Triplets who faced life-threatening challenges from their first breaths are guided home by the expert hands of CHKD’s Level IV NICU team
When Tristan, Trenton, and Terry “Tre” Waters were born 15 weeks early, they were rushed to CHKD’s Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where the region’s smallest and sickest babies receive the highest level of care available.
Due to the babies’ extremely low birth weights – just under 2 pounds each – a CHKD neonatal care team was waiting to rush them through the adjoining hallways from Sentara Norfolk General, where they were born, to the NICU at CHKD.
“Our care team was the heartbeat of our entire CHKD journey. They know about babies. They truly love them. And they are honest,” says the triplets’ mom, Kendall Perkins. “They cared for each baby according to their unique needs.”
Due to the high risk of the pregnancy, Kendall and her husband, Terry Waters, met Dr. Jamil Khan, neonatologist and medical director of CHKD’s NICU, before their sons arrived. “Dr. Khan answered all our questions,” Kendall says. “What could go wrong, what could go right, and how things could progress. He even came in on his day off to be in the delivery room.”
For families with a newborn needing critical care, the journey can be emotional, often filled with fear and uncertainty. CHKD’s skilled neonatal specialists offer reassurance, patience, and compassion when parents need it most.
“At CHKD, we want to assure families that their babies are in the best hands,” says Dr. Khan. “Every baby arrives with a unique story and a unique set of challenges. Our responsibility is to be ready for all of them. Having the capacity to treat all kinds of medical conditions is not just about expertise, but about giving every child the best possible start, no matter how complex their journey begins.”
Kendall and Terry, a military family from Newport News who already had a 9-year-old son and an 18-month-old daughter at home, faced daily challenges managing the needs of all their children while navigating the roller coaster of emotions that come with having newborns requiring intensive care.
“Initially, I was scared because the babies were going to a NICU in a different hospital than me,” says Kendall. “My daughter spent time in a NICU in an adult hospital. But this was a different experience. At CHKD, they don’t just treat the baby; they care for the family as a whole. And because our sons were there for so long, the staff became an extension of our family, too.”
With 50 private rooms and 10 rooms with two beds each, CHKD’s NICU, the largest in the region, was thoughtfully designed to provide each family with maximum privacy and a quiet space for rest, which is essential for tiny patients. Families receive support from social workers, child life specialists, parent support coordinators, chaplains, lactation consultants, and more.
After more than four months in the NICU, including surgery for baby Tristan to insert a shunt to drain excess fluid from his brain into his abdomen, the babies began to come home … one by one. The family is back together now, all under one roof and settling in. The three brothers will continue to be followed closely by specialists at CHKD on an outpatient basis.
“We’re so grateful for support from our CHKD family,” says Kendall. “They’ve allowed us to focus on our children, and now that all three boys are home, we are navigating how to be a new family of seven.”
Published in CHKD's KidStuff Magazine, Summer 2026
Written by Brandi Potts • PHOTOGRAPHY by Ken Mountain
