A West Des Moines family doubles in size with triplets

Des Moines, Iowa – Jodi Long from KCCI joined Amy and Brandon Nolting as they recounted the hectic experience of bringing their three newborn boys home. The boys were born in July and have been in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at MercyOne in Des Moines for the past few months.

September is NICU awareness month, according to the March of Dimes. This means that now is the time to express support for both the families of the newborn babies and the medical professionals who treat them. The Noltings have been able to get through this difficult period thanks to the bonds they have formed with the NICU nurses.

“Not only are they the nurse to our boys, but they are the nurse to us, especially the first couple of weeks when we had no idea what was going on” Amy Nolting recalled.

At 27 weeks, Nolan, Noah, and Nash were born prematurely. The newborns weighed about two pounds and measured about one foot in length. Brandon and Amy have been dividing their time between their infant sons and their toddler-aged daughter at home while they have been in the NICU for the past two months.

“Honestly, that’s been the hardest part,” Amy explained. “But when I do leave at night, which is hard, I know that the boys are just absolutely getting the best care and that makes me feel better.”

Over half of Luann Van Langen’s 44 years of experience as a NICU nurse have been spent at MercyOne. She claims that working with the young patients and their families is an honor.

“Some days are good days, and some days are not so good, but we share all those emotions and that time together, and we support each other,” Langen described. “The babies are the heart and dreams of our family, and I love to be part of their lives and their story.”