Quadruplets may go home early

Press, 10 January 1984, Page 6

Quadruplets may go home early

NZPA-AAP Melbourne The world’s first test-tube quadruplets may be allowed to go home early if they continue to do well, according to a spokeswoman at Melbourne’s Royal Women’s Hospital. The spokeswoman, Ms Pamela McLure, said the four babies had already been bottle-fed, although they had some difficulty sucking. She said that Sam, Christopher, Ben, and Brett Muir, now three days old, would probably be able to suck properly in a few weeks.

The babies would be tubefed a formula for some time and would remain in humidicribs for another two weeks.

It had not been decided if the mother would breast

feed and if she did the babies would need to be supplemented, she said.

Like all premature babies, the quads were expected to be kept at the hospital until 40 weeks after their conception—the equivalent of full term pregnancies. The babies were born last Friday by Caesarean section after 34 weeks.

Earlier yesterday, a consultant pediatrician, Dr Ken Mountain, said that the quads were “obviously going to be winners.”

The spokeswoman said the mother, Helen, aged 31, would probably be allowed to leave hospital in about 10 days to join her husband, Graham, in preparing their suburban Ringwood home for the arrival of the sons.