Robert Tainsh and Cynthia Tainsh

Recorded February 25, 2009 Archived February 25, 2009 38:18 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id: DDC000507

Description

Cynthia Tainsh (50) talks with her husband, Robert Tainsh (49), about moving to Florida from New England and their experiences having twins and then triplets.

Subject Log / Time Code

- They talk about moving to Winter ark because of a job offer. Cynthia was pregnant and upset about moving away from New England.
- Robert talks about his fear of losing the babies and his wife during that time.
- They talk about the day the triplets were born, with 20 people in the room to help.
- They talk about the “assembly line” method of feeding and cleaning 5 small children at once.
- Twins now juniors at Harvard, triplets all attend Universty of Florida.

Participants

  • Robert Tainsh
  • Cynthia Tainsh

Venue / Recording Kit

Partnership Type

Fee for Service

Transcript

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00:04 My name is Doctor Robert Lynch. I am 54 years old today's date is February 25th. 2009 location is at Florida Hospital Medical Center in Orlando, Florida and my relationship partner. I'm here today with my wife, Cynthia.

00:23 And my name is Cynthia. Tenoch. I'm 50 years old. Today's date is February 25th, 2009. And the location is Florida Hospital in Orlando, Florida, and I'm here with my husband Robert.

00:38 So today I'm going to talk a little bit about how something I ended up in Orlando at Florida hospital and all that's happened to us and then past 21 years since we arrived so

00:53 I was at Harvard at the time actually when I found out about this great job at Florida hospital as a pediatric anesthesiologist. I was offered a position as a partner and so I came down and checked it out and decided that this is probably a great place to live in to raise a family at the time since he was pregnant with our are twins Robbie in Laurel and was unable to travel shoes action on bed rest. So I had to make the decision for us whether this was indeed the place that we should spend the rest of our lives. So

01:35 The the Twins were born just before we moved here about about three months before and I drove down here with our golden retriever. And since you flew down with the twins and her mom and I'd already started working. I remember going to the airport to pick Cynthia up with her mom and she's a little bit skeptical having been having grown up in New England in Florida was a big change and on the way from the airport to our rental home in Winter Park. She cried almost non-stop because of all the strip malls in the the geography wasn't quite like knowing and I think that's actually something that you said to me something. I guess. We're not in New England anymore. And I told you not to worry is Winter Park in Orlando is actually very charming and we would we would make a good life here.

02:35 Soy

02:37 Do you remember any any of that yourself? I remember I was really kind of appalled at the appearance of 436 and it was a very hot day. This was in the beginning of May. It was already in the 90s and I do remember that after we turn on to Aloma heading into Winter Park things started to look prettier with lot of old oak trees and I remember the first Side Road that I saw as you said that we're getting closer the side. Where was Joe Alka this very strange named Jo - - c a i think we've heard the story about that road since then, but once we turned into our neighborhood

03:20 I've just breathe a sigh of relief because it's really like she looked a lot more like New England and then I thought it would and Cobblestone roads d'architecture of the of the buildings were or nicer than what you saw along the strip malls of 436. I didn't I did not remember that. But actually we had we use the Florida Hospital Moving services. They was an Adventist College near where we lived in Boston and they said they would help move us down here. And I think they had to make a drop and some other state or something. And so now it's coming back to me yet. We had no furniture in our next door neighbor had to give us soft folding chairs and linens & Things.

04:17 What time but it turned out to be pretty happy experience the twins did well and we found Alba are our nanny who stayed with us until the kids were grown up and the jobs in the hospital turn out to be more than what I imagined to remember that.

04:40 We thought it was such a radical move for us to leave academic medicine to come to a another part of the country inn and we said well, let's just try it for a year or two and we don't like it. We can always go back home but Central Florida became our home and now we have five children and the kids have told me they wouldn't want to live anywhere else but in Central Florida because of the climate and just they had a pretty good life growing up there. It rained everyday at 4. Just absolutely Ford and that I thought that was cool things off. But actually it's the nature of the temperature during the day it gets warmer it by 5 is the hottest. So afterwards have be an absolute steam bath and I would take the the babies on a walk at that time and it would seem almost like steam was rising from the

05:40 Around and there were all kinds of giant bugs that we never had seen the New England before and I just wondered what kind of place was this and I'll never forget the night. I saw my first flying cockroach in our living room and I drop what I was drinking with little after bit after twins bedtime cocktail actually dropped it right out of my hand. Cuz this this giant flying cockroach came flying across the living room at me. I think they heard the scream over in st. Peters.

06:10 Wait after that first seven, it's summer getting used to it. It just we just then came the winter which was the beautiful time of year down here rental house, which of course I had I came down here in and try to find a place for us to live with you know, that the four of us the kids you and I and end the dog and see you walked into that site on seeing. I think I actually like took pictures and digital videotape of a walking tour and but then as we walked the every night is just mention if I if I could get out of work would walk the kids around the block in the twin stroller and we came across the home that we Altima lease purchase to have lived in for now 20 years. I think that must also involves a cockroach because you remember when we were being shown the house for the first time a huge cockroach ran across the floor and Helen b l the owner.

07:10 Of the house just casually picked it up and questioned her fingers and threw it away and looks and says, oh, don't worry. I'll get used to it. You'll be doing that someday and set the elect at me with those I say I will never get used to it and I never have done that either. But do you remember that you were you saw that house from outside on our walks and said I want to live there someday I said that's the house. I want to buy my name and I was for sale at was for sale and never went on the market just threw neighbors we heard for about about the house couple with two beautiful twins and and she didn't have an offer from someone else. She and she said to us if you'll match that offer, I'll sell it to you. Actually. She asked me to give a bid first and I think I think I did half of what it was worth. I didn't know having never really on the home.

08:10 And then she replaceable. Here's what I've been offered if you can match its your ass and we didn't even qualify for the mortgage. We have to go to the bank and basically put up our education is collateral. So you're the next the next thing that I saw one talked about was how that family progressed and we'd had an infertility problem. That's how we got the Twins and we decided we would have one more child.

08:40 And I would like to have one more child. And so we went through the that gift procedure again and lo and behold end up with set of triplets 2 years after the two and a half years after the Twins were born to the ultrasound. Yes. We actually have the indicated that I wanted triplets. I thought it would be neat if we had triplets, but originally there were four and that first ultrasound and is very hard. It was a little hard to tell since it was so early, but they said they thought they might see for remember driving back from the ultrasound and he were just saying I don't think I can do it. I don't think I can have for kids and

09:40 What has you feel when you saw off when he's out there at 4. I was nervous for was too many by Manu the medical ramifications of having a larger level multiple-birth. Although you did well with the twins went 35 and 1/2 weeks and that the twins are both about five and a half pound. So I knew I knew that you could do it with with twins and probably triplets quadruplets that's pushing it and obviously in our line of work we get to see kids who don't do well if you're born too early. So it was I just had the sense that it was going to be okay and that we would make it. Okay somehow and then ice it turns out on the second ultrasound. There are only three of them there and you end up carrying them to about thirty five and a half weeks. Also when we found out there were only three

10:33 I just asked God for it to please all I asked it wouldn't be and it did it would be not all boys.

10:41 Let's get it by then. Robbie was a handful and then it turned out to be all girls 90 and that was quite an event right at Florida Hospital. Your pregnancy. Havasu is complicated you you were admitted what I remember you started Contracting at 4 months. They already they gave you tribunal another medicines try to stop the labor and you on bedrest. I've been working part-time for about a year and two twins were not two years old and I had to stop working it like you said it about four months maybe and stay on bed rest at home. But I remember that when I did have to go to the hot into the hospital.

11:37 How many weeks do you think that was when I went into labor and had to go and have magnesium?

11:44 I don't remember you were in and out of the hospital constantly and had to have a lot of magnesium sulphate sulfate, which is a very uncomfortable drug and it's paralyzing. Actually. That's it. That's affected really has and two levels got so high that I was afraid. I was going to be now and it was a terrible night. And what I want to say is that the nurses were really wonderful and I remember after this terrible night of discomfort. They also gave me Stadol which which makes you feel very weird and then out of it and at one point I had double vision from the Magnesium, so I had this terrible night and then about 6 a.m. Or 7 a.m. The stairs came in and she opened the blinds and she just said she just say good morning in the most cheerful voice.

12:44 Since you said we're going to get you a nice bath and get your breakfast and she just I felt like, you know, I've been through the darkest night and then then I felt so cheered up when she came in the room and made me feel better. You're in the hospital for at least two months prior to into the kids being the triplets being born. And because you were on strict bed rest, I did things like they put your head lower than your feet and he tried to eat and drink that way which device nature and gravity you were extraordinary and comfortable and then when they added that mag sulfate, are you having trouble breathing your oxygen saturations were very very low and

13:30 Fred Hoover was your OB doc. Have I remember telling him I said we've had enough and it was I think maybe at how many weeks is 30 weeks or something or we knew the babies would be born really small and it was dangerous. But at that point I feared for your life. I knew that you weren't getting enough oxygen the baby's probably were not as in Fred was saying it's a decision that we know we have to make and it was the hardest decision. I think I've ever made and but I said, I fear that I'm going to not only lose the babies animals my wife and so I said, I think we need to just stop the max off at which we did and lo and behold you didn't go into rapid labor. You actually did. Okay and you hung out for another five or six weeks.

14:30 Yeah tires part was being separated from me for his being separated from the twins how was you know, really wrenching and difficult and we had to hire.

14:43 Succession of second Nanny's to stay up to be with him in the evenings are at night when you are on call and they often really weren't able to handle the twins that well, especially Robbie that I remember being in bed and hearing this one and he's only spoke Spanish trying to control him and he said that he was there in their high chairs in the kitchen. I could hear it and he was throwing his plate over and over again or doing something and she kept saying Robbie porfavor for more Robbie porfavor.

15:26 I think you're secretly happy that you were lying in the Batman if a deal with them to cetera, but the wonderful day did come when actually I was back at home on this turbulent pump, but I gained about 11 pounds in one week and my blood pressure went up. So it's time to deliver the babies and their and your mother was was with us and she lived in Tampa. She came over to try to help us out shall automatically adjust brown, but at the last minute I asked the some Hospital people if it's okay if my mom could come into the OR further than the delivery of them twitch. I'm so I got my mom and some scribes and a cap and gown and everything and the the C-section room was was wild. I mean they had to set up three.

16:26 I select three separate teams one for each of the babies. So they have the ice a lots and respiratory therapist and Nae Nae. I'll just analyze people and there was my mom just happiest could be she later said that it was the most child. She called the most exciting thing in her life. So glad that that was able to happen had to worry about 20 or something people in the living room. I had learned from the Twin delivery that it wasn't going to be an intimate Affair. It was going to be there is going to be a crowd watching and was an interesting thing about naming the baby's weight. We had no trouble naming the twins because we name and Robbie after for you and we named Laurel after my sister whose name Laurel and your and your your grandmother your mother's mother in Laurel after my grandmother.

17:26 Famous also Laurel was she changed it was kind of wide open except that you had always said that you loved the name Kelsey. So that was the first choice and then