5 Things You Didn’t Know About … Multiples
5 things you didn’t know about … multiples
Wide berth: It was Labor Day weekend for real when a woman delivered Florida’s first Set of sextuplets by c-section. The five boys and one girl were born Sept. 1 To Karoline Byler, 29, of Wesley Chapel. A rare case _ multiples account for only about 3 percent of all births.
Small packages: The babies will likely remain in the hospital through the mother’s due date in November. Doctors said the birth weights _ between two and three pounds _ were normal for that stage of development, but singleton newborns should ideally be about 7.5 pounds.
A little assistance: A miracle? Not exactly. The Bylers used fertility drugs to conceive. Ovulation-stimulating meds like clomiphene citrate (Clomid) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) help produce many eggs, which, if fertilized, can result in more than one fetus, considered high risk. Some doctors will advise a selective reduction, removing one or more fetus, perhaps with early defects.
Preemie alert: According to the March of Dimes, nearly 60 percent of all twins and more than 90 percent of triplets are born prematurely (before 37 weeks), when many vital organs and functions are not fully developed. The average twin pregnancy lasts 35 weeks. Triplet pregnancies, 33 weeks, with quad-and-up pregnancies, 29 or less. If a fetus can remain in utero until 30 weeks, the odds of surviving are almost assured.
Developmental distress: Multiple-birth babies have about twice the risk of congenital abnormalities including neural tube defects like spina bifida, as well as gastrointestinal and heart problems. Mothers-to-be can develop anemia, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia (high blood pressure) and placental issues.
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(Contact the writer: mmarr(AT)MiamiHerald.com)
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