Gay Couple Make History as Both Father Triplets

Christo and Theo Menelaou, a South African gay couple, just made medical history as both partners fathered triplets, making them the first same-ses couple in their nation and possibly the world to do so.

One man's sperm was used to fertilize one egg, the other's to fertilize a second egg, and both were carried by the same surrogate, the U.K.'s Sky News reports. One of the eggs split in two to produce twins, for a total of three children -- a boy and two girls, the latter being identical twin.

A doctor recommended terminating two of the fetuses, but the couple decided to proceed. The children were born prematurely in July, each weighing just a little over a kilogram -- two pounds. The babies stayed in the hospital for several weeks but now are home in Pretoria with their fathers, who have the assistance of nurses.

The men met their surrogate at a gathering of neighbors of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius after his murder trial, in which he was found guilty of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. One of the witnesses for the prosecution introduced them to her, Sky News notes.

Christo Menelaou told Sky News he and his partner never expected to overcome obstacles to becoming parents. "It's very hard to be accepted for adoption, and we were told we would always come after heterosexual couples," he said. "And then we just never thought we'd ever find a person who would want to be surrogate to a gay couple."

Watch video footage of the couple below: