April 11, 2004

Photo by Dan McWilliams
THE VAN TOL FIVE Willem and Shannon van Tol’s household population went from two to seven after the couple became parents of the first surviving set of quintuplets in Tennessee history. Resting in their parents’ arms are (from left) Meghan, Willem, Sean, Isabella, and Ashley, born Jan. 14 at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville.

All Saints parishioner Shannon van Tol gives birth to quintuplets.

When Willem Scott van Tol announced his presence to the world in a Knoxville maternity ward Jan. 14, it was just the beginning of a most special delivery for a couple from All Saints Parish.

Little Willem’s cry heralded the historic arrival of his four siblings, Sean Connor, Isabella Marie, Ashley Faith, and Meghan Ann, all in the space of two minutes.

“They took them out real quick,” said mom Shannon van Tol, who along with husband Willem became the parents of Tennessee’s first-ever set of quintuplets in which all five babies survived birth. Only one other birth of quints is believed to have occurred in the state.

Married nine years and now first-time parents, the van Tols have settled into a routine that includes baby-formula deliveries by tractor-trailer and dozens of daily diaper changes.

Five babies in two minutes

Mrs. van Tol was in labor for 26 minutes in the delivery room at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. Doctors, nurses, and others in a team of more than two dozen delivered the quints by C-section between 12:22 and 12:24 p.m.

“We didn’t try anything fancy,” said the new mom. “We were glad to get to 33 weeks with them. They were born seven weeks early, but they’re healthy, so I’m happy.”

Firstborn Willem weighed an even 4 pounds at birth, and brother Sean tipped the scales at 3 pounds, 11 ounces. Isabella weighed 3 pounds, 5 ounces, and Ashley 2 pounds, 10 ounces, 1 ounce more than Meghan.

All five were moved to the neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) next door at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, where they stayed for the next two to four weeks.

“We were really blessed,” said Mrs. van Tol. “They weren’t in the NICU for very long. The two boys came home Feb. 6. Isabella came home Feb. 9, and Ashley and Meghan came home Feb. 15.”

Still healthy

As they approach their 3-month birthdays, the quints are doing wonderfully, their mom said, ticking off a list of blessings.

“They don’t have any birth defects,” she said. “We’ve had their hearing and their eyes screened. There’s nothing wrong with any of them. They all breathe fine. They take their bottles. They do what regular newborns do.”

As of March 31 young Willem was an ounce shy of 9 pounds, with his siblings gaining weight in proper proportion as well. “They’re growing pretty well too,” said Mrs. van Tol.

Individual traits emerge

The van Tol quints do not include any identical twins or triplets and—as their mother will testify—no identical personalities.

“It’s amazing how different each one of them is,” she said. “Meghan is really spunky, high-energy, and very active, even though she’s the smallest and is 5 and a half pounds at this point.

“Ashley is delicate, kind of graceful with her movements, and seems like she’s going to be a ballerina type. We call Isabella ‘Miss Prissy’ or ‘Queenie.’ Everything about her is all-girl.”

Willem “is the laid-back boy,” Mrs. van Tol added. “He’s low maintenance, and he’s pretty easy-going. Sean is into everybody’s business. He’s always looking around, and when he eats, he talks.”

Feedings, changes quintupled

Taking care of newborns is an around-the-clock labor of love for any mom and dad, but the van Tols are growing accustomed to performing all of the required tasks multiple times over.

“We’re now at bottles every four hours,” said Mrs. van Tol. “That’s six times five—30 bottles a day.”

To her husband falls one of the more unpleasant duties.

“We probably go through between 40 and 50 diapers a day,” said Mrs. van Tol. “My husband has to empty the Diaper Champs a couple of times a day. It seems like they’re always full.”

Mr. van Tol said “the work never stops” in taking care of the quints. “Every day is the same—it’s pretty much feeding at 2, 6, and 10, p.m. and a.m. Between those times you try to do the chores around the house and find some time to nap.”

Regarding nap time, the van Tols have the ever-present fear that—when all of the babies manage to fall asleep—one might awaken, cry, and rouse the other four. The likelihood of that happening? “Every night,” said Mr. van Tol.

Donations, prayers pour in

Fellow parishioners, family members, neighbors, corporations, and local businesses have helped the van Tols with their bundles of joy. Enfamil donated formula by the caseload for as long as the quints need it. Huggies supplied numerous boxes of preemie and newborn diapers, Mrs. van Tol said. “People in my neighborhood have started a diaper fund, and that’s been a big help.”

A local dealership has loaned the couple a minivan to use for three years.

Others wishing to help the family may send contributions to the van Tol Quintuplets Fund in care of Suntrust Bank, 320 N. Cedar Bluff Road, Knoxville, TN 37923.

Mrs. van Tol is a lawyer, and her husband is a software engineer; both are grateful to their employers for giving them plenty of parental leave.

“They’ve been wonderful,” said Mrs. van Tol.

The van Tols’ prayers for healthy babies went up to heaven along with those of All Saints parishioners, the couple’s co-workers from other faith traditions, and many others. “We really had quite an outpouring of prayer support,” said Mrs. van Tol.

All Saints members have brought the couple Communion, and parishioner Lucy Hughes has helped organize prayer groups for the van Tols.

“They had people praying for each one of our children before they were born,” said Mrs. van Tol.

Sharing their story

The van Tol quints were born almost 17 years to the day since Tennessee’s only other such birth on record. One boy survived out of three boys and two girls born to the Hawkins family Jan. 20, 1987, at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville.

The Dionne quintuplets, the first known set to survive birth, became internationally famous in the 1930s. Even though worldwide news coverage doesn’t necessarily accompany the births of quints anymore, a measure of local and regional celebrity is automatically bestowed upon families having them. Adjusting to that may be one of the hardest tasks for the van Tols.

“I’m not as bothered by it as Shannon is,” said Mr. van Tol. “It can get out of control, but I think there’s also a positive story in it, and it makes people happy to hear about it.”

Mrs. van Tol said she hopes her children can have “normal, healthy lives” and avoid as much of the media spotlight as possible.

“It’s still a balancing act because we’re pretty private people,” she said. “You want to share God’s blessings, but at the same time you want to protect them so they grow up as normal as possible.”

Photo by Dan McWilliams
AFTERNOON NAP Van Tol quintuplets (from left) Isabella, Ashley, Meghan, Sean, and Willem sleep, stretch, and stir in their Bouncy Seats following an afternoon feeding March 31.