We were desperate for one more baby.. then we got 5
PARENTS’ JOY AS THEY HAVE QUINTUPLETS
After years hoping for one more baby to complete her family, mum-of two Jamie Scott could barely wait for her first scan. But she got rather more than she bargained for as the sonographer read the results, “One… two… three… four…” then, as a few moments ticked by, “Five!”.
Instead of the one baby she planned, Jamie and husband Skyler were expecting quintuplets.
“After the five babies were found at the scan, the first question I asked was ‘Are they alive?’ I knew multiple pregnancies were a risk to both mum and the babies,” says 33-year-old Jamie.
“Thankfully all five were the perfect size, each with a strong heartbeat. We were flooded with relief.”
Jamie and Skyler, 36, had longed to welcome a sibling for sons Shayden, 12, and seven-year-old Landon.
But the couple had been struggling to conceive for five years due to Jamie having polycystic ovary syndrome.
They tried an IUI fertility cycle, which was unsuccessful, but the second attempt worked.
And while they knew there was a higher chance of a multiple birth, they were told the chances of conceiving five babies was 0.003%.
“After the scan we were so excited we pulled the boys out of school and filmed them as I asked how many babies they thought were in my belly,” Jamie says.
“Shayden guessed triplets and Landon quads. Their mouths gaped open when I told them we were having five babies.”
Jamie’s pregnancy turned out to be different to those she experienced with her sons. The stay-athome mum says: “I’d suffered with hyperemesis gravidarium [severe sickness] both times but now, all I had was a bout of regular morning sickness.”
“By 18 weeks, I looked nine months pregnant. We went to hospital for another scan and were thrilled to discover we were expecting three girls and two boys. We wanted Shayden and Landon to have a sister and now they were getting three!”
While they grappled with the task of coming up with five names they simply called them baby A, B, C, D and E.
Despite not suffering much with sick- ness, being pregnant with quintuplets presented different challenges for Jamie.
She says: “I became wheelchair-bound because I was so exhausted. Doctors wanted me to eat 4,000 calories a day.
“I have always been petite so it was quite a struggle. I tried my best to feast on pizzas, burgers, milkshakes and ice creams. My stomach was quite painful and when one baby moved, they all did.
“Shayden and Landon loved touching my bump though. Their faces lit up every time they felt their siblings move.”
Family and friends started to donate baby clothes and other essentials, as the couple, who live in St George, Utah, USA, focused on getting the children delivered safely. Skyler, a commercial appraiser, says: “We temporarily moved more than 400 miles to be near a hospital in
Arizona, with a fantastic multiple births expert who would deliver the babies by C-section. We aimed to get to 33 weeks.”
But at 21-and-a-half weeks, there was bad news. The water had broken on baby A – the boy closest to the cervix – and this meant labour was starting.
Jamie recalls: “In a hospital room with six doctors, we began to panic. I asked if we had any hope of saving the pregnancy and one doctor replied ‘no’. He told us we would lose all of our babies. “We were absolutely devastated.” Then something incredible happened... the labour stopped and the membrane healed. Jamie says: “The chances of that happening were slim to none. After that, I was kept in hospital. But then there was another problem. My white blood cell count was getting dangerously high.” But, incredibly, Jamie’s body healed itself for a second time and she was put on bed rest. Eventually, she reached 29 weeks and her contractions started.
“The babies had to be delivered immediately,” she says. “Skyler gave me a kiss before I was wheeled into the theatre. When I came round, Skyler was smiling and told me we had five tiny but perfect babies. I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe we had done it.”
Jamie was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit where she met her miracle quintuplets, all in their own incubators.
Violet Rose weighed 2lbs 6oz, Daisy Kate, 2lbs 9oz, Logan Matthew, 2lbs 2oz, Lincoln Alan, 2lbs, and Lily Jane, 2lbs 3oz. “My heart was so full,” Jamie says. “I gazed at them all, taking in the 50 tiny fingers and 50 tiny toes before me. “They were more beautiful than I ever thought they’d be.” Skyler recalls: “Shayden and Landon came to hospital to meet their siblings for the first time and I’ve never seen them so happy. “Over the coming days, our babies thrived and we got to hold them for the first time. It had been a long seven months and it was incredible to finally be a family of nine.” One by one, the
I gazed at them, taking in the 50 tiny fingers and toes before me JAMIE SCOTT ON SEEING QUINTUPLETS FOR 1ST TIME
babies came off breathing support and steadily gained weight. Then the proud parents could take their children home.
Jamie says: “The quintuplets turned 11 weeks old on June 6, their original due date. It felt so special to have all five out of hospital in time for that day. Now the fun really begins!”
They are in for a similar experience to Jorge and Enna Diaz, of Keller, Texas, whose 21-year-old quintuplets have just graduated from the same university, as the Mirror reported yesterday.
Jamie adds: “Skyler and I agree we’ll be tired for the next 18 years, and we’re hugely outnumbered by our kids, but we’re ready for the madness. Bring it on!”