42-yr-old was surprised to learn she was expecting triplets — then doctor's 4 words during delivery changed everything
Raising one child is already tough but raising quadruplets is more like a herculean task. But quad mom Kimberly Fugate and her husband Craig don't feel so. According to TODAY, Lisa Flam interviewed Fugate as the mom shared her incredible journey of raising 4 identical babies. Fugate gave birth to her babies back on February 8, 2014. She could still recall what the doctor announced in the delivery room that changed her life. "I have more feet," the doctor had said during the delivery procedure. One of Fugate's babies ended up getting overlooked during ultrasounds.
As a result, Fugate became a mom to rare identical quadruplets at 42. Fugate shared her entire journey of motherhood with the news outlet. People can find updates about her babies on Facebook too. Fugate was already a mom to her 11-year-old daughter when she welcomed the quadruplets and she felt like the luckiest mom in the world after welcoming her 4 kids. Fugate initially had no plans to have more children but a lot had changed in her life after her quadruplets, Kenleigh, Kristen, Kayleigh and Kelsey, arrived. Taking care of them is tiring but Fugate and her husband do their duties with a smile on their faces.
"I was 13 weeks along before I found out I was pregnant and had the babies at 28 weeks and one day. When the babies were born more than two months early, they weighed between 2 and 2½ pounds and were critically ill. They spent more than three months in the NICU and needed to be on ventilators to help them breathe because their lungs were so small," the mom revealed to the news outlet, adding that except for one who had a mild growth disorder, the rest of them were healthy. Despite considering them a blessing, Fugate described that the first few months of taking care of the babies were like a roller coaster.
Kayleigh also needed eye surgery before she came home. The family of seven then moved from their two-bedroom trailer in Jayess, Mississippi to a four-bedroom mobile home. "At home, you can see they really know each other. When they babble, it sounds like they are having a conversation. The babies wore bracelets with their names on them for a while but I took them off because I was afraid they would put them in their mouths. I know without a doubt who each baby is. They have their own personalities and little physical differences, like Kristen has more hair and Kenleigh is the smallest," the mom shared.
Being a quad parent proved to be challenging for Fugate during the times when her kids woke up at the same time and they had to be fed. "I sit them in their floor seats, give each one a bite of food and rotate through them. They are really patient and they are starting to hold their own bottles a little, so that is a help," Fugate quipped, describing her babies as calm and happy. But every now and then, the quads start crying at the same time and that becomes stressful for their parents. Somedays, Fugate used to place her babies in daycare to catch up on sleep and run errands.
The quad's 11 year older sister Katelyn also gave her mom and dad a helping hand to raise the babies. "She helps in the evenings with baths and feedings. She helps get them to sleep. She plays with them and keeps them entertained. I also have my family nearby to help if I need it. Wherever I go, people ask me, 'How’s your babies?' I don’t feel any different, though. I tell people, 'I’m not the celebrity, the babies are.' That’s because they’re the rare ones. I’m just so proud to be their mom," Fugate concluded. The quadruplets received widespread media attention and their 1st birthday celebration was captured on the YouTube page of Newsocracy.