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Joy Times Four

One Mom's Story of Delivering Quadruplets

By Teri Brown

The Tetricks watched in disbelief as the doctor slowly counted heads. Christina remembers being very excited for about a half an hour, until the tech started measuring and everyone got quiet. "I started to realize the implications," Christina says. "I couldn't work. In fact, I wouldn't be able to work for years. Patrick hadn't graduated college yet, and we had just bought a house on both of our incomes."

Patrick instinctively knew the exact moment Christina started becoming overwhelmed and squeezed her hand. "Let's just enjoy the moment for today," he told her. "Everything will work out."

The Tetricks had been married for only six months when the news of quadruplets came their way. Patrick is an army reservist and, not long after they heard they would soon be a family of six, his unit was activated. "About a week after we found out about the four babies, we found out that Patrick was on 'alert,' which means to be ready in case of an activation," Christina says. "We pretty much just held our breath for the next few weeks, and sure enough, he was activated with his Army Reserve unit, the 346th Military Police, on January 14, 2002."

Christina's early pregnancy was treated like a normal pregnancy, because they didn't find out about the multiple birth until she was 17 weeks. "I started seeing a specialist immediately after we found out," she says.

For Christina, being pregnant with multiples meant weekly doctor visits with ultrasounds each time. "My pregnancy was very abnormal compared to other higher-order multiple pregnancies," Christina says. "I had no problems besides the above-average feeling of being exhausted and out of breath and having a lot of swelling."

Want to see more?

• To start your very own multiples diary click here!
• The Bed Rest Blues: Moms Share Their Tips on How to Survive
• Ahead of Schedule: What to Expect When Your Multiples Are Premature
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