The Booster – Feb. 1950 Jonesville citizens breathed a sigh of relief Thursday not only because the flood waters surrounding the town were receding, but also because Mrs. Lester Hardie finally completed a three-day period of having babies.
Triplets – each with a different birthday – were born to Mrs. Hardie one at a time Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at Nasif’s clinic.
Dr. N. G. Nasif, attending physician, has been besieged with calls concerning the most unusual case in his career and, as far as Jonesville people are concerned, in the career of any doctor.
On Tuesday morning at 8 o’clock, Mrs. Hardie had her first baby, a five-pound boy. On Wednesday morning at 9 o’clock, she had her second, a six-pound girl, and then on Thursday morning, at 12:15 o’clock, she had her third and last, a seven-pound girl.
There was a total of more than 40 hours elapsed time between the first and third births. Between the first and second births, 25 hours elapsed. Between the second and third births, 15 hours and 15 minutes elapsed.
Dr. Nasif said the babies were full time, and all were in good condition.
Thursday morning, as townspeople “ohed” and “ahed” about the believe-it-or-not births, Mrs. Hardie was asleep, with no visitors allowed. Dr. Nasif was tired, too, but proud of the achievement.
Lester Hardie, the father, was of course, proud, but somewhat worried. There are seven other children in the family besides the new triplets, making a dozen mouths to feed. Times are bad, and so is his health.
Hardie is a commercial fisherman, has been for many years, and since 1937 the family has been living on a houseboat about three miles up the Ouachita from Jonesville. Long years on the water in all kinds of weather have aggravated his sinus trouble, and chronic bronchitis. Often when fishing is right, Hardie’s health prevents his working, he says. And as everyone knows, fishing isn’t right now, during the high water.
“The fish are too scattered now,” Hardie explained. “You can’t get a very good catch.” The Red Cross is now helping the Hardies, as it is many other families of flood-stricken Catahoula.
Mrs. Hardie will be 36 in May, and he will be 35 in June. They have been married since 1933. Five of the others children, Edna, Lucille, Anise Clothilde, R. L., Myrtle Geraldine and Wilburn, are in school. Two, Lester Paul and Shirley Ann, are pre-school age.
There are no names yet for the triplets. Hardie said that he had promised an aunt, Mrs. Lilly Ford Harris, of Quaid, that she could name the babies. She has helped Mrs. Hardie out in previous births, he said, and had asked to be allowed to name the babies. “But,” Hardie explained, “she went home or to Ferriday last night and didn’t leave a list of names.” Because of their birthplace, where three rivers meet, the names “Tensas”, “Ouachita” and “Little” were suggested. Hardie agreed they would be good names but said he had promised Mrs. Harris the naming honor. “I want to let her have her rathers about it,” he said. Mrs. Hardie was formerly Mabel Harris of Columbia. Her parents are dead. Hardie’s mother is dead, but his father, Richard Hardie, is still living. Wednesday night, waiting at Nasif’s clinic, he said, “I have lots of grandchildren. So many, I don’t get excited about these,” he was told, “you are about the only person in town who isn’t.” “Grandpa” Hardie grinned. Trying to trace back the “twins” on either side – there were definitely no triplets – “Papa” Hardie said that his wife’s mother had had twins, born dead, and that one of his cousins had twins. Aside from the fact that the triplets have different birthdays, there are other circumstances of the births that are unusual. Dr. Nasif modestly admits that the case is “probably unique in medical annals.” He has never delivered triplets before, he said, and had never heard or read of them arriving one each for three consecutive days. Twins with different birthdays are fairly common, with such births usually occurring around the midnight hours. Twins have also been born in different years, when one was born on December .31 and one on January 1. Dr. Nasif said that the birth of the first baby was normal by spontaneous labor. The second two were breech births by induced were breech births by induced labor. (sic) “After the first baby came,” he said, “I thought the second would follow soon as a normal procedure. After I saw that it wasn’t coming of its own accord, labor was induced. Then when the second come, I expected the third to follow, but it would not, so labor had to be induced again.” The first and third babies are identical twins, Dr. Nasif explained, in that they were contained in the same placenta. The second born baby was in a separate placenta, and biologically is a “fraternal twin” of the others. But being three, they are triplets. Hardie was planning to move his houseboat and the remainder of his family down to Jonesville Thursday afternoon, to be nearer his wife, and new babies, who will be hospitalized for a while longer.
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