Mother Still Recuperating From Births Of Sextuplets

By STEPHEN HAMMILL The Tampa Tribune

Published: Sep 4, 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," her husband, Ben, said Monday. "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 - weighing between 2 pounds, 5 ounces and 3 pounds each - via Caesarean section.

On Monday evening, only Ryan Patrick remained in critical condition, according to All Children's Hospital. Brady Christopher and Eli Benjamin were in stable condition; Jackson Robert, Charlie Craig and MacKenzie Margaret were in serious condition.

Ryan, Jackson, Charlie and MacKenzie were on ventilators.

The babies were moved to the neonatal intensive care unit at All Children's shortly after being born Saturday and are expected to remain there until November.

Roberto Sosa, director of neonatology at All Children's, said Sunday that the babies' weights were normal for their gestation period of 29 weeks and four days.

Earlier Monday, Jackson was upgraded from critical to serious condition. The hospital plans to release updates daily.

The babies are the first sextuplets born in Florida and the 14th in the country.

Photographs or video of the children will not be released as talks continue between the Bylers' lawyer and representatives of the television program "Inside Edition."

The Wesley Chapel couple began using fertility drugs last year, saying their daughter wanted a sibling.

Upon learning of the pregnancy, they agreed to offer first images of their newborn children exclusively to the show for a fee of $10,000, according to News Channel 8.

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

Byler's mother and stepfather are tending to the couple's 4-year-old daughter, Zoe. Byler returned to work Monday after leaving the hospital.

He works an early-morning shift delivering Pepperidge Farm products 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."

Today, after sleeping in his wife's hospital room again, he planned to awake for work at 3 a.m.

Byler said support from the community has been strong. On Aug. 25, more than 500 people visited Idlewild Baptist Church for a baby shower.

Reporters Ellen Gedalius and Steve Kornacki contributed to this report. Reporter Stephen Hammill can be reached at (813) 865-1523 or shammill@tampatrib

.com.