Published: December 01, 2006 11:08 pm         

Days zip by for super-pregnant woman

Quintuplets fare well as everyone waits

ST. LOUIS — Jenny Ferrill’s days go by quickly and are so busy she usually doesn’t even have a chance to nap.

At 28 weeks pregnant with quintuplets, Ferrill is looking forward to the birth of her three boys and two girls. She has been in a St. Louis hospital since the end of October and hopes to make it through Christmas before the babies are born.

Ferrill and her husband, Pete, live in Danville and will have the help of approximately 40 people to deliver their babies.

Ferrill spends her days seeing a parade of hospital staff —nurses, an occupational therapist, the chaplain, a dietician, pediatricians, a neonatologist. She also talks to her husband every day, sometimes — ironically — five times a day.

“I get lonely for my family, for my home,” she said, adding Pete keeps her optimistic and stabilized when she’s having a hard time.

She also appreciates everyone’s generosity and the cards she’s received from friends and people who don’t even know her but are following their story.

“It’s always refreshing to get mail from people,” she said, explaining it makes her feel connected to the outside world.

Ferrill has Internet access, but it is sporadic, and she also watches television.

“I’ve developed a lot of new favorite shows,” she said with a laugh.

She looks forward to the next growth ultrasound Monday to see how big the babies are. On Nov. 14, each baby weighed one and three-quarters pounds.

Ferrill also receives monitoring every day, including a bedside ultrasound to look at the amniotic fluid and make sure the babies are not in distress.

“I think I’m feeling as good as I can,” Ferrill said this week from her hospital bed, her feet propped up. It’s uncomfortable for her to switch positions and to sit up.

But the glow of pregnancy radiated from her face as she smiled and chatted with her mother, Karen Butikas, and her cousin, Mary Niemann.

Butikas came to spend five days with Ferrill and thinks her daughter looks great.

“It just gave me a boost, just seeing her,” Butikas said.

Butikas, along with friends and family, organized a benefit in October to raise money for the couple and its growing family. And many have sent donations and correspondence to Ferrill, who puts the cards and drawings on the wall of her hospital room.

“I like her to open them,” Butikas said.

Besides many reminders of home — including pictures of her family and dogs — a Santa Claus hangs from the ceiling, and a small Christmas tree lights up a corner of the room.

Niemann comes to visit Ferrill two or three times a week. Niemann lives across the state line in Illinois and works in St. Louis so they wouldn’t see a lot of each other if Ferrill wasn’t so close in the hospital.

“I’m excited. I’m just pleased with how well she’s doing,” said Niemann, a 1978 graduate of Westville High School.

Niemann said Ferrill is usually upbeat, thanks to the support she receives. Niemann sees Ferrill’s hospital stay as a great opportunity for her to bond with Ferrill.

“I really get to know Jenny better,” she said.

Ferrill expects to be in the hospital an additional five days after the babies are born, but she expects the quintuplets to be born in about eight weeks.

And although each baby has a name already, Ferrill isn’t telling.

The couple let the grandparents in on the secret, and Ferrill can name them as they move around in her continually growing belly.

She must consume 4,000 calories a day and tries to eat as much as possible, but she runs out of room by the end of the day. Ferrill said the hospital food is decent, but she made sure Butikas brought her some Steak ‘n Shake.

Ferrill’s gotten to know a lot of the staff at the hospital. One technician even brought her a piece of Thanksgiving pie and has taken her outside.

“There are a lot of wonderful nurses and techs that have gone above and beyond,” Ferrill said, adding they are getting excited about the babies’ birth, too.

FYI

To find out more about the Ferrill quintuplets, visit http://www.ferrillfive.com. Anyone who wants to send wishes to the couple can direct cards and notes to Pete and Jenny Ferrill, c/o Karen Butikas, 117 Michigan Ave., Westville, IL 61883. The family will make sure Jenny receives the mail at the hospital.