“I didn’t think I would ever get the chance to be a mother of even one baby, so now that I am going to be a mother to five," said the mom.
Congratulations are in order for a Mississippi couple who welcomed rare quintuplets earlier this month. Haylee and Shawn Ladner’s babies, daughters, Adalyn, Everleigh, Malley, Magnolia, and son Jake were delivered at the University of Mississippi Medical Center on February 16. The four girls are identical quadruplets, which happens when one fertilized egg is divided four ways, reported TODAY.
A Mississippi couple welcomes rare set of quintuplets — with four identical girls.
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 28, 2023
Quintuplets occur in roughly one in 60 million births and the odds of having identical quadruplets are about one in 15 million. https://t.co/Y0CqaUXfWT
The smallest baby was Malley, who weighed in at 1 pound, 11 ounces. All the babies were born by Caesarean section, per a release by UMMC. After experiencing two miscarriages, Haylee and Shawn took to intrauterine insemination (IUI) in 2022. An IUI is when healthy sperm is placed in the uterus as close to the time of ovulation as possible.
A few weeks later, five heartbeats appeared on the ultrasound screen. Quintuplets occur in roughly one in 60 million births, according to Dr. Rachael Morris, an associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “Haylee’s pregnancy was quite rare,” Morris said in a news release. "There is only one other report of this combination in the literature from 2018.”
Haylee and Shawn Ladner’s babies — daughters, Adalyn, Everleigh, Malley, Magnolia and son Jake — were delivered on Feb. 16
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) March 1, 2023
The four girls are identical quadruplets, meaning one fertilized egg divided four ways — the odds of which are one in 15 millionhttps://t.co/0sNYuRRlIt
Haylee Ladner who is a middle school teacher, calls the quints her “miracle babies.” She shared at the news conference, “I didn’t think I would ever get the chance to be a mother of even one baby, so now that I am going to be a mother to five, it is the greatest blessing of my entire life.”
“A daily schedule was in place for the entire duration of her stay in the hospital, and team members were willing and happy to be called in even if this happened at 2 a.m.,” she said, per WJTV. “There were five warmers and two rooms ready for the babies, and several neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, fellows, nurses, and respiratory therapists ready every day. We were ready for weeks for this birth,” she added.
Five beautiful new babies came into the world on Feb. 16, all born to Haylee and Shawn Ladner of Purvis. We’re thrilled to welcome Adalyn Elizabeth, Everleigh Rose, Malley Kate, Magnolia Mae, and Jake Easton into the world! pic.twitter.com/2gZxfnWpWt
— The University of Mississippi Medical Center (@UMMCnews) February 24, 2023
Last year, Ladner came on the Good Things with Rebecca Turner podcast, where she opened up about her growing family and her faith. “We wanted to share this story for two reasons—one because we believe they are miracles given to us by God, and two, we wanted to do it to hopefully help other couples who have gone through infertility, too, know that they have some hope out there in the world as well," she said.
The Ladner family grew from two to seven Feb. 16 when Haylee and Shawn welcomed the birth of quintuplets at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants at UMMC. All five babies are thriving in neonatal intensive care at @childrensofms. Don't miss this story: https://t.co/MEVM0w3Ns6 pic.twitter.com/uJ49DILvee
— The University of Mississippi Medical Center (@UMMCnews) February 24, 2023
Ladner carried the babies until 28 weeks gestation, which is common for higher-order multiples. She said the infants are "thriving" in the neonatal intensive care unit. “We’re looking forward to the day when they can come home,” Ladner said in the news release. “They are the greatest blessing of my entire life.”
References:
https://www.today.com/parents/babies/quintuplets-born-mississippi-four-identical-girls-rcna72552
https://www.wjtv.com/living-local/focused-on-health/purvis-couple-welcomes-quintuplets-at-ummc/
Cover Image Source: University of Mississippi Medical Center
