Inquiring minds want to know...the same things over and over! Here are the questions Jennifer gets asked the most:
Q: How in the world did you end up with sextuplets? Did you really want six at once?
A: Keith and I were unable to have children without expensive help from a fertility doctor. Connor and the sextuplets were conceived using the same fertility treatments and painful shots. In the case of the sextuplets, we really got our money’s worth. Although we didn't intend to have six at a time, there isn't one of them that we'd give back, even if we could!
Q: Isn’t it dangerous to try to carry so many babies at once?
A: Absolutely! A woman’s body is engineered for one baby at a time, so any pregnancy where multiples are involved is automatically risky. In my case, the fertility doctor wanted me to reduce my pregnancy to twins or triplets to give the remaining fetuses the best chance and cut down the risk to my health. However, after much prayer and thought, Keith and I elected to keep all six and go ahead with our very high-risk pregnancy. Thanks to excellent medical care from highly-skilled doctors and nurses, plus prayers from literally thousands of people, we were blessed with six healthy little miracle babies!
Q: How are all the babies doing? Any health problems?
A: We are so fortunate that the only problems our sextuplets have are the same ones any single child might have. The only surgeries so far are a few sets of ear tubes to cure chronic ear infections. Kyle is not talking yet, but is monitored by therapists who will help bring his language skills up to those of his peers. All six kids are small for their age, which is to be expected since they were born three months early. We thank God for giving us six remarkably healthy children who just happened to arrive all in the same bundle!
Q: Are any of the sextuplets identical?
A: No. Each baby had its own placenta, so they are fraternal rather than identical. You can tell they are brothers and sisters, but most people don't have trouble telling them apart once they're around the kids for a little while.
Q: How do you make it through each day?
A: Keith and I decided from the beginning to just take one day at a time. We pray a lot and we have a fabulous group of friends and volunteers who give us regular nights off. There are some days I’m not sure how I’ll make it to lunch time, let alone bedtime, but somehow the days go by at lightning speed! We also try not to think too far ahead because the idea of buying six sets of braces or glasses gives me hives.
Q: Are you planning on having any more kids?
A: You’d be amazed how often people ask me that! The resounding answer is, “NO!” We are happy with the kids we have and do not plan any more additions to our family in the future. Maybe we’ll get a goldfish or a gerbil, but the baby-making factory is permanently closed!
Q: When did you have time to write a book?
A: Party of Nine was written over the course of two years in stolen moments while the kids were napping or while a helper was amusing them. I enjoy using my brain for something other than remembering whose turn it is to pick the next video, and writing keeps my grey cells from turning to mush!
