Quintuplets bring joy at Christmas

Published 9:32 pm Friday, December 30, 2016

Christmas came a little early for Selma native Margaret and her husband Michael Baudinet who welcomed five babies into the world Dec. 4 at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Margaret, who is known as Moggie by those in Selma, delivered four girls and one boy after going through two heartbreaking miscarriages previously.

But now, the couple have five reasons to be thankful.

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Dr. John Elliott, an expert in multiple deliveries, delivered babies Ava, Camille, Clara, Isabelle and Luke who all weighed more than 3 pounds at birth, and were considered some of the healthiest quints delivered.

Tom Bolton, a Selma resident and Margaret’s father, said finding out he was going to be a grandfather to five new babies was quite overwhelming, but he was bursting with joy for his daughter.

“It’s been a wild ride, it will be a wild ride and we’re so excited and beside ourselves,” Bolton said.

Margaret began a blog to write about her experience from her wedding throughout the pregnancy and delivery of the babies, and talked about the day her and her husband found out there was going to be more than just one baby.

“I’ve never seen my husband go as pale as he did that night,” Margaret said in her blog, A Bundle of Baudinets.

Bolton said he and his wife Kaye have spent a lot of time traveling to and from Phoenix in the last few weeks, but getting to see their new grandbabies is all worth it.

One particular experience he remembers is when his son-in-law, keeping up with the Christmas season, began singing to one of his babies.

“He’s sitting there holding his son, and I’m just standing there. He starts singing ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ to his baby,” Bolton said. “I started chiming in, and the next thing I know, the nurses were. When that boy started singing and the nurses started singing, I don’t cry much, …but I couldn’t handle it.”

Bolton said Margaret and the babies are doing well, and will hopefully get to go home soon, but the cost of transporting both the parents and five new babies is very expensive, so they started a GoFundMe page, www.gofundme.com/baudinet-quints, to help raise $25,000.

In one of her more recent posts, Margaret talks about their wait for the quintuplets.

“For those of you waiting on the parenthood experience, please know it’s worth the wait,” she wrote. 

“And remember that I say that without an ounce of bitterness or judgment in my heart.  I have such compassion for those who God asks to wait.  It is NO easy feat.  As one who has waited, please know God will bless each and every day you wait.  Joy comes in the morning. This I know for sure.”

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