The fraternal and ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ set of twins are believed to be New Zealand’s ғɪʀsᴛ sᴇᴛ of quadruplets since the 1990s.
The chances of having ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟʟʏ ᴏᴄᴄᴜʀʀɪɴɢ quads is ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ɪɴ 729,000, and despite being born three months ᴇᴀʀʟʏ, they are now thriving.
Kendall Walker, 28, and husband Joshua MacDonald from Timaru, New Zealand tried for three years to have a second child and finally just to get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ after ʟᴏsɪɴɢ another baby in between these guys was so much. They always imagined holding a baby again, but to get four was amazing. Kendall who had been taking the ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴅʀᴜɢ ᴄʟᴏᴍɪᴘʜᴇɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴠᴜʟᴀᴛᴇ after having ᴅɪғғɪᴄᴜʟᴛʏ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠɪɴɢ a second child. She said :”I was in utter sʜᴏᴄᴋ. I was just ʏᴇʟʟɪɴɢ, I couldn’t help myself! Whereas Josh was quite the opposite and didn’t say a word. He very excited but sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ. We had tried for a few years to only have one more child, so we certainly made up for it!”
Kendall says at the start of the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, an ᴇᴀʀʟʏ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ sᴄᴀʀᴇ sᴀᴡ her undergo a scan at just five weeks, which only showed a single baby. However, three weeks later, a second scan revealed twins and a third sac, with ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ ᴍᴀʀᴋs over the wellbeing of the third child. She said :”We had only ᴊᴜsᴛ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ we were having twins, but now we were having triplets! How does this even happen. Pᴜʀᴇ sʜᴏᴄᴋ but excitement. We had wanted this for so long, we were lucky enough to get three. The scan went on, Josh and I discussed our life with triplets. We would need a bigger house, a bigger car, would they be girls or boys? So many questions and emotions. At the end of the scan I asked the lady if all three were healthy withʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs. She replied, ‘No, all FOUR are healthy withʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs.’ I yelled over and over. Four babies?! Is that even possible. No one has four babies. I wasn’t even doing ⒾⓋⒻ. There must be a mistake, I can’t be having four babies! But as she showed me and pointed them out, there they all were – quadruplets.”
At times next scan, and four perfectly healthy babies, all growing fine and doing all the right things. At week 12, they have an appointment with ᴀ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟɪsᴛ. The man suggested they ʀᴇᴅᴜᴄᴇ the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ to two. In Kendall’s ᴄᴀsᴇ , there was ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴘᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ʀᴇᴅᴜᴄɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴏ ᴏɴᴇ sᴇᴛ ᴏғ ᴛᴡɪɴs ᴏʀ ᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ. ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ twins do ɴᴏᴛ sɪᴛ ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʀᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴅɪᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴅᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ 4 ʙᴀʙɪᴇs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. Tʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ʀɪsᴋs ᴏғ ᴅɪsᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ, sᴇʀɪᴏᴜs ɪʟʟɴᴇss, ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴡᴇᴇᴋs ᴀʀᴇ ᴛᴏʀᴛᴜʀᴇ. It will be the ʜᴀʀᴅᴇsᴛ decision they have to make. But despite it all, Kendall said: “We were given this gift, and all four children are healthy at this point, so why not?”
At 25 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ , was Kendall ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴠᴇʀʏ ʙɪɢ ᴡᴀs sᴜғғᴇʀɪɴɢ . She ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ to the Rᴏɴᴀʟᴅ MᴄDᴏɴᴀʟᴅ Hᴏᴜsᴇ ʙʏ Cʜʀɪsᴛᴄʜᴜʀᴄʜ Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ where they would wait it out for the babies to arrive, trying to stay positive this would all work out. For ᴀ ǫᴜᴀᴅʀᴜᴘʟᴇᴛ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, her didn’t really have any ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs. Her goal was 28 weeks, but if she got to 32 weeks, the plan was to have an elective ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. However, at 28 weeks and three days the quadruplets was born by C- sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. Ruby, Indie, Hudson and Molly were born ranging from 2.4 to 2.8 pounds. Although the babies were born with ɴᴏ ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍs except for ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ɪssᴜᴇs being born so ᴇᴀʀʟʏ, they each had a long road ahead of them. The quadruplet must stay in the ⓃⒾⒸⓊ for four months before they can go home to be reunited with their families.
Now, really is never a dull day in the home of Kendall. She said :”I can’t describe what it’s like going from a family of three to a family of seven overnight, but we wouldn’t change a thing. I has to plan and prepare every evening to ensure the next day runs as smoothly as possible and will organise what they have for lunch and dinner as soon as they’ve gone to bed. We have a strict routine in place and they always have eat, bathe and sleep at the same time so I can be as organised as I can. Everything takes four times as long, we have to allow extra time to go places as getting them in and out of the car can sometimes take longer than 30 minutes. The best part of the day is when the foursome wake up from a nap and are bright and happy, wanting to play. We still have a long road ahead of us, but for now, I am quite content watching them grow and seeing them reach their milestones. My quadruplets ʜᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ my ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ , and I am happy again.”
