Sunday, January 6, 2008

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





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26 comments:

Bloggy Mama said...

Thoses babies are so adorable!! What an amazing blessing that they are all healthy and happy, eh?!!

Lisa said...

thanks for the update! I so enjoy your blog. We have twins and can kinds of relate, just a little to what you are going through.

Denise said...

I have four kids all singletons. My youngest is 19 months and my oldest is 12. Love your blog.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic pictures ! Your sister looks a LOT like you. I read every entry in both yours and Justin's blog and have been doing since you was about 5 months pregnant. I'm a member of an online multiples club with a lady who lives near you.(i live in the UK myself and i have 2 sets of twin girls and a son)

Thanks for the update.
I lve the Bumbo picture. You gotta LOVE those things.
Much love sent to Austin and Happy new Year !

Anonymous said...

Sorry, of course i meant jayson...not justin.Lol

Anonymous said...

Does having all girls K and all boys R make your mommy brain go crazy?

How does your stomach recover from a pregnancy like that? Those of us with singletons complain of the pizzadough tummy....how do you shrink your skin back?

Did you attempt nursing or pumping or anything like that? What was that like?

Do you plan on having anymore children?

Career.Nanny said...

You have such happy babies! I always think, when I see new your new pictures, "I can't imagine how much fun it can be to have five babies!"
Of course, that thought is immediately followed by, "And how exhausting!"
Love your posts, photos and blog - keep up the good work! (missed Riley this round!)

Dorinda said...

Love the Bumbo picture. How cool that you can do a rainbow :) Now there's a big plus for quints!! I have 13 month old triplets girls - we only used 3 colors :) (plus 2 older kids - we just missed out on the two extra boys - darn!)

The Dragonfly said...

I will never get sick of seeing pictures of these five delicious babies! Thanks for the insightful Q & A - you're really making your adoring public happy! Keep it up with the blogs, we love hearing from you - but more important - keep it up with those seven kids - you guys are doing amazing things!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE seeing how the babies are growing--their smiles are beautiful and contagious. As soon as I see them, I bust out into a grin.

I don't know you (obviously), but can I come hold the babies? My daughter is two today and I need a baby fix!!

I don't want to sound like I'm being mean, but when you said you were almost as big around as you are tall, I started laughing. I could sort of tell from the pictures that you're a small girl, but I didn't think you were that small!! You poor girl!!

What's a typical day like in your house? Beginning to end....I have to know. I'm nosey like that :)

Tobi said...

I love the picture of the quints sitting in their bumbo seats. It's so cute to see them all color coordinated!

Anonymous said...

WOW! You and your siblings sure do look alike! I enjoyed your Q&A session and have a question I would like to ask.....Do you ever get a chance to have time to yourself? What do you enjoy doing? Shopping, reading? You are such an absolute inspiration! Keep up the great work! LOVE the pics! A friend in Utah

Julianne said...

Those are the cutest pictures! I LOVE the one of them with your sister and they are all smiling so big! They have changed just since I was there, but I guess that's been almost 2 months ago now, so wow, it's been a while!

Jen C. said...

I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Kathy Douglas's daughter (from Naperville). I was told about your blog after I found out that I'm pregnant with twins (due in May). I love your blog and read it often to help me feel more excited than scared to have more than one child at a time! I'm wondering if there are companies who donate stuff to you all the time because our biggest fear is the new huge expenses that will come with 2 babies, thousands of diapers and wipes and having to buy another crib, swing, bouncy seat, high chair, etc. I can't even fathom that times 5. Bless your heart and your purse!!

Nichols Family said...

Ohhhh cute, the kids in their little chairs! Those didn't come out until after my kids were older I think. Would have been handy. Great post and answers to questions...now everyone stop asking right??? Ha Ha, especially if they're identical...that's funny.
Hugs,
Jennie

Melissa said...

LOL, I love the picture of them all in the chairs!!

Anonymous said...

I just found your blog last week and have had to read it all from start to recient. Your family is amazing, thanks for sharing. I love that each of the quints has his/her own colour...great idea.

Karen said...

I still can't believe you had 5 babies...Are you WONDER WOMAN???

I have 5 1/2 weeks left and I'm freaking out...I can't even imagine how you were feeling...I totally admire you.

The calendar rules! Can't wait to see you in Texas when we sometime this summer go visit Brian's brother...we will come over and see you guys.

Hope you had a great "relaxing ha ha" holiday :)
Love ya, Karen

Unknown said...

I have to say I love the pictures. The one with your sister they are all smiles. Most of them look scared with your poor brother. Then again most men are not really good with tiny babies. My favorite picture is the "tummy time" I love Kassidy face. Its just to cute!
Thanks for the Q&A. I can only imagen how many times you have answered them questions along with millions of other ones time and time again.
You have my 6 y/o wantting me to have 5 babies. He loves looking at the pictures and watching the babies grow. He helps me read it now and its a great way to work on his reading all at the same time. Keep posting, we love reading.
God bless you all!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on such beautiful children! I really enjoy reading your blog - especially when it has pics in! The Q&A was very interesting. Hope you all have a fantastic 2008 :-D x

Kelly said...

Okay, so you were serious when you asked me if I wanted to have my picture with all five babies? I thought it would have been a pain, so I declined the offer. Now I'm for sure going to take you up on it the next day shift I sign up for! I would love to have a Rustin-Kaydence-Kyndall-Ryder-Kassidy-Kelly photo op!

Speaking of quint photos, I still need to get a hole punch out for my incredibly delightful Wilkinson Quints Calendar to hang in my kitchen.

This was such a fun post to read, Rachelle. I don't know of anyone who could have handled this miracle as well as you have. I'm really looking forward to seeing y'all soon!

Anonymous said...

I think that you are so blessed to have seven beautiful healthy children. I have a question for you; What comes to mind when you think about them all going to college? How do you you have enough time for each and every one of them individually? just curious. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, it's just that I would really like to know.

Tiffany said...

Thanks for the Q & A. I've enjoyed reading your blog. (Found it thru a mutual friend, Jared McInelly.) I have a question (sorry... you're probably sick of these!). I have twins, and find it hard to bond with them as individuals. Have you felt a bond yet? Or are you still in "survival" mode? Thanks. I think you're the perfect family for handling all you've been given.

Anonymous said...

Hi I am currently 31 weeks pregnant with triplets and wondering what your doctors did to make you feel comfortable other than the hydro therapy, mine has proscribed a massage therapist?
I know with three my cravings have gone out of control, was wondering what some of your favs. were & if you were able to get them in the hospital.

Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke said...

I LOVE the FAQ, I LOVE their colorful bumpo's...I Love seeing your siblings...i love seeing their smiles!

Anonymous said...

I love the pictures of the babies! I'm a nanny here is Cedar Park and have a week off work. I have a degree in child development from UT and have been sleep training preemies too. If you'd like any help over the next week send me an email.
sheryl_lu@sbcglobal.net