Triple the Fun -- Parents Blessed with Triplets

Dr. Paul A. Caruso (left) visits with parents Timothy Clark and Nicole Kinder and their triplets.

It's not every day that a couple learn they're having triplets. When Timothy Clark first heard the news, he didn't believe it. "I had to put the doctor on the phone to convince him I was telling the truth," says Nicole Kinder. Clark, who is himself a twin, says he and Kinder had joked about having twins, but they were shocked when he found out about the triplets. "It took a while for it to sink in," he says with a smile.

They welcomed the three tiny additions to their family -- one boy and two girls -- 23 weeks later at Southeast Hospital. Matthew Paul (4 pounds, 1 ounce; 17.5 inches), Maddison Rae-Leigh (3 pounds, 12 ounces; 16 inches) and Mallory Kayleen (3 pounds; 15.5 inches) were born Sept. 21, when Kinder was 33 weeks into her pregnancy. Clark, who was at work on the river, wasn't able to get back in time for their birth. He arrived seven hours later after driving hundreds of miles to get home.

Thankfully, the triplets didn't have any major health problems, although they spent four weeks in the Hospital's Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). "Triplets require special handling," says Paul A. Caruso, MD, Medical Director of Neonatology at Southeast Hospital. "They have special needs that a singleton baby doesn't face. There is less space and fewer nutrients in the womb for each baby, and the majority are born prematurely. Their time in the NICU helps them overcome these challenges."

Clark and Kinder appreciate all that was done to help their triplets get a good start on life. "Everyone at the Hospital was great," Kinder says. "The staff was wonderful, and we really like Dr. Caruso."

The triplets join three older siblings -- 6-year-old William, 5-year-old Nicholas and 3-year-old Alleigh -- who were all born at Southeast Hospital as well. "William has been so excited," Kinder says. "He's told everyone at school about his little brother and sisters. He wants to help take care of them, but says he's not changing any poopy diapers!"

Kinder says they commuted between their home in Chaffee, Mo., and the Hospital each day to see the triplets. "It was hard being away from them so much," she says. "We could have stayed in a room at the Hospital, but I needed to be with my other three at home." Now that the triplets are at home, Kinder says they are working on getting them on the same sleeping and feeding schedule, and they have "three of everything" to make caring for the babies easier. When Clark is away for work, Kinder's mother steps up and helps care for all the children.

The couple says that although the prospect of having triplets was stressful in the beginning, their anxiety has diminished over time, and they're thankful for their blessings. "It's scary, but we're figuring it out," Clark says. "I wouldn't give them back for the world."

Fun Fact:

Natural triplets are born about once out of every 6,400 births, and typically once per year at Southeast Hospital.