Wednesday, March 3, 2004
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Wednesday, March 3, 2004 |
Couple welcomes twins in ’00, then triplets this year
By MONROE
ROARK And baby makes seven. Seven? When Kate Van Meter arrived Jan. 20 at Piedmont Hospital, she was the fifth child delivered by her mom, Kristy, in 37 months. Two brothers, Tyler and Ford, came along just minutes ahead of her. Two older brothers, 3-year-olds Jackson and Truitt, were waiting at home for them. As you read this (and if you are a parent, you are probably cringing), Clay and Kristy Van Meter preside over a very busy house in a quiet Senoia subdivision, with a mail box marked by three ribbons, one pink, and two blue. But while the young couple is still making adjustments and will continue to do so for quite some time, they are handling their situation with extraordinary grace and good humor. They’re the all-American family, with three bassinets in the living room and a new Suburban in the driveway. For the better part of an hour one morning last week, the proud parents repeatedly told of how God, family and friends had looked out for them and provided assistance whenever and wherever it was needed. Two immediate examples of that help were present at the time, as Kristy’s mother and a part-time nanny scurried about the house doing this and that. Every birth is a miraculous one. But what has happened in this family is statistically mind-boggling: • According to the March of Dimes Web site, about 3 percent of babies born in the United States today are born in sets of two or more, and about 95 percent of those multiple births are twins. • An organization called Moms of Supertwins, devoted to multiple births or three or more, says that 14 percent of such births are spontaneous, or without any assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs) such as fertility drugs. The March of Dimes says that 56 percent of multiple births results from ARTs and that mothers over the age of 30 are most likely to have multiples. But the Van Meters used no ARTs at any time, and Kristy was 29 when the twins were born. • The National Center for Health Statistics reports that 4,594 live births from triplet deliveries took place in the U.S. in 1994. That averages out to 116.2 per 100,000. The NCHS does not keep records on families having two or more multiple births. • According to a spokesperson, Piedmont Hospital delivered seven sets of triplets and 97 sets of twins in 2003. That adds up to about 5 percent of the 4,200-plus babies born there last year. What makes the Van Meters’ story more wonderful is that all five children are healthy. The triplets were delivered at 34 1/2 weeks, which Kristy said is normal for triplets, and they came home a week after their birth, which is also normal. Actually, they were born on schedule; a C-section was planned for Jan. 20 and Kristy’s water broke that morning. The triplets all checked in at just under five pounds apiece. Tyler (4 lb. 10 oz.) arrived first, followed by Ford (4 lb. 13 oz.), with Kate (4 lb. 13 oz.) bringing up the rear. The mother had a bit more difficulty than the babies did. She was essentially bedridden from Thanksgiving until the births, spending some time in the hospital before Christmas and then a couple of weeks after the holidays. Some heart complications developed as a result of the pregnancy, but she came home about 10 days after the babies were born and has recovered almost completely, having been cleared to drive last week. A typical day at home right now consists of feedings every three hours beginning at 7:30 a.m. The newest threesome is going through a total of about 21 diapers a day. Although the new Suburban will hold the entire family (with booster seats two and infant car seats for three), the Van Meters have yet to take all five children out at one time. “We haven’t gotten that brave,” said Clay as the two oldest boys, Jackson and Truitt, scampered about amidst the infant paraphernalia. Jackson is the eldest of the children, born one minute before his brother Dec. 22, 2000. The toddlers are home most of the time, attending Mom’s Morning Out a few days a week as Senoia’s First Baptist Church. They are signed up for two days a week, but the church offered to let them come as often as they want for no additional charge during this adjustment period, one of the many ways the community has reached out to help the family. A close circle of friends at Braelinn Baptist Church, where the family attends regularly, has also been a great deal of help, and one of Clay’s former college classmates even sent word to many of his acquaintances — people the Van Meters do not even know — letting them know of the situation and encouraging them to lend a hand if they can. Clay and Kristy do not hesitate to acknowledge how much they have been blessed during this time. A State Farm agent in Peachtree City, Clay spends most of his workday helping other people prepare for the future and the unexpected. He’s doing a lot of that for his own family, as he and his wife look just a couple of years down the road to when all five children are getting around on their own in their three-bedroom house. But after seeing them at home now, it’s hard to imagine anything life throws at them taking them by surprise.
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