On Septembrer 18, Joy and Byron Couch were the parents of one two-year-old daughter. Her name is Emily. Only 24 hours later, the became the parents of five children. Joy Couch gave birth to quadruplets at 1 :30 p.m. at Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. Each baby weighed between three and four pounds. Their names are Isaa, Jacob, Molly and Amy.
All the babies were healthy, but ther were so small that they had to stay in the hospital until they gained weight.
Now the babies have all come home. Life in the Couch house has changed in many ways. The Couches do not nedd clocks any more. « Our lives go in three hour cycles », said Byron. « we get the babies up to feed them and diaper them, That takes an hour. Then two hours later , we do it again ».
The babies are not identical quadruplets. Genetically, they are four different people. Each baby was born from a separte egg. Their parents are beginning to undestand how the babies are different. « We can see their differente personalities « Byron says. « Isaac is the crier, Molly and Amy are relaxed and calm and Jacob is lazy »
Sometimes, it’s easy for visitors to forget about Emily. But Jy and Byron are very careful about her needs. Emily tries very hard to be a good helper. « She’s done very well with all the changes » says Joy.
For a while, the babies cannot have very many visitors. The couches have to be careful about colds and infectionS because the babies are so small.
It’s hard fo the Couches to think about the future. Someday, they will have five teenagers !
Adapted from an article by Randy Oppenheimer,
Middleton Journal
D.R. Maritza Silva Gordillo