THREE SETS OF TWINS BORN IN CAPE IN FIVE DAYS

Visitors to Southeast Missouri Hospital last week who thought they might be seeing double were right.

Three sets of boy-girl twins were born within five days, perhaps setting a record.

All six babies were born healthy, and three sets of parents report the babies are doing well at home.

"That's unusual to have three sets of twins in one week, especially all girl-boy twins," said Ellen Keeler, charge nurse in the hospitals obstetrics unit. "I can't remember it ever happening since I've been here."

The first of the three sets of twins was born Jan. 20 to Craig and Michelle Heisserer of Benton.

Mitchell Preston was born at 6:58 p.m. and weighed in at 5 pounds and 14 ounces. Madison Nichole followed at 7:12 p.m. and weighed 6 pounds.

"We didn't find out we were having twins until we had a routine ultrasound middle of the way through the pregnancy," Michelle Heisserer said.

The couple has a 21-month-old son also.

"There were a whole bunch of people in the room in case I needed an emergency c-section," she said, "but I was able to do it without a c-section."

Heisserer said her doctor wanted each of the twins to weigh seven pounds, but she wasn't sure that was possible. "That day I said, `We've got to have them now. I can't do this any more.'"

As the Heisserer twins were collecting lots of attention at the hospital nursery, Christie Shivelbine was in labor.

On Jan. 21 twins William Grant and Taylor Christine were born to Bill and Christie Shivelbine of Cape Girardeau.

William Grant was born at 6:15 p.m. and weighed 7 pounds and 2 ounces. His sister was born at 6:16 p.m. and weighed 5 pounds and 4 ounces.

Christie Shivelbine said she knew about the twins after an ultrasound in her fifth month of pregnancy. Another ultrasound close to delivery date showed that the boy was 6 pounds and 12 ounces. "That was huge," she said. "I thought it was wrong."

The ultra sound was wrong because William Grant was even bigger.

"People were already talking about the other set of twins," Shivelbine said.

She said the experience was wonderful. "I had double everything," she said. "Double visits, double nurses, and I was treated double good."

The third set of twins were born just five minutes before kick off for the Super Bowl on Jan. 25 to Sam and Claire Tillman of Caruthersville.

Charles Hayden was born at 5:17 p.m. and weighed 6 pounds 3 ounces. Mary Claire was born at 5:22 p.m. and weighed 6 pounds.

Sam Tillman agreed that the birth of their babies was joyous.

"My wife and I were just talking about what a great experience it was," he said. "The people there were great. The doctor was great. Everything was great."

Now he and his wife are home enjoying the babies. "We've got a bunch of people here just enjoying looking at them," he said.

"We've been getting a few hours sleep here and there," he said. "The babies are doing great and we're loving it."