SIX KIDS UNDER THE AGE OF TWO
have another multiple pregnancy and I said to Allen on the way to our first scan that I was glad we hadn’t tried fertility drugs, as I was relieved to be carrying only one baby this time.
“We knew only too well the heartbreaking risks of being pregnant with several babies at one time.”
But Kayla got the mother of all surprises when she lay on the scanning table and the sonographer ran the scanner over her stomach.
Expecting to see one heartbeat, Kayla watched agog as one, two, three and finally four appeared. Kayla recalled: “It was quadruplets. And naturally occurring ones too – because this time I hadn’t taken any fertility drugs at all.
“I was so shocked. And immediately I was just panicking about what had happened last time.
“It just felt so surreal, like a dream. I even had to take a couple of days off work, just to get my head around being pregnant with four babies.
“The pregnancy was hard. I was so sick and every day I was terrified that I was going to lose one or more of the babies. We had been through it before and I didn’t think we could cope with losing any more. We set goals week by week. I reached week 24 and despite the risks I eventually made it to 30 weeks pregnant without losing any of the babies.
“They were delivered then by Caesarean and the operating theatre was packed with people. We had two beautiful little girls, Oaklee and Lincoln, and two gorgeous boys, Jamesen and Reese.
“So now we have six children all under the age of two. And our family life is hectic.
“Grayson has special needs and needs a live-in nurse, the two older girls need taking to school and someone has to watch
Parker, as well as the quadruplets. Luckily, friends and family help out when they can, which is brilliant. Sometimes Allen and I can’t believe what has happened to us. We spent 10 years trying for a family, and now we have a massive one!”
Medics are amazed at Kayla’s experience. Shazia Malik, a consultant
obstet r i c i an and gynaecologist at the prestigious Portland Hospital in London, said: “This is an incredible story and despite the fact that twin pregnancies can be more likely with historic cases, we find with triplets and upwards, this is normally a random by chance incident, unless there has been some fertility treatment.
“I have never heard of this before and I do believe it is a world first.”