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Bountiful blessings arrive early for Struthers family
YOUNGSTOWN — As the saying goes, “Good things come in threes.”
But when the doctor told Walter Mead and his wife, Amanda, they were going to be the parents of triplets, he said he “about fell off my chair.”
Then the Meads, of Struthers, quickly got over their shock and began preparing for the birth of three children.
“Walter took on a second job and we started gathering supplies,” Amanda said.
“We are blessed,” said Walt, describing his feelings when he witnessed the birth of the triplets, all boys, by Caesarian section 51‚Ñ2 weeks early, at 7:22 and 7:23 p.m. Wednesday in St. Elizabeth Health Center.
The triplets, called “A,” “B” and “C” until they are named, all breathed on their own when they were born, said their mother, who said she was greatly relieved.
She said the most worrisome thing about the pregnancy was that they might be born too early and have problems.
During the births, Walter focused on helping Amanda relax and stay calm, he said.
“I was awake the whole time. I heard their first cries,” she said.
The Mead boys, who weighed between 4 pounds 3 ounces and 4 pounds 9 ounces, are the first triplets born at St. Elizabeth in more than a year, said Tracy McCarty, spokeswoman for Akron Children’s Hospital.
McCarty said national statistics show that in natural pregnancies, twins represent 1 in 80 births, while triplets are 1 in 8,000.
Amanda had fertility injections to aid in getting pregnant, and there are multiple births in both of their families, although this was the first set of triplets of which they are aware.
The Meads, who have two other children, Kierra, 11, a pupil at Struthers Middle School, and Alexzander, 20 months, were holding their new babies for the first time Thursday afternoon during their interview with The Vindicator in the Akron Children’s Hospital’s Special Care Unit on the seventh floor of St. Elizabeth’s.
Dad was holding “C,” Amanda was holding “B,” and “A,” the first born, was lying on a radiant warmer with an oxygen hood over his head.
Walter said he held off holding his sons until his wife was able to come from her room and also hold the boys.
The Meads said they won’t know if the boys are identical until testing is done.
Walter, a 2002 graduate of Springfield Local High School, works at Astro Shapes in Struthers and has Vindicator delivery routes in the Poland area.
Amanda, a 1997 graduate of Crestview Local High School, said they are excited about having triplets and watching them grow up and learn things together.
The Meads say they have a good support system of family and friends to help them, including Amanda’s parents, Wendee Raynes of Struthers and Robert Raynes of North Lima; and Walter’s parents, Walter and Sue Mead of New Springfield.
“We want them all to go to college,” Amanda said when asked what she wants for her children’s futures.
“I want to see all of our children get out of life all that they can. Hell, one of them might become president of the United States. We have five chances,” Walter said, laughing.
alcorn@vindy.com