When Haylee and Shawn Ladner found out they were expecting they thought they were having twins. It turns out they were expecting identical quadruplets plus a baby boy. The babies arrived safely on Feb. 16 it was revealed yesterday at a press conference held at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Haylee and her husband Shawn smile during a news conference announcing the birth of their quintuplets at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
All were born by caesarian section at 28 weeks and one-day gestation, they weighed:
- Adalyn Elizabeth was born at 9:19 a.m. at 2 pounds, 2 ounces and 13.38 inches long
- Everleigh Rose at 9:20 a.m., 2 pounds, 0.8 ounces, 12.59 inches
- Malley Kate at 9:21 a.m., 1 pound, 11 ounces, 12.99 inches
- Magnolia Mae at 9:22 a.m., 2 pounds, 2 ounces, 13.18 inches
- Jake Easton at 9:23 a.m., 2 pounds, 5 ounces, 13.77 inches
They have been admitted to neonatal intensive care at Children’s of Mississippi.
“Haylee’s pregnancy was quite rare,” said Dr. Rachael Morris, associate professor of maternal-fetal medicine, who provided prenatal care and delivered the babies. “She had a quintuplet pregnancy with four identical females. Reports of spontaneous quintuplets vary but are about 1 in 60 million. There are very few reports of identical quadruplets in the literature to date. The reported incidence is 1 in 10 to 15 million pregnancies. There is only one other report of this combination in the literature from 2018.”
If the Ladners’ pregnancy was rare, so was the fortitude of Haylee Ladner, Morris said. “She is the strongest mother I’ve ever met. From our first meeting, it was clear how committed and determined Haylee and Shawn were.”
The Ladners turned to fertility treatments after Haylee had problems conceiving and experienced a miscarriage. After intrauterine insemination, or IUI, one of the fertilized eggs divided four ways, resulting in identical quadruplet girls, and the other egg was their brother.
“We are just really excited because these are our miracle babies. I didn’t think I would ever get the chance to be a mother of even one baby, so now that I am getting to be a mother to five, it is the greatest blessing of my entire life,” said Haylee Ladner.
The care team included about 30 specialists in neonatology and neonatal nursing in addition to experts in obstetrics, gynecology, hematology, respiratory therapy, anesthesiology, and surgery.
Standing from the left are Doucet, Famuyide, Morris, and fellow Dr. Ahmed S.Z. Moustafa. Kneeling is fellow Dr. Kimberly Sullivan.
“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.,” Famuyide said. “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.”
Since their birth, the babies have been getting the best of care, said Haylee, who has gotten to hold three of the five so far. “They’re thriving, and we’re looking forward to the day when they can come home. They are the greatest blessing of my entire life.”
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