Twinners luck: four twins break record at Winthrop

Rebecca Klar
From left to right: CJ Catalano, Nurse Manager of Labor and Delivery at NYU Winthrop Hospital; Sica Family; Rogone Family; Alvarenga Family; Monez Family; Martin R. Chavez, MD, Chief of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at NYU Winthrop Hospital. (Photo by Richard T. Slattery)

In less than seven hours, four sets of twins were born at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola on Thursday.

“It’s something we’ve never experienced in our hospital’s history,” said Leanna Cherry, a spokeswoman.

The hospital typically does not deliver more than two sets of twins in one day, according to Dr. Martin Chavez, chief of maternal fetal medicine.

The families met that afternoon at the suggestion of CJ Catalano, nurse manager of the New Life Center at NYU Winthrop, Cherry said.

Like Chavez, Catalano had never seen that many twins born in one day.

Brenda Alvarenga of Freeport started the twin trend at 8:44 a.m., giving birth to Ava, weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce and 20 inches long. A minute later, her sister Elena, weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces and 18 inches long, joined the family. The Alvarengas were delivered by Dr. Hye In Park.

“It’s a blessing, so many sets of twins,” Alvarenga told Newsday. “I was like, this is a twin year. It must be something about October.”

Shannon and Anthony Rogone of East Rockaway followed suit when they came in for their 9:30 a.m. appointment. At 10:13 a.m. and 10:14 a.m., Dr. Elana Kastner delivered Sarah, weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 21 inches long, and Elise, weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces and 20 inches long.

Alvarenga and the Rogones were first-time parents, but the third set of twins was born to Darlene and Joe Sica of Floral Park, who already have three children. The two newest Sicas are Alexa and McKenzi, born at 11:14 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. The Sica twins were delivered by Dr. Jeffrey Miller – Alexa weighing 5 pounds and 18 inches long and McKenzi weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces and 18 inches long.

At 2:56 p.m., Dr. Ashley Schiliro delivered the last set of twins for the day to first-time parents Catherine and Joseph Monez of Mineola. Benjamin was born weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces and 18 inches long. His brother Luke, weighing 5 pounds, 8 ounces and 18.5 inches long, was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to monitor his blood sugar levels.

Luke, along with the other babies and mothers, is healthy.

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