Christmas celebrations for four little women

SOME raise a glass to Women’s Little Christmas but in the Murphy household in Cork it’s Little Women’s Christmas that prompts the celebrations.

And there are many. Katie, Kellie, Amy and Shauna have given their parents plenty cause to rejoice since they were born on January 22 last.

This time last year, Brenda Murphy was in the Erinville Maternity Hospital, revelling in the pampering as she geared up to give birth.

No such luck this Christmas, the quads and three-year-old sibling Cian are the focus of all the fuss.

"Cian's very good with them, there was no jealousy when they were born. When I was pregnant with the girls, he used to listen to their heartbeats, so he was getting used to the idea from early on. He's totally engrossed with them."

Blessed among women, some might say, Cian and his father, Pat.

Pat, who runs a plant hire company, was sent out to do the Christmas present shopping yesterday, a daunting task: "I haven't a clue what he's getting, but we won't be spending too much money on them. There are gifts from relations constantly coming in the door," said Brenda.

Just as well, considering the expense of raring four babies, with not a hand-me-down in sight.

"It's bloody expensive, but there are plenty of rewards," Brenda says.

Plenty of rewards, plenty of outlay. Consider the cost of 36 nappy changes a day, 24 feeds, five tubs of baby formula and four and a half boxes of rusks per week. Then there's the five car seats, the constant changes of clothes and at the end of it all, two very exhausted parents.

Fortunately, help is at hand a nurse arrives at 11.30pm and stays until morning to allow them get some rest.

It's limited though, given that there are seven feeds per night.

Still, Brenda and Pat had plenty of time to plan for the quads' arrival. Brenda discovered at 10 weeks that she was to have a big family.

"I was shocked of course and anxious, but the pregnancy went well, I flew through it in the end."