Oh, baby!
Stacie and Randy Titus of Bradford are the proud parents of not one, not two,but four babies –– three girls and one boy –– Cora, Kenley and Lena and Luke. The quadruplets were born March 11 and are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women and Children’s Hospital in Buffalo.
“To us, we’ve accepted having four babies at the same time, and we’re truly happy. It’s just a blessing to have them,” the mother told The Era on Thursday.
Cora was born at 6:13 p.m., Luke at 6:14 p.m., Kenley at 6:15 p.m. and Lena at 6:17 p.m. –– at 31 weeks and six days.
At birth, Cora weighed 3 pounds, 2 ounces and was 14 1/4 inches long; Luke was 3 pounds, 8 ounces and 17 inches; Kenley, 3 pounds, 5 ounces and 16 3/4 inches; and Lena, 2 pounds, 8 ounces and 16 1/4 inches long.
Stacie said that she is excited, but it’s “definitely crazy now that they’re here.”
“Infertility is often unspoken of but is a terrible medical issue that many women have to face,” she stated on a YouCaring website created to financially help her and her husband with expenses. “Over the past couple of years it has been an emotional roller coaster trying to conceive. After each failed attempt to become pregnant I began to believe that I would never be able to have children. With countless trips to multiple doctors and surgery, I still was unable to conceive.”
Stacie had a difficult time coming to the realization that she may never have children to call her own. And then she saw her dream coming true — in a big way.
“It was at my eight-week appointment that my first ultrasound was performed,” the mother said. “This is when we found out the shocking news. I remember the look on the ultrasound tech’s face as she looked at the monitor with wide eyes and stated, ‘Soooo … there are many babies.’ She began to count them slowly, ‘1 … 2 … 3 …4!’”
Not surprisingly, for the Titus family, the births of the quadruplets is surely lifechanging. They had to switch vehicles, from a small car to a minivan, Stacie said.
And in the coming years, they are planning to move into a larger house. There is plenty of space on their 12-acre property in Foster Township for the construction of a new home, she said.
For now, the family will make do in their current house.
Stacie said she’s not sure when the babies will be brought home –– perhaps in two to four weeks, or longer. The four infants have to pass a variety of tests to be discharged, including being all bottle fed.
In Buffalo, the Tituses have stayed at a friend’s condo as well as at the Ronald McDonald House, which is a facility for families of children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. Now they’re traveling back and forth.
In the meantime, on Thursday, Stacie was at her Bradford home, getting ready for when her children arrive.
“It’s amazing. It’s definitely the best ever being parents,” she said.
Stacie is the Bradford YMCA 21st Century Community Learning Afterschool director and Randy works as a territory manager for Edward Garment, which is a government and corporate apparel company.
A Facebook page has been set up for people to keep track of the Titus family titled “The Titus Quads,” and the site features photographs and updates. The page has more than 1,000 “likes.”
