Mom Expects twins Delivery, Then doctor spots something Unusual
- 6 years ago
Lauren Perkins has always dreamed of becoming a mom. She and her husband, David, decided to take a vacation to Nicaragua to consider their next step.
The couple, along with some friends, did exactly that. Whilst there, Lauren talked openly about their struggles to conceive. One of their friends, a priest, replied calmly:
“Someone up there has big plans for you. I don’t know what, but it will be big.”
Couple wanted to try out artificial insemination; the simplest method of assisted fertilisation.
Lauren was convinced that it wouldn’t work; that she was destined to be barren… but it did! Lauren finally fell pregnant.
In the first routine check, Lauren was told by nurses that her hcg levels were very high.
That meant there was a strong possibility there was more than one child growing inside of her. Then the ultrasound came. A staggered doctor studied the screen for a few seconds and delivered the shocking news…
The doctor quietly told her: “I count five in there.”
Lauren thought this was impossible.
The doctor turned back to the screen and then continued: “Wait a minute! I just found a sixth baby.”
The confused couple stared at the screen in complete shock. Six!
After much deliberation, Lauren and David finally decided to give all six a fighting chance.
Monday morning, April 23, 2012, the day arrived. Lauren was in week 30 of her pregnancy – children born before the 37th week are considered premature.
“I was nervous and excited all at once. It was starting to sink in that this was for real – I was going to have 6 babies,” Lauren said.
It took a total of four minutes to deliver all six.
Andrew, Benjamin, Caroline, Leah, Allison and Levi all weighed between 1 and 2 pounds at birth..
At four-days-old, Allison was the first baby in a stable enough condition to be held. It took the nurse ten minutes to get all the wires and monitors up so Lauren could hold her.
But what a feeling!
And that moment, when I got to hold my baby, was when I became a mother…of sextuplets,” Lauren explained.
The first few weeks were crucial in the lives of the babies. Their parents still worried about complications that could potentially lead to disabilities or, in the worst case, death.
Fortunately, all six recovered… slowly but surely!
Five of the babies were able to go home at four-months-old.
“Leah was literally buried under everybody else in the womb,” said Lauren, “so she didn’t get the right nutritional flow. Her
“My doctor was the best and I’m forever grateful to him for the level of care I received,” Lauren says. “Also, the NICU staff who put in hours upon hours getting our children ready to come home and teaching us the ins and outs of preemie care. So many of these people have a special place in our hearts and family.”
Only recently, Andrew Noah, Benjamin Luke, Caroline Grace, Leah Michelle, Allison Kate and Levi Thomas celebrated their 6th birthday!
The family has adapted to a newer, more full-on way of life.
The boys – Andrew, Benjamin and Levi – and two
The couple, along with some friends, did exactly that. Whilst there, Lauren talked openly about their struggles to conceive. One of their friends, a priest, replied calmly:
“Someone up there has big plans for you. I don’t know what, but it will be big.”
Couple wanted to try out artificial insemination; the simplest method of assisted fertilisation.
Lauren was convinced that it wouldn’t work; that she was destined to be barren… but it did! Lauren finally fell pregnant.
In the first routine check, Lauren was told by nurses that her hcg levels were very high.
That meant there was a strong possibility there was more than one child growing inside of her. Then the ultrasound came. A staggered doctor studied the screen for a few seconds and delivered the shocking news…
The doctor quietly told her: “I count five in there.”
Lauren thought this was impossible.
The doctor turned back to the screen and then continued: “Wait a minute! I just found a sixth baby.”
The confused couple stared at the screen in complete shock. Six!
After much deliberation, Lauren and David finally decided to give all six a fighting chance.
Monday morning, April 23, 2012, the day arrived. Lauren was in week 30 of her pregnancy – children born before the 37th week are considered premature.
“I was nervous and excited all at once. It was starting to sink in that this was for real – I was going to have 6 babies,” Lauren said.
It took a total of four minutes to deliver all six.
Andrew, Benjamin, Caroline, Leah, Allison and Levi all weighed between 1 and 2 pounds at birth..
At four-days-old, Allison was the first baby in a stable enough condition to be held. It took the nurse ten minutes to get all the wires and monitors up so Lauren could hold her.
But what a feeling!
And that moment, when I got to hold my baby, was when I became a mother…of sextuplets,” Lauren explained.
The first few weeks were crucial in the lives of the babies. Their parents still worried about complications that could potentially lead to disabilities or, in the worst case, death.
Fortunately, all six recovered… slowly but surely!
Five of the babies were able to go home at four-months-old.
“Leah was literally buried under everybody else in the womb,” said Lauren, “so she didn’t get the right nutritional flow. Her
“My doctor was the best and I’m forever grateful to him for the level of care I received,” Lauren says. “Also, the NICU staff who put in hours upon hours getting our children ready to come home and teaching us the ins and outs of preemie care. So many of these people have a special place in our hearts and family.”
Only recently, Andrew Noah, Benjamin Luke, Caroline Grace, Leah Michelle, Allison Kate and Levi Thomas celebrated their 6th birthday!
The family has adapted to a newer, more full-on way of life.
The boys – Andrew, Benjamin and Levi – and two