Three sisters give birth on three straight days at same hospital

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- The first surprise was when three Warrenton sisters discovered they were pregnant and due around the same time.

But the bigger surprise came last week when their babies -- Sophia, Jack and Kara -- were born on three consecutive days at the same hospital in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles.

"I've had sisters deliver within a week or so of each other, but nothing like this," said Dr. Evelyne Schuetz, who monitored the sisters' pregnancies. Her medical partner offered to deliver the third, but Schuetz said no way.

"I said, 'I've delivered the two, I have to deliver the third."'

Tracey Mueller, 28, was the first to give birth; daughter Sophia Ann Mueller arrived at 7:07 a.m. on Dec. 28.

Labor pains next struck Trisha Duvel, 31, who delivered Jack Thomas Duvel at 9:39 p.m. on Dec. 29.

The next morning, Jamie Roden, 24, started feeling queasy. She checked into St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles in the afternoon, and Kara Grace Roden arrived at 9:23 p.m.

"It was a complete joke the entire pregnancy that we'd have them at the same time. But none of us really thought it would ever happen," Duvel said.

Throughout the marathon of deliveries, the sisters' mother, Sondra Dames, 53, was on nearly round-the-clock watch at the hospital.

"By the end of it our mom was so tired, it looked like she was the one that had had a baby," Roden said.

"She went through more labor than we did," Mueller added.

Grandparents Sondra and Jack Dames were looking forward to the next "madhouse" family dinner now that their brood of grandchildren has grown to 10.

"The only difference is now they'll all have to bring their own groceries," joked Grandpa Jack.