The New York Times-20080126-And Triplets Make Seven in Rookie Policeman-s Home

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And Triplets Make Seven in Rookie Policeman's Home

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As Boatema Amoah was having her eighth-week sonogram, the technician asked her three times, Was this a natural pregnancy?

Yes, Ms. Amoah answered patiently, each time.

The technician glided the probe back and forth over Ms. Amoah's abdomen and finally said, There are three heartbeats.

What? That can't be possible, Ms. Amoah, 30, said. Holding her husband's hand tight, she began to cry. Do it again, she insisted.

The technician let Ms. Amoah listen for herself. Bump-bump, bump-bump, bump-bump. There was no mistake.

Not that I'm not happy, she said. But I can't have three babies inside me, because I already have twins at home.

Her husband, James Agyapong, 30, gulped before he spoke.

Everything will be fine, he said, though actually he wasn't sure. He is a New York City police officer, with almost two years of service. He has health insurance but works extra shifts to provide for their two children.

With three new babies, even with the help of his mother-in-law, he knew his wife could not return to her job as a loan officer. And to add three more people to an already cramped two-bedroom apartment -- how will we even fit? he wondered.

Ms. Amoah's concerns were more immediate. Twin girls, Erisha and Shaeril, 8, had been born at 24 weeks, weighing a little over two pounds. The risks of premature birth were even greater with triplets, as were her risks for complications like high blood pressure and diabetes.

But she was determined to accept whatever would come. God does his things in his own way, she said. I was brought up in Ghana; your child is your child no matter what. At home in the Bronx, the couple discussed how their family's expansion would affect an already tight budget. They shop at discount stores -- clothes for $9.99 or less, Ms. Amoah said. And they buy food and household supplies in bulk twice a month at Costco.

Cases of food are stacked inside and outside the tiny kitchen. They did not really see how they could economize further.

We had the perception that things will work out, Ms. Amoah said. Just take it one step at a time. He just told me not to worry. He's always like that. It's amazing.

On Sept. 25, Jeremiah, Jadon and Jared came into the world at 24 weeks, each weighing a little over two and a half pounds. They were taken to the neonatal intensive care unit at Jacobi Medical Center, Ms. Amoah said.

When triplets are born, it is a big occasion, said Margarita Colon, a volunteer social worker at Mosholu-Montefiore Community Center. The center is a beneficiary of the UJA-Federation of New York, which is one of the seven agencies supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund.

Ms. Colon was referred to the family by a hospital social worker.

There are a lot of expenses, Ms. Colon said. She talked with Ms. Amoah about the family finances, asking how they would manage.

Pulling $2,500 from the Neediest Cases Fund, Ms. Colon was able to offer the family some respite.

With it, they paid almost $900 for a month's rent and utilities, and they bought car seats, cribs and bassinets. She was like our guardian angel, said Ms. Amoah of Ms. Colon.

Jadon was the first to leave the hospital, arriving home on Dec. 8. Jeremiah, who did not gain weight as fast as the doctors would have liked, came home on Jan. 8, and Jared, who has had more serious respiratory problems than his brothers, is expected home by Feb. 8.

I don't know what we are going to do about the space, Mr. Agyapong said. Their apartment looks like a storage room in a children's store. Baby shower gifts are tucked behind a plump L-shaped couch, and a crib is wedged between part of the couch and the Christmas tree, which is still up.

They have put in a request to their management company for an apartment with another bedroom.

It's decided by a lottery, Mr. Agyapong said, adding optimistically, Something will turn up.

Until then, he and his wife are staying focused on the children. We are blessed.

[Illustration]PHOTO: James Agyapong and Boatema Amoah, with four of their five children. One is still hospitalized.(PHOTOGRAPH BY SUZANNE DeCHILLO/THE NEW YORK TIMES)