By:Carrie James
Couple prepares for challenges of having quadruplets with help from family, friends
Lying on a sofa in her living room, 30-year-old Susan Cuttone of East Meadow holds a water bottle atop her swollen belly.
Though she looks to be carrying only one child, Cuttone and her husband Joe will soon see four enter their lives, probably sometime in May.
"The first sonogram, we thought we were going to have triplets," said Susan Cuttone, who added that news of three was shocking enough. "Then, when we went back for a second, the doctor said, 'You're having quadruplets.'"
The Cuttones had tried to have a baby for about a year when Susan's doctor put her on a low dose of Chlomide, a fertility drug. Within six months, she became pregnant.
The plan, both Cuttones said, was to have three or four children over a period of time. Instead, they are all coming at once, which the Cuttones see as a blessing and a concern.
"It's kind of scary, but I'm sure everything will work out OK," Susan Cuttone said.
The biggest concern the two have is finances. Buying formula and diapers for one baby is expensive, and for four, it's very costly, said Joe Cuttone, 33, an electrician.
"I talked with those who had just one or two babies and how expensive it was," he said. "I've also watched parents and how they take care of their kids. I watch these parents with just one, but it's going to four times that for us."
Joe Cuttone has been working a lot of overtime in recent months, Susan Cuttone said, primarily because the couple lost her income as a certified public account. She gave up her job when her doctor recommended resting at home during while pregnant. They have bills to pay and money to save for the children, and she said he worries about it.
The Cuttones have received support from throughout East Meadow. Several people have offered to help Susan Cuttone during the day to care for the four babies.
Dina Balsamo, a neighbor and family friend who has already had one child, recently sent a flyer to the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce asking businesses to help.
"I've known Susan for so long," Balsamo said. "Anyone knows that (the Cuttones) would give their last dime to help someone. They are such good people, and I just wanted to find any little way to help them."
So far, Balsamo and the Cuttones haven't heard from any of the chamber members, but they expect to start hearing from people after the quadruplets are born.
The Cuttones have also scoured the Internet, searching for companies willing to help parents of multiple-birth children. Pampers will give three months of diapers.
Joe Cuttone's parents also plan to give the expectant couple a conversion van, since most other cars can't hold four car seats.
"I thank God we have such great friends and family," Joe Cuttone said. "They are willing to come over and spend time helping with the feeding and give my wife a little break. We have very good friends and family that have been overly generous."
In addition to finances, putting the babies on the same schedule will also challenge the Cuttones. This might be especially difficult, Susan Cuttone said, because they probably won't bring all four home together. The babies can only come home after reaching a five-pound body weight.
Susan Cuttone worries most about nights, when those volunteering to help will be at their own homes. She hopes that she can get some help in the beginning because her husband starts his work very early in the morning.
Still, the Cuttones are strong people. "If anyone can handle it, she and her husband can," Balsamo said. "Plus, we'll be here helping anyway we can."
In the end, the Cuttones said they can't wait to receive their four children into their home. "I just hope I raise them just like my parents raised me," Susan Cuttone said.
