Hospital Thinks Thrice About Triplets Reunion

They came to see how each others’ children have grown over the years, meet the nurses who cared for their babies when they were born, exchange tips and swap war stories.

It was the 6th annual reunion held Monday afternoon for parents whose triplets were born at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange.

St. Joseph--whose staff calls it, tongue-in-cheek, the Triplet Center of the World--has delivered 14 sets of triplets and one set each of quadruplets and septuplets over the last 6 years, said Dr. Ragnar Amlie, the director of the hospital’s nurseries. The most recent set of triplets was delivered Dec. 13.

The odds of having triplets are about 1 in 9,000, Amlie said, adding that the hospital delivers about 5,000 babies annually.

He attributed the high rate of triplets to fertility drugs, the closeness of the adjacent Childrens Hospital of Orange County, as well as the fact that the hospital receives many referrals for potentially difficult and high-risk pregnancies.

Dressed in their holiday finest and on their best behavior, the children eagerly surrounded four clowns who were blowing and twisting balloons into cats, dogs and giraffes. They sat on Santa Claus’ lap and had their pictures taken, and generally had a wonderful time running around.

Patricia Frustaci, who in 1985 gave birth to septuplets, said she “came to see the doctors and nurses who helped us and to say, ‘Thank you.’ ” Only three of her septuplets survived.

David Gibbons, the father of the oldest triplets at the reunion, said it was a lot easier to care for his three 6 1/2-year-olds “when they were lying on the floor and didn’t crawl.”

The biggest challenge then was putting on and taking off 270 diapers a week. Now, he said, he and his wife, Francine, constantly count heads to keep track of where their triplets are and what they are doing.

Michele Hoover, 37, said that any parents of newborn triplets needs a sense of humor.

When her 5-year-old triplets were younger, they would destroy or break everything they could get their hands on, she said.

When that happened, she said, she would call a friend to commiserate, take pictures of the mess, then clean it up.

“Everything shall come to pass and they won’t do it anymore,” Hoover advised.