When the pregnancy ultrasound showed that there was not just one baby but four in Jenny’s womb, she and her partner were in for an incredible surprise. The woman was pregnant with identical quadruplets conceived naturally , an extraordinary event that only occurs once in 64 million births.
The babies were born in Dallas (Texas – USA) in March, just one day before the social distancing measures were enacted due to the coronavirus pandemic in the country. After ten weeks of intensive care in the hospital, the babies have been discharged and their parents can now enjoy them at home. We tell you its incredible and beautiful story.
Three to four babies in just one week
It is estimated that there are only 72 cases of identical quadruplets documented in the world , and the children of Jenny and Chris are one of them. There is also the particularity that the majority of registered cases are of girls, while this time we are talking about four boys: Hardy, Harrison, Hudson and Henry.
In November of last year, Jenny and Chris Marr went to the gynecologist for the first time to see their baby through ultrasound. The pregnancy had been a surprise for both of them , but after that first date it would be much more so.
And when the excited parents asked the doctor if it had beaten, he replied that not only one heart beat but three . A major surprise for new parents who had not even considered pregnancy, according to what they said in an interview with Fox News.
Immediately, the woman was transferred to a high-risk unit for multiple pregnancy, so that doctors would perform strict controls on a routine basis. So, just a week after the first ultrasound, Jenny was scheduled for another follow-up, where the doctors discovered that she was not expecting three babies but four .
In addition, the four babies shared a placenta, which further complicated the pregnancy, since a single placenta had to nourish all babies equally . However, the pregnancy went well and all four siblings grew at the same rate.
Babies were born at 28 weeks
The mother says that one of the main symptoms she experienced during pregnancy was hunger, in addition to the discomfort of having four babies who were constantly moving and barely allowing her to rest.
The babies were born March 15 at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, at 28 weeks gestation. Their arrival into the world took place by caesarean section, and although this had been scheduled at 34 weeks, the babies did not hold out any longer and came into the world earlier than expected.
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Weighing just over a kilogram, the four brothers were admitted to the NICU , and three of them required oxygen. They have remained there for ten weeks, until they were discharged just a few days ago.
Now, their parents live by and for their little ones, whom they must continually feed to make them gain weight and get stronger every day. The couple affirm that the fact of living their first weeks at home isolated by confinement is helping them to get to know each other better, strengthen ties and begin to take their first steps as a family of six.
One in 15 million births is to identical quadruplets
The chance of naturally spawning quadruplets is highly unlikely , down to one in 729,000. If we talk about identical quadruplets, this probability is further reduced, dropping to one in 15 million pregnancies if assisted reproductive techniques are used, or one in 64 million pregnancies if they are conceived naturally.
When talking about natural conception, genetic inheritance is one of the factors that weighs the most when having a multiple pregnancy. However, in the case of Jenny and Chris this event is more exceptional if possible, since they are both only children and do not have a family history of twins .
If you want to follow the story of this great family and their precious babies, you can do so on their Instagram account @themarrthemerrier. There you will find tender images that range from the ultrasounds of the four babies in their mother’s gut, to the evolution of Jenny’s pregnancy, her birth and how they are living these first days at home. You will love them!
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Photos | @jennymarr (Reproduced with permission)
VÃa | CBS DFW, USA Today, Fox News
