“I said ‘Four babies?’ I couldn’t comprehend it. It was like somebody telling me aliens had landed in the back garden,” the shocked mom shared.
A couple, in their late 30s, was heartbroken when they learned that their son had passed away, just hours after being born. The same couple, Lorraine Cusack and her husband Johnny Byrne were in shock and disbelief when they found out they were going to have not one but four babies, a few months later in the same year. Their "rainbow" quadruplets were born at Dublin’s Coombe Hospital in December.
“Our little boy Dylan passed away in January of last year, he was only nine hours old when he died. It was absolutely devastating, he was our first and we’d been trying to get pregnant for about a year. I had a really easy pregnancy, no sickness, the scans were perfectly fine, no issues, I even went over my due date,” they told the Irish Sunday Mirror, per Dublin Live in March 2021.
Although time has passed since their baby's death, the birth of the four was bittersweet as the couple was still grieving the loss of little Dylan. Lorraine said, “When he was born he didn’t cry. We could tell straight away something was wrong. He couldn’t clear his lungs and went straight to ICU. They took out his tubes and he just passed away.” The newborn suffered from meconium aspiration which happens when a baby inhales amniotic fluid and meconium gasping for air. Most babies cough it up, but Dylan fell in the small category of 5 percent of babies who couldn't clear their lungs.
It was a heartbreaking time for the pair and in the midst of their grief they wanted to give themselves another shot at expanding their family. When they tried again they weren't expecting news so quickly, as just four months later Lorraine discovered she was pregnant. The next surprise came when they realized they weren't having just one baby. After they met the scanographer who told her the news, she said she was in pure shock. "I just couldn’t believe it. I said ‘Four, four babies?’ I couldn’t comprehend it. It was like somebody telling me aliens had landed in the back garden.”
Although a little apprehensive at first Lorraine gave birth to four babies, arriving at one-minute intervals—two boys and two girls. It's not been easy taking care of four babies and Lorraine admitted it’s “full on” but she and Johnny are in love with their family. “The boys we think favor my side and the girls take after Johnny. The boys are identical so it’s hard to tell them apart," she added.
She continued, “Cooper is the biggest and his right ear is pointy. He is definitely the most chilled out, while Nathan is a bit more of a drama queen. The girls, Erin and Ever look different, and Eve is the smallest.” The mom added that “It’s always on our minds Dylan isn’t here – as happy and as great as everything is there’s always one missing. It’s only been a year and we are still grieving – but we have four babies."
References:
https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/couple-who-lost-baby-hours-20272103
Cover Image Source: Instagram | fairy.quad.mother
