Frequently Asked Questions, Set 1

I get asked a lot of questions, so I thought I would dedicate this post to answering some of the most common ones. Feel free to make a comment and ask any other questions, and I will answer them in another post.

Q: How did you feel when you found out you were pregnant with quintuplets?

A: Totally shocked and very scared. After the initial shock wore off, I kind of went into denial. The doctor had said that it was very common for one or more of the fetuses to spontaneously abort during the early weeks of the pregnancy, and I kept thinking that I would go back for another ultrasound and there would no longer be five.

Q: What did it feel like to have five babies moving around during the pregnancy?

A: It was very cool to feel the different babies moving. I expected it to feel like a major cat-fight was going on in there all the time, but it really didn’t. I think that space was so limited and I was stretched so tight, that there wasn’t a lot of room for movement. I could feel the babies move individually, though. The most interesting feeling was when a couple of them would get hiccups at the same time.

Q: How much weight did you gain during the pregnancy?

A: I gained a total of 69 lbs. The doctors wanted me to aim for 75-100 lbs, so I got pretty close. My total girth was 54 inches. I am only 5 feet 2 inches tall (62 inches), so I was almost as big around as I am tall.

Q: Do the babies have middle names?

A: The boys have middle names and the girls do not. The boys are Ryder Nelson (Nelson is Jayson’s mom’s maiden name) and Rustin Curtis (Curtis is my maiden name). Wilkinson is such a long last name that we figured the girls didn’t need middle names. I don’t have a middle name (although I use my maiden name as a middle name now) and my older daughter, Kaiya, doesn’t have a middle name either.

Q: Are they all identical?

A: The fact that there are both boys and girls makes it impossible for all the babies to be identical. There are no sets of identicals in my bunch---all of them look pretty different from each other.

Q: How many babies were you trying for?

A: ONE!!! All we wanted was one healthy baby! Even using fertility drugs, the odds were high (80%) that I would have a singleton. No one in their right mind would “try” to have five! It is such a huge risk to both the mother and the babies. We were extremely blessed to have such a favorable outcome. I definitely consider it a miracle!

Q: How are your older kids, Riley and Kaiya, handling things?

A: Riley and Kaiya have been champs through the whole thing. They have been great helpers and rarely get jealous of the attention that the babies receive. They have loved seeing themselves on TV every once in a while. Occasionally they will act out, but no more than if we had had one baby instead of five.

Q: How are YOU doing?

A: Great! After the initial recovery period where I had some complications (kidneys quit working, LOTS of swelling, etc.) I have been doing really well. Thanks to the wonderful “night nanny” volunteers, most nights I get some decent sleep, which really makes all the difference.


Q: How long do you think you will need help for?

A: Good question---maybe till the babies turn 18 and go off to college??? Just kidding. I really don’t know----things have gotten a little easier now that the babies are older, can hold their heads up and can be somewhat entertained by toys. But solid foods and crawling are just around the corner and that could definitely make things harder!

Q: How do you tell the babies apart?

A: They are all different. They all look different from each other and they have their own personalities. Ryder is the most animated. He has a huge smile. He demands the most attention and would love to be held 24 hours a day. Rustin is the most mellow of the bunch. He is very easy going and can seem quite serious, but he has a great giggle. Kyndall is the smallest of the bunch and is just a very sweet little thing. She and Rustin are my “easiest” babies. She is pretty easy to please and hardly ever gets really mad. Kaydence is full of fun. She loves to smile and play. She can also be very demanding at times. Kassidy is the most interactive with the other babies so far. She occasionally wakes up from naps laughing and almost always gives a huge smile when you go in to pick her up.

My "little" sister, Tiare, who was here visiting this week.

My brother, Shane, who was also visiting. If you can't tell, one of my favorite things to do with visitors is make them take a picture holding all the babies!!

Tummy Time! Kyndall, Ryder and Kassidy


Rustin, Ryder, Kassidy, Kaydence, and Kyndall with Big sister Kaiya

Frequently Asked Questions, Set 1