The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rare set of quadruplets reaches major milestone
The babies were conceived naturally, a one in 700,000 chance.
The Miller quadruplets have reached a major milestone, celebrating their first birthday in December.
The quads — Bryant, Kenlee, Brayden and Brandon, born at 29 weeks and each weighing around 3 pounds — are thriving.
They are crawling, saying “dada” and each have their own personalities.
Multiples run in Kortney Miller’s family. But she’s the first to give birth to quadruplets.
The babies were conceived naturally, a one in 700,000 chance, according to Piedmont Newnan Hospital, where the babies were delivered. They each spent more than a month in NICU with Brayden, who spent 65 days in the NICU, the last to go home.
“People say to me, ‘How in the world do you do it?’” said Kortney Miller who lives in Palmetto. “You have got to have patience. And you need to stick to a schedule.”
Kortney Miller, describes the quadruplets like this: Kenlee, the only girl is “a princess who demands attention.” Bryant is “mischievous (he has four teeth and sometimes bites the toes of his siblings) but then he looks at you with the sweetest look on his face and you can’t help but smile.” Brandon is shy and sensitive, and Brayden is an easygoing, go-with-the-flow baby.
Justin and Kortney Miller say it’s all about teamwork and sticking to a routine and schedule. The quads all sleep through the night. They also nap at the same time in the afternoon. Kortney Miller said Bentlee, who is 5, is
“such a good big brother and is always entertaining the four.”
Piedmont Newnan Hospital recently threw the quads a birthday party to celebrate their first birthday on Dec. 16.
“Every time one of our NICU babies celebrate a milestone, such as a first birthday, it is a celebration for us all,” said Ashley Maxwell, clinical manager of Piedmont Newnan’s Level 3 NICU in a press release. “We got to know the Miller family early on in Kortney’s pregnancy and all worked together for months to prepare for their historical birth. It has been so much fun to watch them grow and see their individual personalities develop this past year.”
Kortney Miller said the family goes through one big box of diapers (between 135 and 150) a week.
“At first it was, of course, a shock and I was like, oh my goodness, my body can’t carry this many kids,” she said. “But we kept our faith real high, and we prayed and prayed. And my doctor, Dr. Turner, kept telling me everything was going to be OK. She was very supportive and helped me.”
The babies have faced some health challenges over the past year. Kenlee wears glasses and may be partially blind in one eye. But overall, Miller said all four babies are doing well.
“Sometimes I get frustrated, the kids might be all teething or crying at the same time, or get sick,” she said. “But we also made it a year and we feel very blessed and we are so happy with this milestone.”