With quintuplets and a toddler to look after, sleep isn’t an option for these two Australian mums.
Rosemary Nolan and Melissa Keevers’ Brisbane home looks much like any other house in their suburban street. There’s a swing in the front yard, shoes outside the front door, and you can hear the giggles of their 21-month old toddler Lily drifting through the window. But inside it’s a different story. Five little bundles sleep peacefully as their birth mum, Mel, and her partner, Rosie, gaze proudly at them. This is no ordinary family.
It’s been five months since the Australian same-sex couple first showed off their quintuplets, who were born in January, to Woman’s Day. Conceived via a US sperm donor, they were still in hospital and each weighed less than 900g. Now Noah, Charlie, Eireann, Evie and Abby are at home, healthy and happy. And while their mums are busy, they’re coping well.
“It’s a piece of cake!” laughs Mel. “It’s just like it was when Lily first came home – only this time it’s multiplied by five!” adds Rosie, 22. “They feed every four hours, and by the time we’ve fed, burped and settled them, the whole routine takes about two-and-a-half hours. We each feed two at once, then whoever finishes first grabs the spare baby!
“Then they go to sleep and we clean up and put two loads of washing on. We have about 90 minutes to play with Lily and eat – then the whole thing starts all over again.”
The routine continues well in to the night too, with the quins waking at around 3am for a feed. “We both get up because otherwise it would take four hours to feed them all,” says Mel, 27. “Although, Rosie struggles to wake up – sometimes I feel like throwing a glass of cold water over her!”
Read more in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale May 30.
