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You are here: Home / Blog / Micro Preemie Monday with Quadruplets

Micro Preemie Monday with Quadruplets

December 21, 2015 By Shann 11 Comments

Quadruplets

Today, we meet micro preemie quadruplets for the first time. Having one baby in the hospital is very hard, so try to imagine having four fighting for their lives.

Having to split your time seeing them, holding them, feeding them, and doing their cares are just some of the things a quadruplet parent has to do in the NICU. And that is the easy stuff. The complications, infections, and worry is all magnified when you have four babies born very early and very sick.

I was very inspired by Courtney’s story, as her quadruplets were born the same gestation as my twins. I also wondered if they had suffered from TTTS. Luckily, they didn’t because they are fraternal. This means they all had their own sacks and placentas, which makes TTTS very, very rare.  It doesn’t, however, mean that her pregnancy wasn’t high risk or without complications. Carrying high order multiples comes with its own set of risks.

I’m so happy to be able to share their story. Please meet Courtney’s quadruplets.

Cooper, Brody, Ashlyn, and Kylie

1. Tell us about your babies

Our quadruplets were born on March 11, 2012 at 25 weeks and 5 days. Cooper was 1 lb 13 oz, Brody was 1 lb 15 oz, Ashlyn was 1 lb 14 oz, and Kylie was 1 lb 5oz.

micro preemie quads

2. How long was your NICU stay? What was the hardest part?

Our NICU stay was 121-137 days. They started coming home a few weeks after their due date. It was really hard not knowing how they were going to cope while being in the NICU. We had a grade 3 brain bleed, 3 PDA surgeries, ROP surgery, and G-tube/Nissen surgery. It was also very hard to not hold my babies right away. The first baby to be held was Brody at a week old. The last baby to be held was Kylie at 6 weeks old. Can you imagine going 6 weeks without holding your baby?! It was torture! The absolutely worst part was saying good night to them and everything was fine. Getting a phone call in the early morning to rush down to the NICU and being taken into a private room to talk to the doctors about one of your children is something no parent should have to experience. I cried more in a span of a month then I have in my whole life.

3. Do you know what caused your premature birth?

Having a higher order multiple pregnancy is very high risk and most quad pregnancies deliver pretty early. We were advised to abort two of the babies and were told that if we continued with a quadruplet pregnancy our children would most likely have severe disabilities from being delivered early. We had set a goal to get to a minimum of 28 weeks but were not able to reach that.

Quads in NICU

4. How are you and your babies doing now?

The kids are 3.5 now and doing absolutely amazing! They do attend a fantastic preschool where they get OT/PT/Speech but they are hitting their milestones and progressing very well. They are very energetic and have big imaginations. All four kids tend to wheeze when sick and our one boy is on a daily inhaler for Asthma. Our son had his g-tube taken out just before his 3rd birthday. Both our girls had their tonsils and adenoids taken out due to sleep apnea. I am doing really well. I have become a very anxious person since being in the NICU and tend to get really anxious over little things. I still get teary eyed when a popular song from 2012 comes on and it brings me right back to being in the NICU.

Micro Preemie Quads

quads today doing great

5. What advice would you give to a new preemie parent?

It’s ok to cry. It’s ok to cry. It’s ok to cry. Being a preemie parent is not easy and it’s a club that no one should be a part of. Make sure you join a support group, Facebook has some amazing support groups. Also, take some time for yourself and your significant other while your child is in the NICU. You need to step away from the NICU at times and heal. Being in the hospital is a very stressful environment and you need to nurture and focus on your relationship as well.

Micro preemie quads

Thank you so much, Courtney for sharing your beautiful babies with us. The quadruplets are all miracles, and I’m sure your house is filled with love.

Please feel free to leave Courtney any comments or questions.

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Filed Under: Blog, Micro Preemie Mondays Tagged With: anxiety, asthma, gestation, high order multiples, hospital, micro preemie, micro preemie monday, Micro preemies, NICU, occupational therapy, ot, PDA, physical therapy, pt, quadruplets, ROP, speech

Comments

  1. Healing Mama says

    December 21, 2015 at 8:58 am

    Courtney thank you for sharing your story. I’m so happy to hear all of your babies are doing well. It just goes to show doctor’s don’t always give the best advice!

    Reply
  2. diyjahn says

    December 21, 2015 at 9:11 am

    Another great post, Shann. Preemie babies are something that i had not heard a ton about until reading your blog. Its nice to hear about what its like…to raise awareness… thank you for sharing this. Plus those four are SO freaking cute. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Latonya Mo says

    December 21, 2015 at 11:20 am

    Thanks for sharing Courtney’s story. Thanks for the reminder of hope and trust. I am happy to hear that each of your four children are healthy and enjoying life. It is my hope for you that the anxiety will soon dissipate. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Erin says

    December 21, 2015 at 1:26 pm

    I love your posts, Shann! And thank you, Courtney, for sharing with us! This is such an inspirational story as we go into the holidays! They are absolutely beautiful children and their happiness shines through their photos!

    Reply
  5. buttonsandbirdcages says

    December 21, 2015 at 3:26 pm

    What a beautiful story – they’re so beautiful, glad to hear they’re doing well now!

    Miche from Buttons and Birdcages

    Reply
  6. beautigurl says

    December 21, 2015 at 5:01 pm

    Wow, amazing! So tiny! Glad to read that they are thriving.

    Reply
  7. goodenufmommy says

    December 21, 2015 at 6:05 pm

    Wow! Absolutely incredible! I cannot imagine what this family went through! That is a very long stay in the NICU! I have close friends with a baby in the NICU right now. It just breaks my heart. Your kids are all so lovely!

    Reply
  8. thepunkymoms says

    December 22, 2015 at 5:23 am

    oh my gosh! LOOK AT THE ADORABLENESS

    Reply
  9. Stefanie / The Monarch Mommy says

    December 22, 2015 at 9:30 am

    Wow quads! What an incredible story! Sounds like they are all doing so well now!

    Reply
  10. Courtney says

    December 22, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    Thanks for all of the kind comments! <3

    Reply
  11. thecrunchymommy says

    December 28, 2015 at 10:11 pm

    what a beautiful story!!!! it’s so nice to see the transition from itty bitties to happy, healthies!!!

    Reply

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Meet Shann

Shann Hi! I'm a mom, writer, and dancer. I love sharing my parenting experiences, my healthy living tips, my money saving ideas, and our travel plans. My passion to help other women inspired this blog. I hope you'll stay a while and come back often.

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