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closeWednesday, Jul. 01, 2009
Twins, triplets surprise Kadlec Regional Medical Center
By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer
RICHLAND -- Doctors and nurses at Kadlec Regional Medical Center have been seeing double and even triple lately as new mothers gave birth to six sets of twins and a set of triplets in a week.
The most hectic day came Thursday, when two sets of twins and the triplets were born within hours of each other.
In fact, moms were in labor with one set of twins and the triplets at the same time, said Jennifer Thompson, a pediatric nurse.
But that wasn't the start, or the finish. Kadlec's Birth Center already had seen three sets of twins born in the six days leading up to Thursday, and one more set was born Friday.
"There were teeny tiny babies everywhere," said Dr. Josh Weldin, director of pediatric hospitalists.
Weldin said the birth center staff was hopping Thursday to take care of more than 20 babies who had been born that week -- a number that's a bit on the high side.
Births have been on the rise at Kadlec over the last few years. A 2007 report listed about 1,800 births per year. That number rose to 2,000 in a 2008 report.
Weldin said the center now is seeing about 200 births per month, and expects to deliver nearly 2,500 babies by the end of 2009.
Even with the increases, it's unusual to see so many multiple births at one time.
"I can't attribute it to anything other than ... who knows what was going on nine months ago," Weldin said.
Giving birth to twins, triplets or more can result from fertility treatments or just plain genetics if multiples run in a given family.
Erin Anderson, who gave birth to twins Friday, said an aunt on her father's side has two sets of twins, and her husband has a cousin with twins.
Fortunately, that meant the couple from Heppner, Ore., had plenty of people to talk to when they found out they were having twins of their own.
Anderson knew early on she was pregnant with twins -- a boy and a girl -- and had planned a cesarean section.
The birth Friday came as a surprise nonetheless.
She said she had gone to see her doctor a week ago for some tests, but being 32 weeks along thought she had more time before her children were born.
But her doctor told her to pack a bag and be at Kadlec on Friday.
She gave birth to Kathryn Claire, 4 pounds, 4 ounces, and Olson, 4 pounds, just after 2:30 p.m.
The babies were whisked into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit because of their tiny size, but are healthy and growing and should be home within a couple of weeks, Anderson said.
Weldin said twins and triplets often begin life in the NICU because it's difficult for mothers to carry multiple children to full term, meaning the babies often are born small. Multiple births also are hard on the mothers, who are more prone to gestational diabetes and hypertension while pregnant.
But all of the babies born last week were doing well, in part because Kadlec was able to anticipate when some of the mothers would come for cesarean sections and make sure enough nurses were working to handle all of the births, Weldin said.
Thompson said despite the hectic pace of births Thursday, everything remained calm and controlled.
"It was not chaotic," she said.
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