A First For Same-Sex Couples: Triplets With DNA From Both Parents
(CBS) -- Justin Ruehs and his husband, Adam Smeets, were ready to be fathers, but they weren't so ready to hear their surrogate was pregnant with triplets. That wasn't the only stunner.
CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports.
The two men can't imagine life without their triplets.
Their whirlwind days and nights with triplets Emmet and his twin sisters Harper and Collins are exactly what they hoped for when they started down the surrogacy path four years ago.
Well, almost.
At 35 weeks, their children arrived. As it turns out, embryos with DNA from both dads, respectively, were implanted and thrived. So, the twins have Justin's DNA. Their son has Adam's. It is believed they are the first gay couple in the world with this surrogacy outcome.
"They're genetically half-siblings. They're going to look alike. I think it will be good for them," Justin says.
The couple says there were early obstacles in their relationship, which began before same-sex marriage was legal in many states.
The concerns faded, and parenthood took center stage. Both say they feel a responsibility to be more than parents.
"We represent that gay couples have families, and families are not defined as just one thing or another," Adam says. "It comes in many different shapes and sizes, too."
Both were able to take family leave to care for their triplets, which is soon coming to an end.
The triplets turned three months old this week.