| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: WoT |
| Quints achieve a milestone |
| 2004-10-16 |
| Marine father now in good condition NAPERVILLE, IL — When Marine Sgt. Joshua Horton saw his newborn quintuplets for the first time through a home-video, he reached out his hand and touched the TV screen. Although he hasn't been able to touch the babies in real life because he is in a hospital across the country, Horton and his wife, Taunacy, hope to be together the first time doctors allow them to hold their new children. The three girls and two boys born Monday at Edward Hospital in Naperville are still too fragile to be held — but they are progressing well for being 10 weeks premature. And their 28-year-old father, who arrived in the United States the same day the babies were born after he was injured during combat in Iraq, has been upgraded from critical to good condition at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. Horton, an Aurora police officer, is expected to be released in the next three weeks, hospital officials said. Doctors determined the injuries to the right side of Horton's torso and his right leg were from shrapnel, a jagged piece of hot metal from a handgun or bomb that would have traveled toward him at a very high speed. The Oswego couple talked on the phone Friday morning for the first time since the babies' birth — "a very emotional and special moment" for them, Taunacy said at a press conference at Edward Hospital. Taunacy was released from the hospital Friday and said she looks forward to spending time with her two other children, Sean, 7, and Shaleigh, 5, whom relatives had been watching in the absence of Taunacy and her husband. The babies, who each weigh less than 2 pounds, will stay in the hospital for at least 10 more weeks. They have not yet been named because Taunacy wants to review her ideas first with her husband. "They are beautiful, and they look just like their older brother and sister, and each has their own personality," Taunacy said. "There's still a long road ahead for these angels — and hurdles along the way — but we are very hopeful, and glad they are doing so well." Preemies typically stay in the hospital until the date their mother would have been at full-term. The quints will remain in critical but stable condition throughout the first weeks of their lives, as risks for complication decline but remain possible. Each baby has its own primary nurse and they are all constantly monitored by medical staff. Against most odds, none of the babies have had any major complications during their first 72 hours of life. There are only 51 sets of surviving quints in the United States, said Dr. Julie Jensen, Taunacy's obstetrician/gynecologist. "There is a better chance of losing all five than maintaining all five," Jensen said. The Hortons were aware of the risks involved with having quintuplets but decided against reducing the number of babies. "We had many very tearful meetings. It was a very, very difficult decision for them," Jensen said. "They wanted the best for their babies, but they knew there was a chance of losing all five." The babies were delivered through Caesarean section after Taunacy's uterus had partially abrupted, a condition in which the placenta pulls away from the overstretched uterine wall, causing blood to fill the sacs where the babies were held. If doctors hadn't delivered the babies before Taunacy had a complete abruption, all five babies would have died, Jensen said. Doctors also concerned that Taunacy would lose too much blood. She ended up losing two to three units of blood. Losing one unit is typical, said Donald Taylor, director of maternal fetal medicine at Edward. The first three babies came out relatively easily, but the placenta started to come out before the other two babies were delivered. That would mean blood flow to the remaining two babies would be lost. Doctors quickly pulled out the last two babies before allowing the placenta to come out, Jensen said. All five babies were delivered in about two minutes. About five hours passed between the time of the placental abruption to the delivery, and about 30 medical staff helped with the process, Jensen said. "(We) were smiling under our masks the whole time" because the babies were delivered so well, Jensen said. Dr. Bob Covert, director of Edward's neonatal intensive care unit, said Taunacy kept asking, "Are they OK? Are they alive?" after the babies were born. Nurses immediately took pictures of the babies to show Taunacy, and the mother was able to see the babies later that night. All the babies were breathing on their own right away but were immediately put on ventilators, Covert said. The doctors' goal is to get babies off the ventilators because healthy breathing often is a sign that the rest of the body systems are functioning well, Covert said. Three of the quints are now off their ventilators, he said. That the babies have made it 72 hours without having bleeding in their brains — a common problem for premature babies that can lead to cerebral palsey or cognitive problems — is a "major step," Covert said. "They have reached a couple of very important milestones," he said. "I'm very optimistic they'll do very well." If the babies make it to 14 days, their survival rate will increase to more than 90 percent, Jensen said. However, doctors said that any baby born at this stage is at risk for abnormal development in the future. "It will be a roller coaster ride — highs and lows are normal and happen with every extremely premature baby," Taylor said. "The babies continue to progress with time . . . we still have to worry about them." For now, Taunacy is proud to display the five bracelets around her wrist, each matching a bracelet on one of her five tiny babies — which she refers to as "beautiful" jewelry. She and her husband have a positive outlook for the future of their family. "We know that, when we decided to have these five babies, that (God) would bless us and lend us strength to get through this, regardless of what might happen," Taunacy said. Monetary donations for the family can be sent to: The Horton Five, c/o Harris Bank, P.O. Box 6201, Carol Stream, IL 60197-6201, or be made in person at any Harris Bank. Anyone with in-kind donations is asked to contact the office of Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn at (312) 814-5220. |
| Posted by:Fred |