Miss. Mom Gives Birth to 'Rare' Quintuplets — 1 Boy and 4 Identical Girls: 'The Greatest Blessing'
Joe Ellis/UMMC Facebook
A family from Mississippi has more than doubled in size following the birth of "rare" quintuplets.
Haylee and Shawn Ladner, of Purvis, welcomed their five new babies — including four identical girls and one boy — at the Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants on Feb. 16, according to a press release from the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
All five babies — Adalyn Elizabeth, Everleigh Rose, Malley Kate, Magnolia Mae and Jake Easton — were born via Cesarean section at 28 weeks and one day, the hospital said on Friday.
The pregnancy "was quite rare," as "very few reports of identical quadruplets" have been made, according to Dr. Rachael Morris, associate professor of maternal fetal medicine at UMMC.
Haylee says the newborns are "thriving," and adds, "They are the greatest blessing of my entire life."
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Joe Ellis/UMMC Facebook
The Ladners "had problems conceiving and experienced a miscarriage" prior to their recent pregnancy, according to the hospital.
So, Haylee and Shawn conceived via intrauterine insemination (IUI). The hospital said one egg split into four parts — creating the identical quadruplets — while another remained intact, and grew into their son.
The couple worked closely with Dr. Morris throughout the extraordinary pregnancy, UMMC said.
The couple also documented their journey on their YouTube channel named "Five Little Ladners."
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Joe Ellis/UMMC Facebook
On Jan. 11, Haylee was admitted to the hospital so her doctor could monitor her, according to Friday's news release.
Five weeks later, the mom gave birth after "showing signs of preterm labor," Dr. Morris said.
Adalyn was born first at 9:19 a.m., followed by Everleigh, Malley, Magnolia and Jake, who was born last at 9:23 a.m.
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The quintuplets "are faring well" so far, and have been admitted to the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, according to Friday's release.
Morris said Haylee is also doing well, adding that the mom of seven is "the strongest mother I've ever met."
"Haylee demonstrated such strength and determination throughout her hospital stay, despite the tremendous challenges of carrying a quintuplet pregnancy," Dr. Morris said at a news conference, per the hospital's release.
Joe Ellis/UMMC Facebook
Shawn and his wife "couldn't be more pleased" with how the pregnancy and delivery went, according to Friday's release.
"All our concerns, all our worries we've had about the delivery, [Morris] acknowledged them and explained how they would care for those issues," the father of seven said. "We've felt like we've been cared for the best we possibly could be."
Now, Haylee says, she and her husband are "looking forward to the day when they can come home."
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The odds of having "spontaneous" quintuplets is about 1 in 60 million, Morris said.
There has been only one other report of identical quadruplets born in a set of quintuplets, which happened in 2018, the doctor added.
