt different than the first two and they couldn’t quite place why until they went in for their sonogram.

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What they discovered there was something that only ever occurs once in every 1,000 births. Their unique story was shared on the news and across the internet.

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Nia and Robert’s Love Story Begins

Nia and Robert met in 2007 through mutual friends and experienced what they could only describe as love at first sight. The love birds fell for each other quickly and started dating right away.

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As they spent more time with each other, their feelings grew stronger and stronger. Their journey was not without a few surprises along the way.

Baby Number 1 Has Arrived!

After 4 years of dating the couple had some awfully exciting news to share. They would be welcoming a baby boy into their family! Their son Shai was born in 2011 and they welcomed him with open arms.

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They had always dreamed of raising a family together so they were thrilled to embark on this journey. Little did they know, Shai would never be lonely because he was going to have some siblings on the way shortly.

Creating the Beautiful Tolbert Family

When Shai was three years old, the couple decided to finally tie the knot. It was a long time coming and the couple was thrilled to start their lief together as man and wife. By the time they got married, they had yet another surprise…

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Nia was pregnant for the second time! They were excited to find out if Shai’s sibling would be a boy or girl. They waited in anticipation but couldn’t have guessed the surprise that awaited them.

Babies on Board!

After a few months the couple went in for their sonogram. They were so thrilled to finally know if they were having a boy or a girl so they could start picking out baby names. But, the doctor had other news for them as well.

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There was not one baby, but two! The Tolberts would be having twins and they were both expected to be boys. They were overwhelmed and overjoyed all at the same time.

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The Arrival of the Tolbert Twins

The Tolbert twins arrived in 2015 happy and healthy. Riley and Alexander were energetic twins and they brought  a lot of chaos and joy to the family’s home. Thankfully, Nia and Robert had the assistance of big brother Shai.

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Despite the hectic schedule of juggling three kids, the couple was happy to grow their family and they had a lot of love in their home.

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Family of Five

The family of five was extremely content. There were three healthy boys running around the house and Nia and Robert couldn’t have been happier. It was difficult to care for 2 newborns and a toddler at the same time but they made it work.

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They worked hard to have a balance between their kids, their professional lives, and their personal lives. However, life had a bombshell in store for them that would throw their lives in a whole new direction.

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The Big Surprise

In 2017, the family was hit with a completely new surprise. Nia was unexpectedly pregnant for the third time! While they hadn’t planned on this third pregnancy they believed it was destined for them to grow their family by one more. 

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They were as shocked and excited as they had been when they found out they would be having twins. 

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Boys or Girls

Now they turned their attention to making guesses about th egnders of the baby. The couple was happy to hvae a boy or girl as long as ht ebaby was happy and healthy. 

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However, they couldn’t help hoping to have a little girl to balance out all those boys running around the house. But, Riley, Alexander, and Shai wished for another brother to play with. The whole family was eager to find out what to expect!

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What Was Different This Time Around?

Nia had already gone through 2 pregnancies, and one of those pregnancies resulted in twins, so she was no stranger to the experience. However, she had some symptoms this pregnancy that she had not had in the first ones.

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Something just felt different with this one and she couldn’t quite explain why. She knew every pregnancy would be different but this one was a totally separate experience from her pregnancies with the boys.

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She Knew Something Was Off

She first noticed that she was far more emotional than she had been in her first 2 pregnancies. Her hormones felt like they were all over the place and her reactions to things were much more severe than what was typical of her usual self. 

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Physically, she was showing a lot earlier than she had before and she was getting a lot bigger. She secretly hoped that these differences were an indication that she would be having a girl. Fingers crossed!

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What Was Causing These Emotions?

She considered that this pregnancy was just different becasue it was her htird one and she was obviously a little older than when she had the Shai and the twins. 

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She had spoken to her friends and they all had different experiences with their pregnancies. So, she tired to put any worries out of her mind. The first sonogram would surely reveal a lot about the pregnancy and maybe uncover why she felt so different.

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The First Sonogram

Nia was a little nervous to go in for the first sonogram. While she was doing all the same things she had done before, like yoga, eating well, and taking her prenatal vitamins, she knew something was just not the same.

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She got even more nervous when the ultrasound technician asked a question that they had asked her when she was pregnant with the twins. He asked, “Have you had multiples run in your family?”

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Double Check

Nia almost couldn’t believe her ears. They would be having another set of twins? They hadn’t even thought of this possibility after they had Riley and Alexander. But, it was true.

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Soon enough, their family of five would grow to a family of seven. She scheduled a second sonogram just to double check and confirm that they were seeing what they thought they were seeing. That’s when the real surprise happened!

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Nia’s Mind Was Reeling

Naturally, Nia’s mind was racing with all the thoughts of what this emant for their family. Was it possible that they would have another set of twins?

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What would Robert think? They hadn’t even planned on one baby, let alone two. Thankfully, Nia is the kind of woman that believes everything happens for a reason and if they were going to have twins then it was meant to be!

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The Moment That Could Make Anyone Faint!

The second ultrasound was a little more involved than the first so they could confirm how many babies there actually were. The results made Nia almost fall right out of her chair: They would be having triplets, not twins!

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Nia explained that “everything spiraled out of control” when she heard the word “triplets”. How were she and Robert supposed to look after 6 kids at once?!

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The Rare Case of the Tolberts

Having triplets naturally is not a very common occurrence on its own. But having one child, the twins, and then triplets after that is even more rare! Nia requested that the same doctor that delivered the twins deliver the triplets. 

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Dr. Rami Tabbarah explained how rare the Tolberts’ situation really was, “We’re talking less than one in 1,000 [births]. It’s very rare to have twins then triplets [naturally] in the same lifetime”.

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Defying All Odds

However rare, the Tolbert couple was in for a wild ride. One kid is enough to drive someone crazy, let alone 6! Apparently, both Robert and Nia had a history of multiples in their families so they had increased their odds without even knowing it!

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Nia had some time to adjust to the news and now she had to figure out how to tell her husband. She knew Robert would be shocked and she wanted to surprise him to make the announcement fun.

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Nia Had an Idea

After Nia adjusted tot he idea of having triplets, she realized that she needed to tell Robert, who was not with her for the sonogram. She was supposed to be leaving for a girls trip to Tampa, Florida.

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She came up with a creative way to tell Robert about how the sonogram went before she left. She knew it would come as a surprise to Robert, but couldn’t have known just how shocked he would be.

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Nia Surprises Robert With the News

Nia was headed to Tampa, Florida for a weekend trip, but she left Robert with a little parting gift. She left a photo of the sonogram with the three babies clearly marked A, B, and C. 

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She left the photo with a note saying that it was a gift from her and God. Robert was shocked to say the least. When he realized that there were three babies pictured he actually fainted right on the spot!

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What Happened to Robert?

Nia was wondering what was taking her husband so long to contact her to talk about the gift she had left him. She wondered how he had reacted and what he would think about the big surprise.

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Little did she know that her husband was so shocked that he actually lost consciousness. Finally, after regaining consciousness and taking some time to process the big news he called his wife and congratulated her. 

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Robert Explains His Reaction to the Gift

Robert explained that he had no idea what the gift was until he opened. He actually thought it was a FitBit originally since he’d been hinting that he wanted one for weeks.

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What he found was not a FitBit at all. Rather, it was a promise that the couple would be very busy for years to come and there would be a lot more noise.

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What’s Next For the Tolberts?

Nia recalled the call with Robert while she was on her trip. She stated, “I was finally able to get in touch with him and he shared that he was happy, but he’d fainted!” Despite his initial shock, he was thrilled and focused his attention on making room for the new babies.

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Robert started making room in the house for the new arrivals. They had only planned on one more kid so they had to adjust quickly. In a few short months, their home would be filled with the crying and laughter of 3 more babies.

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The Gender Reveal

They decided to host a gender reveal party where they would finally announce the gender of all three babies. They gathered all their friends and family into their home. There were three balloons to pop; one for each of the triplets.

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The first balloon popped and pink confetti was revealed. Baby number one was a girl! The second also had pink confetti. Would they go three for three? As it turned out, all three of the triplets were going to be girls!

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Adjusting to a New Way of Life

The parents knew that this was going to change their lives forever as well as the lives of their three sons! And when the shock wore off they welcomed the change with open arms. Nia explained, “It’s going to be equally balanced now – with three little girls and three little boys”.

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She said, “We’re not too concerned… I know we’re not going to sleep for a couple years, our grocery bull is going to go up, and our house is not going to be quiet and that’s OK”.

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The Day is Upon Us

Nia had some contractions around her due date but she figured the doctors would take a look and send her home until they became more frequent. This is what had happened with her frist pregnancies. This wasn’t her first rodeo, afterall. But, when they arrived at the hospital, the doctor surprised them by saying, “We’re going to have the babies today”.

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She was slightly panicked but as soon as her doctor came in the room her water broke and it was time to deliver the girls! So, the babies were all born perfectly healthy on January 30th, 2018.

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Meeting the Girls

The parents were ecstatic to welcome their three healthy babies and add some girls into the mix with the boys at home. Interestingly, 2 of the triplets were identical while one was fraternal. They named their new little bundles of joy Zuri, Bailey, and Mackenzie. 

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When the doctors asked about their plans for the triplets the parents explained that they were just going to have to take things day by day! Nia explained, “There is no real plan. We have no idea how it’s going to go”. Can you ever really plan for 3 babies at one time?

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Super Parents At Work

Nia and Robert truly had it all! They were always an energetic couple, and they sure needed to be to take care of 6 kids and maintain some kind of personal life outside of family. Nia was a super-mom!

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She was a private yoga instructor and wellness coach while being a full-time mom. The year before the triplets were born she started her own brand called MOTHERLOVINGYOGA. 

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People Loved the Tolbert Story

People were intoxicated by the Tolbert story and the positive energy from the family. They started an Instagram account so they could share their incredible story and journey with their fans.

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You can check out their story on their Instagram page called @TtotallyTolbert. Their updates include tons of fun pictures of the entire family as the kids grow up!

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