An Indianapolis NICU nurse who cared for a teen mom that gave birth to triplets at 14 has decided to adopt her and her children to expand her family.
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According to PEOPLE, Katrina Mullen,45, adopted Shariya Small,17, two years after they met during Small’s pregnancy. Small was 14 when she gave birth to Serenitee, Samari, and Sarayah at Community Hospital North in 2020. Although hesitant to open up about her personal life, Small developed a bond with Mullen, who said the then-eighth grade would be “alone for days at a time sitting at her babies’ bedside.”
The triplets spent five months in the neonatal intensive care unit, but Mullen gave the teen her phone number and told her to stay in touch if she needed anything. They stayed in touch, and Mullen visited Small at her home, where she learned about the teen mom’s living situation. Small would sleep on the couch, and her three babies would sleep in a playpen.
“I’d help her when she was crying and overwhelmed. I couldn’t fix it, but I would listen and support her and say, ‘You can do this,’”But I was becoming increasingly concerned about her support system. I couldn’t figure out why she was calling me so often.”
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Mullen knew her current situation wasn’t suitable for raising babies and noticed one of the triplets, Samari, didn’t appear well. He was hospitalized and diagnosed with failure to thrive; this condition affects children underweight for their age. Thankfully, a social worker from the Department of Social Service called Mullen and said Small requested to live with her. Although she knew it would be hard because she had three children, she wanted to help the teen.
“I knew Shariya was intelligent and resilient, and she just needed a safe place to put her roots. I knew it would be hard, but we’d figure it out.
“In the beginning, it was me pretty much doing everything for the babies and her observing and participating when she felt confident. And now she’s in charge,” Mullen says. “I’ll watch them if she wants to go hang out with her friends and stuff that teenagers do. But I’m just her backup,”
The NICU nurse also created a GoFundMe account to help build a financial cushion for Small’s triplets. So far, the page has raised more than $35,000 since its launch. Small recently graduated from an alternative school, and her adoption was finalized in February of this year. Mullen also adopted her two-year-old triplets, and the money will help Smalls with her college education and other “adventures” coming in the fall. She told TODAY that she wants to pursue social work as a career.
Mullen said it hasn’t been easy, but she’s proud of Small for her patience and intelligence.
“I’m so proud to be Shariya’s mom. She just amazes me every day. When she’s frustrated with the babies, she never raises her voice. She’s just blossoming into this incredible woman.”