Liz Hendershott wasn’t expecting anything unusual when she had an ultrasound in February 1998, early in her third pregnancy.
She and her husband, Steve, had conceived their first two children, Jamie, now 18, and Katelyn, 12, using a low-dose fertility drug. Her doctor was not supportive of multiples, and before her treatment, made her sign a form saying that she would do selective reduction of embryos for anything more than three.
‘When you sign, you’re not even thinking about that, because you want a baby so much,? said Liz. ‘Besides, they told us we had a better shot at winning the lottery than having multiples.?
They won the baby lottery.
At the ultrasound, the technician and doctor saw two fetuses and a possible third. A week later, the third heartbeat was confirmed.
‘She called me and my comment was, ‘At least it’s not six,? because sextuplets had just made the news,? recalls Steve, who is a Brandon Middle School teacher and was chaperoning a school trip when he heard the ultrasound results. ‘Panic set in shortly after.?
Advances in infertility treatment have made multiples more common. In January, Nadya Suleman, a single mother residing in California, gave birth to octuplets who were conceived through in-vitro fertilization. Suleman also conceived six older children using the same method and has received widespread criticism.
The Hendershotts know Suleman will need a lot of help, financially, physically, and emotionally.
‘I would advise her to get psychological help,? said Steve. ‘What she did, especially unmarried, was morally and ethically wrong. It’s not best for the kids. They will suffer.?
Beth and Jeff Duval, Atlas Township residents, also know the challenge of raising multiples. They learned Beth was carrying triplets, also conceived with the help of a low-dose fertility drug, in August 2000.
‘We were totally shocked,? said Beth ‘We never in a million years expected triplets. They told us there was a one in one thousand chance. When we called to tell people, no one believed us, they thought we were joking. I was so worried about carrying them to term, but I got excited when it sunk in.?
Beth had complications early on in the pregnancy and was put on two weeks of hospital bedrest when she was about 10 weeks along. At 19 weeks, she was put on bedrest again, this time at home. She would stay on bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy. Doctors placed her on a 4,000 calorie per day diet. The goal was for the 5?7? small-framed woman to gain 60-70 pounds, but, Beth says, she overshot her goal? gaining 82 pounds.
‘At 28 weeks, I was full-term size,? recalled Beth. ‘There was a lot of pressure under my ribs. If I even tried to sit up I felt a lot of pressure. I was very uncomfortable.?
Beth’s parents came over to help with the Duvals? 2-year-old daughter, Megan. On Feb. 6, 2001, at 35 weeks, considered full-term size for triplets, the two girls and a boy were delivered via scheduled c-section. Daughter Rachel and son Zachary both weighed in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces, while daughter Ashley was 4 pounds, 12 ounces. All were healthy and came home four days later.
‘It was a big relief knowing everyone was healthy,? said Beth. ‘We were very fortunate, that’s not usually the case.?
The Hendershotts? road was not as smooth. Liz had morning sickness all day long with the triplets throughout her pregnancy. In June 1998, she learned her cervix had started to rip. It was stitched and doctor put her on bedrest. Her water broke for who was then termed ‘Baby A? when she was 21-weeks and doctors began giving the babies steroids twice a day and monitoring them constantly.
On July 3, Liz’s birthday, she had cake. The next day, July 4, she had hard labor the doctors were unable

to stop. They planned to deliver Baby A, but couldn’t get her out.
‘We were freaking out,? remembered Liz. ‘We decided not to wait.?
On July 5, at 27 weeks gestation, doctors delivered all three babies, Alexis (baby A), Rachel, and Brady in quick succession.
‘They took Brady so fast I didn’t know I had a son until the next day,? said Steve, who stayed next to Liz, who was in extreme pain. ‘The doctors basically said, ‘Good luck.? They gave us a less than 25 percent chance of bringing all three home, ever.?
The doctors warned Liz and Steve that the babies could have breathing problems, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, and a host of other medical issues including eyesight and hearing impairments.
Lexi was the smallest, weighing just 1 pound, 7 ounces. Brady weighed 1 pound, 10 ounces, while Rachel weighed in at 1 pound, 15 ounces.
‘They looked like aliens,? said Liz, who added that the doctors didn’t sugarcoat the medical status of their children.
‘I’d ask, ‘How are they doing today??? remembers Steve. ‘And they’d say, ‘They’re here.? I wish I had a nickel for every phone call we had in the middle of the night telling us to get to the hospital. Every day was a milestone.?
Rachel was the first to come home, on Oct. 5, 1998, the triplets? original due date. Lexi came home on Oct. 11, and the following day, they brought Brady home.
Sleep was in short supply for both the Hendershotts and Duvals in the first year.
‘It was really hard because the doctor wanted them fed every three hours,? said Beth. ‘When the first one woke to nurse, it woke everyone.?
The Hendershott triplets had heart and breathing monitors and between the three babies, Liz said they never slept at the same time. She was very tired, and soon learned her exhaustion was not caused by the triplets alone. A pregnancy test revealed she had conceived again.
‘I said, ‘Are you kidding me???
When the triplets were just over a year-old, the Hendershotts? last child, son Clay, was born.
The Hendershott triplets are now 10-years-old and fourth graders at Harvey Swanson Elementary School in Ortonville. The Duval triplets are 8-years-old and second graders at Reid Elementary in Goodrich.
The hardest time, says Beth, was when they were toddlers.
‘They got in everything. They’d climb on the kitchen table. We used to have to duct tape their diapers. We had to tape the fireplace shut. They jumped from toddler bed to toddler bed. We took their beds out because they stacked them… The problem was they fed off each other.?
The first year was a blur for the Hendershotts? the babies had respiratory ailments, there were no grandparents to help, and no time for adult conversation.
‘I equate it to combat,? said Steve. ‘You do what you had to do to get to the next day.?
As toddlers, the Hendershott triplets also got into trouble, shoving plastic balls down heating vents and Legos into cereal boxes. Liz and Steve believe they were ganged up on. Still, Steve says, it gets harder the older they get.
‘They want the one-on-one time and they’re always trying to get your attention. The stress is treating everyone as an individual and getting the school to think of them as individuals and not triplets.?
All of the Hendershott triplets are involved in sports and activities and their parents have to decide which game or activity to go to.
Yet, Steve says he wouldn’t trade any part of it.
‘It’s hard, but I’ve never felt so much love in my life,? he said.
Jeff agrees.
‘I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but I wouldn’t have signed up for it,? he said. ‘A lot of people say they couldn’t raise triplets, but it’s not a matter of can’t, it’s a matter of this is what we gotta do and this is how we will do it.?