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Oh, Baby, Baby! (Repeat 5 Times)

Tribune photo by VALERIE KALFRIN

Chas and Jeannette Burdick hold twins Tyler, left, and Ian, one of six sets of twins born at St. Joseph's Hospital last week.

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By VALERIE KALFRIN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 30, 2008

TAMPA - A wave of a dozen napping, fussing, squirming and crying babies crested into the nursery of St. Joseph's Women's Hospital last week.

For the first time in quite a while, hospital staffers say, the nursery was abuzz with six sets of twins, all delivered within three days.

"It was jam-packed with babies," new father Chas Burdick said Tuesday, cradling son, Tyler, who arrived with twin brother Ian during the mini baby boom.

Last year the hospital delivered 7,415 babies, including 127 sets of twins, hospital spokeswoman Jackie Farruggio said. Having six sets of twins in the hospital at once is an unusual event, she said.

"It was surprising and exciting," registered nurse Shannon Higgins said, adding that the staff has been joking, "Don't drink the water unless you want twins."

The Burdicks said they were among four sets of parents who were scheduled to deliver by Cesarean section on Thursday.

As it turns out, one set of twins was born Wednesday, three sets were born Thursday and two sets were born Friday, Farruggio said.

When Chas Burdick, 31, of Odessa, dropped by the nursery on Saturday, he said he saw "babies everywhere."

His wife, Jeannette, had a different viewpoint. "I would see the moms still recovering. Everybody was like. ..." She sighed as if exhausted.

The twins are the couple's first children together. They have three young children from previous relationships. The couple teased that they're "taking appointments" for anyone interested in babysitting.

"He's always joked we're having twins," Jeannette Burdick said of her husband.

"That's the last time I joke about that," he replied.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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