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Mother Recovering After Delivering Sextuplets

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By STEPHEN HAMMILL The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 3, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - Karoline Byler, 29, continues to recuperate at Bayfront Medical Center after delivering sextuplets Saturday evening.

"She will not speak to the media for a couple of days," said her husband, Ben. "She walked around the hall a few times today but she's just not feeling good right now."

A 35-member medical team helped deliver five sons and one daughter via Caesarean section.

Brady, Eli, Ryan, Jackson, Charlie and MacKenzie Byler are the first sextuplets ever born in Florida. They were immediately taken to the neonatal intensive care unit at All Children's Hospital, where they are expected to remain until November.

By 5 p.m. Monday, the status for each child was as follows: Brady and Eli, stable condition; Ryan, critical condition; Jackson, Charlie and MacKenzie, serious condition.

Photographs or video will not be taken of the children as talks continue between the Byler's lawyer and representatives of the television program Inside Edition.

The Bylers have agreed to offer first images of their newborn children exclusively to the show for a fee of $10,000, according to WFLA, News Channel 8.

"We're trying to get Inside Edition to get on their horses and give us the go-ahead," Byler said.

Meanwhile Byler's mother and stepfather are tending to the couple's 4-year-old daughter, Zoe. Byler returned to work Monday, straight from the hospital. He delivers bread early mornings throughout Tampa, and as an independent contractor couldn't afford to take a day off.

"I'll have to get a helper to follow me on jobs soon," he said. "It's going to be tough."

Tonight, he'll sleep at the hospital again and awake for work at 3 a.m.

Reporter Stephen Hammill can be reached at (813) 865-1523 or at shammill@tampatrib.com

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