BENTONVILLE, Ark. — A Bentonville family is busy with not one, not two, but three new bundles of joy in the house. Allison and Bentley Harrell gave birth to triplets at just 28 weeks, 12 weeks ahead of schedule. So for the first three months of their lives, Sutton, Beck and Sloane were in the NICU at Washington Regional Medical Center.
"85 days...twelve weeks exactly” is how long the parents say the triplets spent in the hospital. But, according to Dr. Kristine Palmer at Washington Regional, that isn’t out of the ordinary for triplets.
“The vast majority of triplets do end up in the NICU because they are usually born prematurely. So, it might be just a few weeks early,” Dr. Palmer said. “But with triplets, oftentimes they’re a lot earlier than just a few weeks. So, so that means they’ll end up staying here longer until they’re ready to go home.”
Dr. Palmer also says they’re fortunate to have all three babies going home all at the same time. However, it wasn’t like that during their time in the NICU. The triplets had to be separated.
“Sutton, she was baby A when she was born. Everything was okay. And a day after the babies arrived, she developed a spot on her lung that was hard for her to breathe. There was a ventilator that Washington Regional didn’t have that children’s hospital did have the jet ventilator that she needed,” The triplets mother, Allison, said.
After 21 days without their sister, Sutton, Beck and Sloane were reunited. On their original due, June 23rd, the three made the journey home together.
Dr. Palmer says in her 20 plus years of experience, she’s seen the support in the NICU change tremendously, as have the babies who are cared for.