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Charles Maines checks out the stomach of his wife Tamra, who is expecting triplets in only a matter of days. The Elmore City area couple credits their prayers and those of many others in the EC community for the pregnancy after trying for several years to have children. (PVDD photo by Barry Porterfield)
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Prayer comes in threes
It looks like the prayers of many were answered in a big way as an Elmore City area couple prepare for the quickly approaching arrival of their three daughters in the form of triplets.
The prayers were most definitely needed as Tamra and Charles Maines have been trying to have children ever since they were married more than six years ago.
Through all the tears and frustration during the long and often painful journey, the couple have come all the way to planning a C-section delivery of their three little ones in a matter of only days.
“We’ve tried to have kids for years. We tried adoption. None of it worked. It’s been an emotional roller-coaster,” Charles said.
“We cried and cried, prayed and prayed. I think we prayed too hard,” he said referring to the triplets on the way.
The Maines were not the only ones with an eye to the sky on their behalf.
Plenty from their local church and EC community have included the couple in their prayers for some time.
“Through this whole process starting around the adoption term our whole church and this whole town was actively praying for us,” Charles said.
“And then it finally happened, and we just went around and thanked everybody for praying for us — because it worked.”
Tamra and Charles got their start together when Tamra, who is originally from Wynnewood, graduated from nursing school more than a decade ago. It was Charles who was the nurse assigned to kind of help show her the ropes as she started her career.
They were married in 2002 and have lived in the Elmore City area for the past five years while working as nurses in Oklahoma City.
Three previous times during this journey Tamra did get pregnant as they looked to get their parenthood days started. The first time came on their honeymoon.
On all three occasions it didn’t take because of Tamra’s blocked tubes. In each case it represented a real danger to her health.
That brought the painful conclusion they had no hope of getting pregnant without some help.
Next up for the couple was an emotional discussion on the realities of not being able to have their own children and the possibility of adoption. Their talk came as they ate at the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Pauls Valley.
“We sat there and cried right there in KFC talking about having a baby,” Charles said.
“You want one so bad and it’s so emotional and you can’t have one. We finally decided we don’t want to be those two people without children.”
Their sights were then set on adoption — a process they started to pursue nearly two years ago.
During that time Tamra and Charles decided to look for help in the form of an assisted pregnancy.
They tried In Vitro Fertilization, a process by which egg cells are fertilized outside of the womb and later transferred to the woman’s uterus.
“This was our last chance,” Tamra said.
During the IVF process seven of 12 eggs were successfully fertilized with two later going back into Tamra.
It was not an easy process for either one of them but one that did the trick.
In fact it worked so well an ultrasound exam later showed they were going to have triplets.
The news wasn’t all good at that time as their physician counseled them on the possibility of a fetal reduction by one or two as a way of increasing the odds of survival for at least one of the babies.
Not a chance, Tamra said.
“I said no, that if God gave us three when we put two in then we’re keeping three,” she said.
Once the babies do arrive there should be plenty of help for Tamra as Charles and Tamra’s mother plan to alternate work schedules.
“A lot of people in our church have also volunteered to come out here too. Lots of them,” Charles said about the First Baptist Church in Elmore City.
That help has also come with four baby showers as virtually everything needed for the triplets has already been donated.
“I think everyone just wanted to be a part of this,” Tamra said.
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