TOWSON, Md. (AP) — A Baltimore couple has welcomed three identical members to their family, in what doctors call a rare occurrence.

Kristen Hewitt gave birth to identical triplets Oct. 6 at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, the hospital announced this week. Thomas Hewitt is the father.

The couple's doctor, Dr. Victor A. Khouzami, said he's never witnessed identical triplets in more than three decades at the hospital.

Thomas III, Finnegan and Oliver were born via C-section after about 33.5 weeks in the womb. Each of the boys weighed 3 to 5 pounds.

"Through our relationship, we've found that Tom and I work the best under pressure, so we take the triplets as not only a blessing, but also a challenge that we're most certainly up for," Kristen Hewitt said.

Triplets generally are uncommon, and only about 10 percent of the time are they identical, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Identical triplets have been reported this year in Washington, Montana and New York.

"As you can see, to have a patient with spontaneous identical triplets is incredibly rare," said Khouzami, who is chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and medical director of the Women's and Infant Services at GBMC.