Born 10 weeks early, photogenic Alabama sextuplets made it through a risky delivery
At first, doctors weren’t sure the Waldrop family should go through with the pregnancy.
“We already have three children,” Courtney Waldrop, of Albertville, Ala., told Al.com when she got the news. “I've got to be here for them. I need to be healthy for them. It was just a big fear that would not leave our minds.”
Carrying multiple fetuses can be risky for both the infants and the mother. The more babies in the womb, the smaller they are and the more likely they are to have problems like respiratory distress syndrome and heart problems, according to The Guardian.
Mothers also risk anemia, nutrient deficiencies or even serious medical issues like ruptures of the uterus, according to CNN.
The Waldrops knew the risks. But after praying and considering the possibility that God was giving them this challenge for a reason, they decided to go through with it, they told Al.com.
“We are strong in our faith, but you never know how you’re going to feel when you’re actually in those shoes,” Waldrop told People. “When we let it go and turned it all over to [God], those fears—though we know the risks are still there – were lifted from us.”
The family began to document their journey on Facebook, giving updates on each development in the extraordinary pregnancy. Eventually, TLC caught word and sent a camera crew to film a TV special, which will air later in 2018.
Doctors kept tabs on the family over the next few months, making sure the babies were developing normally and the mother was feeling as well as she could.
In November, Waldrop headed to bed rest as doctors warned the babies could come prematurely.
At the hospital, doctors practiced for the delivery over and over, ready to handle the logistics of delivering six babies back to back.
“Each time we would run through the drill a nurse would be handed the baby. Then we would grab the baby, catch it, deliver it, determine if we needed to resuscitate,” Cheryl Case, neonatal and intensive care director at Huntsville Hospital told WHNT. “We ran that roll through all the different multidisciplinary departments. Just making sure we had all the key people in place.”
The day finally came on December 13, about 10 weeks early. Doctors delivered three tiny girls and three tiny boys, one after the other. All were stable. The mother, exhausted beyond measure and receiving a blood transfusion, took some well deserved rest.
Now Blu, Layke, Rawlings, Rayne, Tag and Rivers are home safe and sound with their new family after staying at the hospital to grow and get stronger. Photos of the new happy family, taken by Ashley Sargent Photography, have gone viral online.
“If there is ever to be a greater family than the infamous Pearson Family from This Is Us... I dare to say... it’s the Waldrops,” Sargent wrote on her Facebook page.
“Let me tell you about this family... they are strong, they are resilient, and they are the absolute most positive family you'll ever meet.”
Now the family is getting adjusted and settling in for life in their new – suddenly much larger – family.
“We cannot wait to share about the amazing support you all have been to us and how God has blessed us with not only 6 miracle babies but also how HE blessed us with the amazing love and support from a community and people all of over the world who never stopped praying for us,” the family wrote on their Facebook page.
This story was originally published February 28, 2018 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Born 10 weeks early, photogenic Alabama sextuplets made it through a risky delivery."