Soon-to-be parents anxious to meet their four babies

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

From her room at the IWK-Grace hospital, soon-to-be mom Nola Moses was overcome with emotion when asked last Tuesday how anxious she was to meet her new family.

The Yarmouth County woman has been pregnant with four babies and although she and her husband Jamie were not disclosing publicly when their cesarean section was scheduled, the grand arrival of their three sons and one daughter was going to be happening soon. “It’s been so long coming,” said the South Ohio resident, her voice caught in her throat as she choked back tears of joy and relief.

The couple, married for seven years, had tried for nearly five years to get pregnant but was just faced with one disappointment after another. Eventually they discovered Nola’s fallopian tubes were blocked and badly scarred and after all of the surgeries, the drugs and the procedures, the couple decided that the costly in vitro fertilization was their last and only option.

They knew going in that there was the possibility of multiple births. On the other hand, there was also the possibility the in vitro might not work. Of the 11 eggs that were harvested from Nola, only three fertilized. They were transferred back into her uterus to be followed up 16 days later with a pregnancy test and the news the couple had waited so long to hear – they were having a baby.

They soon learned otherwise. They weren’t just having a baby.

Initially the couple was told they were having triplets. But following another ultrasound they shockingly learned they were having quadruplets, which includes one set of identical twins.

The longer Moses could stay pregnant, the better for the babies. Last Wednesday she reached the 33rd week of her pregnancy. She’s been told by staff at the hospital that no one that they had never seen a quadruplet pregnancy make it as far as her’s. “One of the nurses said to me, “You may not have been meant to conceive naturally, but you are definitely meant to carry babies,’” Moses said in an interview last Tuesday. “I said, ‘Yes, I guess you’re right. I just didn’t think I’d carry them all at the same time.’”

Because her pregnancy is high risk and she has to be closely monitored, Moses has been at the IWK-Grace for the last nine weeks. Although she’s been on bed rest, she hasn’t been restricted to staying in bed. Asked how she was feeling, she said surprisingly well. And heavy.

Although, she added, she not as big as some people might expect, considering she’s carrying four babies. “I look a little bit bigger than a nine-month pregnant woman,” she said.

Asked if she’s been feeling a lot of movement from the babies, she says it’s been constant. “The two biggest babies, they’re over four pounds, they kick non-stop. It comes to the point where it hurts because they kick so much…I have to say settle down in there,” she laughed, also adding, “If there is any truth to any of those wives tales about heartburn, my children are going to be loaded with hair.”

The couple has been spending months preparing for the arrival of their children – that’s if anyone can totally prepare themselves to becoming an instant family. Jamie has been busy renovating their home and the couple has been benefiting from donations, which Nola says has come mostly in the form of clothing and diapers. “I had people show up at my baby shower, I didn’t even know who they were. People gave money and they gave gifts,” said Moses.

There have also been a couple of benefit events held at the South Ohio Community Centre held for couple, and volunteers have been lined up to help rock and feed the babies. While grateful for the help people are willing to give, Moses said they have to be careful the help they receive doesn’t become too much of a good thing.

The couple has been talking a lot with another family in Nova Scotia – Joseph and Christa MacKinnon of Greenwood, who in January had quads – seeking advice. “They just had so many people come all at once and people wouldn’t call first, they just popped over,” Moses said they told her. “It became very overwhelming and there was too many people in the house. The babies were over-stimulated. They were being held way too much. She said they wanted the help but at the same time, too much help is not a good thing either.”

Plus, if any of the children have respiratory problems, there is also the concern of having a lot of people passing through the house exposing them to possible germs.

Moses said she and her husband have talked about having a meet and greet at the community centre after they’re back home. Not a gifts event, but to give people a chance to see the babies.

And while people have been anxious to help feed and rock the babies, Moses said that’s not the only type of help they’ll need. They’ll also need help with meals, making formula – Moses will only be able to pump so much milk – mowing the lawn and cleaning. Because while the couple doesn’t fully know what lies ahead they are sure of at least one thing, they’re apt to be quite tired.

Meanwhile as they waited for the arrival of their babies, the couple still had one bit on unfinished business to attend to. While they had settled on two names, they still had two others left to decide on. “I’ve said half the reason these kids didn’t come early is because they’ve been waiting for names,” says their mother.