By Emily Berry
Staff Writer
Quadruplets born over the weekend at Erlanger hospital were all breathing on their own and doing well Monday as their mother recovered and their father returned to work.
Sydney, Maggie, Patrick and Tommy Rehring made an instant minivan full of babies for Kim and Matt Rehring, who live in Harrison.
Mrs. Rehring, 30, was recovering Monday at Erlanger, as Mr. Rehring, 29, returned to work at Wal-Mart.
The quadruplets' grandparents welcomed their first grandchildren and said the births were amazing and the babies were beautiful.
Monica Rehring, Matt Rehring's mother, is a nurse and was in the delivery room as the quadruplets were born Saturday afternoon by Cesarean section.
"It was such a privilege," she said. "When Matt and Kim heard their little cries, the expression on their faces was just indescribable."
She said that after Sydney arrived, nurses held her face up to her mother's.
"Maybe it was our imaginations, or wishful thinking, but it almost seemed like she just snuggled into her mom," Monica Rehring said.
The family had been hoping that the babies could hold on until 34 weeks gestation, but when one baby was not gaining weight, doctors decided to perform a Cesarean section Saturday afternoon.
Monica Rehring choked up as she described the skill with which Erlanger medical staff delivered and cared for the babies.
Roy Young, Kim's father, said his daughter called Saturday morning, so he had time to see her before the surgery.
"She was just huge and miserable," he said.
He said his wife and other family anxiously waited as the quadruplets were delivered.
They had been there for what seemed like ages when Monica Rehring came out "just boo-hooing," he said.
"We didn't know what happened at first, and then she said, 'It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.' " Mr. Young said.
He said he and his wife, Roselyn, who live in Ooltewah, have committed to coming over to help the new parents at least a few times a week so the parents can do laundry, eat dinner and whatever else they need.
"It's going to be a nerve-racking experience (for them)," Mr. Young said. "Already when we saw them, one started crying, and then another one started crying."
The new parents and the babies will live with Matt's parents, who invited the couple to move in so they would have plenty of help.
The Rehring quadruplets are the third set to be born at Erlanger in the last 20 years. In 2003, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 468 sets of quadruplets were born in the United States.
E-mail Emily Berry at eberry@timesfreepress.com
PICKING NAMES:
Kim and Matt Rehring chose names for their quadruplets well before their birth Saturday, mostly based on family names:
* Sydney Fay: Kim Rehring said she just loves the name Sydney and is a fan of the show "Alias," starring secret agent Sydney Bristow. Sydney was born at 2:45 p.m. weighing 2 pounds, 13 ounces.
* Margaret "Maggie" Elizabeth: Margaret is her maternal great, great-aunt's name. She followed her sister at 2:46 p.m. and outweighed her at 3 pounds, 6 ounces.
* Patrick Matthew: Patrick is his paternal great-uncle's first name. He was born third at 2:47 p.m., weighing 3 pounds, 12 ounces.
* Thomas Matthew: Thomas is his paternal grandfather's first name. He is the youngest quadruplet, born at 2:48 p.m. weighing 3 pounds, 10 ounces.
