AND BABIES MAKE SIX ONCE CHILDLESS COUPLE SAYS FOUR IS ENOUGH

Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) September 3, 1996 | Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer For Ryan and Tricia Kelly, four-of-a-kind was the luck of the draw.

After years of prayers and visits to fertility experts, the Newbury Park couple finally became parents – times four.

On Sunday, Tricia Kelly delivered quadruplets. Her first baby was born at 12:33 p.m. The other three arrived within two minutes of each other. “It’s pretty exciting,” Tricia Kelly said. “God didn’t give us anything we couldn’t handle.” The babies, delivered by Caesarean section, remain in the intensive care unit at Los Robles Hospital/Medical Center, hospital officials said. Born five weeks premature, they won’t go home for at least a week more. Tricia Kelly is resting comfortably and can go home within the next three to four days. The one baby girl and three baby boys are healthy and happy, their papa said proudly. “We consider them the alpha and omega children,” Ryan Kelly said. “This is the beginning and the end for us. I think four is going to be plenty.” Morgan Elizabeth at five pounds 14 ounces was born first. Brendan Barry was born last at four pounds 17 ounces. The other two were named Aidan McRae and Jackson Ryan. The couple has been shopping for names ever since Tricia became pregnant in February. The good news came almost six years after the Kellys, both 35, began struggling to conceive. Their quest to become parents began four years after they got married almost a decade ago. They spent years visiting fertility specialists from California to Colorado. The tests ultimately showed the source of their problem – Tricia Kelly had endometriosis, an abnormal growth of tissue on the ovaries. Though she tried artificial insemination, fertility drugs and even surgery to have a baby, nothing seemed to work. Finally, in 1995, they saw another specialist who suggested in vitro fertilization. After one round, Tricia Kelly was pregnant. “We knew we might get more than one baby,” Ryan Kelly said. “We were just hoping Tricia would conceive a single birth.” For a first-time mom and dad, the couple handled the pregnancy well, Ryan Kelly said. He would occasionally talk to his wife’s tummy, so the babies could become familiar with their father’s voice. Tricia Kelly would also play lullaby tapes for the babies before they were born. To rest and prepare for motherhood, she eventually quit her job at Continental Singers, where she was an administrative assistant. She doesn’t plan on going back anytime soon. “She has a whole new profession now,” Ryan Kelly said. The Kellys started stocking up on supplies soon after doctors detected the pulses of four beating hearts. Four baby car seats cover the floor in their three-bedroom home. Toys, baby wipes, pacifiers and dozens of bottles are stashed wherever there’s space. Ryan Kelly has bought an estimated 796 diapers – based on his calculations, they should last exactly one month. Though happy to be parents, the Kellys admit they’re apprehensive. “Parenthood is brand new to us,” Ryan Kelly said. “But we’re absolutely thrilled and overwhelmed with joy to have these children. site los robles hospital web site los robles hospital

Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer