“Yes,” replied Dr. Hilary Rumez. “He is alive. But he is… unusual.”
When Stephanie and her husband Duke Crudz were leaving the maternity ward with two girls in their arms, no one — neither the midwife, nor the doctors, nor the mother herself — could have imagined that the birth was not yet over. Ahead of them awaited more contractions… and another child.
Just 48 hours after discharge, the young mother was back in the hospital. The reason was a sudden onset of contractions accompanied by severe pain. Stephanie thought it was just a postpartum complication. But the pain grew stronger, and her body behaved as if new labor had begun.
Maplewood, New Hampshire, was never known for medical miracles. Everything here happened on schedule: from school bells to the first frosts. It was in this very ordinary place that one of the most astonishing stories in modern medicine took place.
Stephanie Crudz was expecting twins. All ultrasounds during the pregnancy confirmed: there were two girls inside. They were already named — Trisha and Sophie. Both were born safely in a private clinic under the supervision of Dr. Hilary Rumez — an experienced obstetrician with twenty years of practice. The birth went without complications: six hours of pain, screams, tears — and two healthy girls weighing 2.3 kg each.
The family returned home — to a modest one-bedroom apartment where two cradles stood beside the parents’ bed. They were tired but happy. The babies woke up alternately, and the mother barely slept for weeks. Duke, having lost his job a month before the birth, tried to help as much as he could.
But on the morning of the third day, Stephanie felt familiar contractions again.
When they arrived at the hospital, Dr. Rumez was surprised. Stephanie’s belly was still rounded — not uncommon after childbirth — but during the ultrasound examination, the machine showed something incredible: there was still a baby inside the uterus.
“That can’t be… we already gave birth,” whispered a stunned Stephanie.
But all readings confirmed it: there was a third child inside the woman’s body. How? Why had no one noticed it on any ultrasound or during the birth? No one had an explanation.
After three hours of painful contractions, Stephanie gave birth for the third time. A boy was born. This was not just the third child in the family. It was a real miracle.
The medical staff froze. Silence hung in the room, broken only by the loud, confident cry of the newborn. Then movement began — excitement, rushing around, hurried calls, the father’s tears, and Stephanie’s look, hard to believe: she could not comprehend what was happening.
The boy was named Nicholas. He weighed 6.4 kg — almost three times more than his sisters. For comparison: the average weight of babies in a triplet birth ranges from 1.3 to 2.3 kg. A child of that weight among three newborns is a genuine medical phenomenon.
A photograph taken by the night nurse shocked everyone with its scale of surprise: Nicholas looked like a three-month-old baby compared to his very small sisters. This very photo sparked a wide public reaction around the Crudz family’s story.
By the next morning, journalists had gathered at the hospital. Reporters from local and national media rushed to learn details about the “giant baby.” Some called it a miracle, others a sign from above. There were even those who were frightened: some religious groups dubbed the baby “a harbinger of something ominous” and urged people to stay away from him.
The family found themselves at the center of attention.
By that time, it became known that Duke was unemployed, and their living conditions were clearly not suited for raising three children, especially if one of them greatly exceeded normal size. Then an activist started a fundraising campaign. More than $50,000 was raised in three days.
The authorities included the family in a housing assistance program. Construction of a new house began: reinforced floors, wide doorways, custom-sized furniture — everything designed taking into account Nicholas’s possible growth and build.
In one interview, Dr. Rumez admitted: “This is one of those cases where you realize we still don’t know very much. Ultrasounds showed two children, two heartbeats. Possibly, Nicholas was positioned in such a way that he simply wasn’t visible at any stage of the pregnancy and from any angle.”
Some experts suggest that the boy’s development was delayed, and he was kind of “hiding” behind his sisters during the first and second trimesters. There are also theories about technical errors in the equipment. But everyone agrees: this is a unique case. It is being studied by endocrinologists, obstetricians, specialists in prenatal development, and even geneticists.
Six months after birth, Nicholas continued to grow rapidly. Preliminary data showed that by six months, his weight exceeded 12 kg. The medical team regularly conducts examinations, and the family receives financial support for participating in scientific studies.
A documentary group from Los Angeles signed a contract with the Crudz family to make a film about their story. This gave the family additional income and allowed Duke to temporarily stay with them.
However, public attention is not always a blessing.
Some neighbors still try to keep their distance. They whisper: “It can’t be real.” But most people support the family: they bring food, toys, diapers. And most importantly — warmth and sympathy.
“We were expecting two, but got three. And one of them — the one who turned our life upside down,” says Stephanie.
The Crudz family lives in their new home, gradually getting used to a reality they never could have dreamed of.