MISSOURI — Double trouble...times 12!
A Missouri hospital is on overdrive after a dozen twins were born around the same time.
All the precious little ones arrived ahead of their due date, and the staff at one Kansas City Hospital is working to keep up.
"That they already have their little personalities and she's a little bit feistier, and Isaac, he was the poor little guy squished underneath her," said one mom, Amanda Tollifer.
First time mom, Amanda Tollifer is still amazed holding her newborn twins, Cara and Isaac. They were born eight weeks early. She's adjusting to life in the NICU at St. Luke's and was surprised to learn how much company she has there.
"Had no idea that having twins right now was such the in thing," Tollifer says.
It certainly appears to be. Twelve sets of twins in the NICU at the same time is a record for the hospital. A lot of families seeing double.
"And we always see multiples in here, but not twelve sacks at one time," said Danielle Gathers, a nurse at St. Luke's.
The hospital says staffing has been a challenge. All the twins were born between five and 14 weeks early. Some will be here much longer than others, and it can be stressful for families.
"I like that they have each other to kind of bounce off of," said Gathers. "We don't always have multiple sets of multiple. So these moms have each other."
The history making babies will spend Thanksgiving here at St. Lukes. The goal is for all of these tiny patients to grow and get healthy enough to go home.
"We're hoping that they'll be home by Christmas," says Tollifer. That's the ultimate goal.
