Catcher John Buck welcomes twins; takes an emergency leave from Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals’ catcher John Buck, 27, has taken an emergency leave from the team after his wife Brooke gave birth 12 weeks early on Thursday, May 15th to twin sons.  Cooper Buck was born first at 5:29 pm CT and weighed 4 lbs, 9 oz. He was followed Brody Buck at 5:31 pm, who weighed 4 lbs, 4 oz.  The boys are reported to be doing well despite their early arrivals.  However, Brooke did have a scare with her blood pressure according to John.

They finally let her go see the boys. It was a little scary, but we’re in good shape now. Everybody is healthy, everybody is good. We’ve had a breath of fresh air and we should enjoy it now. Even though everything is okay now, they wanted me to come back totally free and fresh of any concern. It’s just that the boys are in an intensive care unit and they just wanted me when I leave in three days to be totally good with it and that way it won’t be on my mind.

Source: Kansas City Royals; USA Today

Comments

That is an awesome weight for twins arriving 3 months early..Congrats..

- kim on May 16th, 2008

I’m sorry but someone must have written that article wrong. They either got how early they were wrong or they got the weights wrong. There is no possible way in the world for babies who are born at 28 weeks gestation to be over 4 lbs. So either they weren’t that early or the weights are wrong.

- Shawna on May 16th, 2008

They said the same about my friend’s twins who were born 6+ weeks early and at normal birth weights.

- Michelle on May 16th, 2008

My twin godsons’ were eleven weeks early, one weighed in at 4 lbs 11 oz and the other at 5 lbs 2 ozs. It’s all a matter of actual gestation. Buck’s wife may have had a complication, like gestational diabetes which would have likely prompted larger preterm babies, as in my godsons case. Both of my boys are doing great at 3 years now, and I hope John, his wife and sons long, happy lives.

I love the names he chose too! Such future baseball star names!

- Shanna on May 16th, 2008

Thank goodness that everyone is well. I spent a lot of time in the ICU and say some many preemies. Best wishes to all.

- carla at somethingaboutbaby.com on May 17th, 2008

Shawna, they may be over four pounds, but neither of the twins is very much over four pounds. That’s still very small, considering that the average weight of a full-term baby is about seven and a half pounds. Perhaps gestational diabetes was a factor, perhaps not. Maybe the Bucks just make big babies. I see no reason to question the quoted gestational age. After all, the only thing you’re likely to mix ’28 weeks’ up with is ’38 weeks’, and they wouldn’t be in the ICU then.

- Margot on May 17th, 2008

I had my oldest 4 weeks early and he weighed 6lbs 7ozs, and my youngest was 3 1/2 weeks early and he only weighed 5lbs 6 ozs, and I thought those were good weights. We have small babies in our family..

- kim on May 17th, 2008

wow those babies are huge for 28 weeks gestation, my baby girl was 28w 3d and she weighed 905 grams or 1lb 15oz granted she was small for her gestation, but the other babies in the nicu around the same age weren’t that much bigger, maybe 6-8 oz bigger, but not 2+ lbs

- tracy on May 17th, 2008

opps i meant 4 + lbs

- tracy on May 17th, 2008

Wow, God bless those babies. They are great weights for 12 week premature babies. My twin nephews were born at 28 weeks and were 1 lb 14 oz and 2 lb 2 oz – so tiny, it was unbelievable to see after having two healthy babies of my own. After 13 weeks in the NICU, they are now home and doing well.

- Stacey on May 17th, 2008

wow, i send my thoughts and prayers, but it doesn’t sound like they need many, at those fantastic weights!! congrats to the family, and thank goodness for her making big babies. i hope they are otherwise healthy. my neice was born at 28 weeks, weighing only 2 lb. 8 oz., with hydrocephaly, which has led to complications she still suffers now, at 4.5 years old.

my daughter was a month early, and weighed about 7-11, while my son, at 2 weeks early, was 8-4. my other SIL’s daughter was 2 weeks early as well, and weighed 5-13, and a friend had her daughter on her due date, and she weighed only 5-1/2 lb. babies just vary so much, as with everything else in life, it amazes the heck out of me!

- miss jaQ on May 17th, 2008

As a NICU nurse, I have to agree with Shawna. There’s really no way 28-week twins could be over 4lbs each (much less over 4 1/2 pounds, as one of them was!). A baby’s gestatational age is always +/- 2 weeks, so they could actually be 30 weeks; however, I wouldn’t believe that 30-week twins weighed that much either (gestational diabetes or not – btw, the Royals article stated that she delivered early because of high blood pressure). Generally a singleton 28-weeker is around 2lbs, and 30-weeker around 3lbs (if that!). Also, I would hope that the babies’ dad would be off more than just three days if they were truly 28 weeks, as they would not be out of the woods after just three days. Based on their weights and the amount of time their dad’s taking off, I would guess they were around 33-34 weeks (or even later, as twins are usually smaller than singletons).

Since the info about those babies’ weights and gestational age came from two different sources, I think it’s safe to say that one of them is wrong. I think USA Today probably got the gestational age wrong. Even reliable sources get things wrong sometimes.

Whatever the case may be, congrats to the Bucks on their baby boys! I love their names!

- Callie on May 17th, 2008