BY KATHI STEARNS

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--Kathy and Phil Coletti prayed that someday their family would be blessed by the birth of a baby.

Their prayers have been answered---times four.

In the family's first public appearance, Amelia Anne, Michael Leo, Mary Elizabeth and John Morgan Coletti, Georgia's fourth set of quadruplets, were baptized at Sacred Heart Church Nov. 4.

"We were finally blessed with a multiple pregnancy last fall," Mrs. Coletti said. "But when the doctors found out that we were having quadruplets, they recommended that we have a procedure called reduction and hope for a healthy set of twins. In their minds there was no other choice."

Mrs. Coletti recalled her husband's reaction to the doctors' recommendation after years of trying to start a family. "Phil said to the doctor, 'You mean you want us to kill two of our children?'" Mrs. Coletti said.

"You have to understand we had just come from a sonogram where we saw the hearts of our four children beating," Phil Coletti said. "There was absolutely no way that we would do anything to harm those children. We couldn't even imagine making that kind of choice."

"There was never any wavering," he said. "The only question I had was, 'Is Kathy's life in jeopardy?' Once I was sure that Kathy's life was not in question, having these children was a foregone conclusion. In hindsight, we look at our four children who are all precious to us and we wonder which two we would not have if we had followed the doctor's advice."

After that appointment Mrs. Coletti attended Mass, reflecting upon the story of the Magnificat as she prayed to Mary for strength and guidance. "It was during that Mass that I received a strong sense of peace," she said.

Returning home she contacted a support group of parents who had given birth to quadruplets who recommended a doctor who did not believe in the reduction procedure. The doctor told Mrs. Coletti that hers would be a difficult pregnancy that would require five months of bed rest.

"I want to let people who find themselves in a similar situation know that there is an alternative," she said. "They can choose life."

Mrs. Coletti, who is adopted herself, said that she has always believed that all life is sacred. "It would have been pretty hypocritical for me to even consider having an abortion when my birth mother, who was young and unwed at the time, went through a lot of pain and anxiety to care for me and give me life," she said. "How could I even think about not doing the same for my children? The five of us are here, thanks to her courage."

Mrs. Coletti was hospitalized for three months at Northside Hospital prior to her children's birth.

"The time passed pretty quickly," she said. "I was full of anticipation doing everything that I could to make sure my babies would be healthy."

After carrying the babies for 35 weeks the new members of the Coletti family arrived April 24 during a Cesarean section attended by 30 members of the Northside prenatal team.

"Each newborn baby just wailed and swung its arms around," Mrs. Coletti said. "We had been warned that these babies might not be very active since they were premature. But they were fine. After each birth everyone was so excited.

"After John (the last one born) everyone broke into applause. It was the most wonderful experience of my life; I know that nothing will ever come close to it."

"For the doctors it was a real triumph to get all those babies born in good health," Mr. Coletti said. "For them it was a successful medical accomplishment. For us it was our family miracle."

However, the worst was yet to come. A week after the delivery Mrs. Coletti had a heart attack, followed by another one a week later. She was transferred from Northside Hospital to St. Joseph's Hospital where she had quadruple bypass surgery May 11. During her hospitalization she flat-lined twice and received the anointing rite of the Catholic Church.

"I never felt like I was going to die," she said. "I couldn't believe that God would bring these beautiful children into the world and then allow their mother to be taken away."

Fearful that he might lose his wife, Mr. Coletti said he turned to his faith like never before. "It was a very traumatic time for me. I really felt like we were going to lose her," he said. "At that point I realized that Kathy's life was totally out of my hands. It is tough to realize that you are totally powerless. It will make you a firm believer in prayer."

The bypass surgery was successful and Mrs. Coletti was discharged from St. Joseph's Hospital May 17. Northside began releasing the babies May 18 in a staggered order to allow the parents to adjust to their new family.

"God has been very good to us, to return my wife to health and to give us four beautiful, healthy children," Phil Coletti said. "It has been one of the most energizing times in my life and at the same time one of the most exhausting things I've ever experienced."

Each of the children has been given a Christian first name except for Amelia. Mary is named after the mother of God, John for John the Baptist and Michael for Michael the archangel. "Amelia is named after Amelia Island, our favorite vacation resort," Mrs. Coletti said.

Once everyone was healthy the family decided to schedule the baptism at Sacred Heart Church, where the newborns will be the fourth Coletti generation in the parish.

"It was very touching for us to be together as a family as our children were baptized in our faith," Mr. Coletti said. "It was a day I will always treasure."

Each child has three godparents. "Most parents don't get to select 12 godparents all at once," Mrs. Coletti said. "We picked people who we thought would be good role models for our children and have already shown the babies and our family a lot of support."

The godparents for Amelia are Sister Frances Ann Cook, Monica LaScala and Glenn Meng; Paul Coletti, Tony Morris and Sheila Shaw are Michael's godparents; for Mary Elizabeth, Valerie and Rick Sheplin and Lee Doyle are serving as godparents; John's godparents include Cindy Jackson, Mark Coletti and Al Brunetti.

Father Stephen Churchwell, pastor of Sacred Heart, performed the baptismal rite. "Father was so patient and understanding that it helped the day go along very smoothly," Mrs. Coletti said. "He had such a good sense of humor throughout the whole thing."

The couple believes that without the family, friends and members of the parish who have walked beside them for the last year they would not have made it.

"You can't trick yourself into thinking you can handle everything by yourself," Mrs. Coletti said. "At times I wanted to believe that I could do everything for them, but then I had to remind myself I just had quadruple bypass surgery, and I need my rest. It has been really hard to let go. My neighbors and in-laws are still bringing us dinner twice a week. I haven't turned on my stove since I've been home except to warm bottles when the electricity was out from Hurricane Opal."

The couple is expecting an au pair from Sweden by the end of this month. "I still have to get a lot of rest," Mrs. Coletti said. "Things are honestly getting more manageable; the children are only eating four times a day instead of six, and they are starting to sleep through the night."

Despite all the dirty diapers and the frequent feedings the couple doesn't even want to think about their children's first day of school. "We have got a lot to enjoy before then," Mrs. Coletti said. "That day will come all too soon."