NEWBORN CENTER
Meredith and Margaret
Delivered at 25 weeks

Birth of quads begins family’s remarkable journey

Giving birth to quadruplets has given Will and Kim quite a story to share. Even conceiving their girls was a challenge, occurring only after in vitro fertilization.

Following prenatal complications and several weeks in a local hospital, Kim, 25 weeks pregnant, delivered Margaret, Kara, Kirby and Meredith. The girls weighed a little more than 1 pound each. Their parents knew a challenging journey lie ahead of them.

“When we realized we were having multiples, we went to a doctor who specializes in high-risk pregnancies,” Kim said. “He said he delivered only at St. Luke’s because of the access to Texas Children’s Newborn Center® and the extensive care available there.”

As this eager couple was beginning to settle into the routine of caring for hospitalized babies, they suffered two tremendous losses – Kara and Kirby died within weeks of each other from complications of prematurity.

“The staff at Texas Children’s Newborn Center® really helped us through that,” Kim said. “They were very caring and informative. We knew minute by minute exactly what was going on. When Kirby died, the nurse who was caring for her at the time even sent a card to our home. It meant a lot to us that she cared so much.”

During their hospital stays, Meredith and Margaret had bouts with infections and apnea and both were diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) – a potentially blinding condition that affects many premature infants.

“It’s stressful having your baby in the hospital because it’s so intense and you can’t always be there,” Kim said. “But I knew the girls were in good hands. We felt we had good rapport with the nurse manager, and we were comfortable sharing our fears and worries with her.”

Margaret and Meredith’s nurses shared in the excitement as the girls reached several milestones, such as breathing without ventilators, transitioning to the infant care nursery, sucking on their first bottles and gaining additional pounds. Even the threat of Tropical Storm Allison was not as frightening with the assurance of the nurses.

To nourish her girls, Kim used Texas Children’s milk bank – a state-of-the-art collection, labeling, refrigeration and dispensing center that allows mothers to deposit breast milk to feed their infants in Texas Children’s Newborn Center® nurseries.

“The milk bank was a great resource,” Kim said. “The lactation nurses were very friendly, helpful and supportive and the milk bank was convenient. The supplies I needed and the answers to my questions always were there.”

Right before Meredith was discharged at 3 months old, Will and Kim stayed overnight with her in one of the rooming-in rooms in Texas Children’s Newborn Center®. The rooming-in rooms – essentially hotel rooms within the hospital – give parents the opportunity to try their home routine a full day before discharge, taking care of the baby with the nurses across the hall.

Margaret was discharged three days after Meredith. The girls have come a long way since their early days at Texas Children’s Newborn Center®. Their apnea and ROP have resolved and no longer are a threat, and they no longer need portable oxygen. At 6 months, they weighed 8½ and 9½ pounds.

“They sleep and eat well and are very active,” Kim said. “It’s great to see them starting to make eye contact and coo and smile.”