A mom welcomed not one but four babies ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ⒾⓊⒾ with her husband in January this year.
Santina Monreal, 37, and husband Adrian, 37 met over 10 years ago. From the moment after our first date, Santina knew this man was the one for me. 4 years after meeting, they became husband and wife. The couple knew they wanted a family, two kids to be exact. In September 2017 the couple ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟʟʏ, but sᴀᴅʟʏ Santina sᴜғғᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ – she was told she had ᴀ ᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ sᴇᴘᴛᴜᴍ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɪs ᴀ “ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ sʜᴀᴘᴇᴅ ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs” which can make ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴏɴ. Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs then ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ her sᴇᴘᴛᴜᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴀᴘᴇ , but the couple sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟʟʏ again so turned to ᴀ ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴄᴏɴsᴜʟᴛᴀɴᴛ ғᴏʀ ʜᴇʟᴘ. Their second attempt was successful, but they ʟᴏsᴛ the baby again and after five ғᴀɪʟᴇᴅ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛs .
The couple had nearly ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ᴜᴘ ʜᴏᴘᴇ of having their ᴏᴡɴ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ when they decided to go for a sixth attempt of ᴀssɪsᴛᴇᴅ ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ. She said :” We decided to give it one ʟᴀsᴛ sʜᴏᴛ. I took ᴀ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛ and it was ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴠᴇ and I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even phone the ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄ like I was meant to as I just didn’t really believe it was real. At five weeks I went for ᴀɴ ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ which confirmed the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ. At seven weeks we went back for another check-up, to hear the baby’s ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛ. But the sᴏɴᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜᴇʀ suddenly just said: ‘Oh, there’s three’. I just started laughing. Then she was checking the ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs and found a fourth one. I couldn’t believe it.”
Santina had to be ᴍᴏɴɪᴛᴏʀᴇᴅ throughout her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ as ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇs ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄɪᴇs are ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ʜɪɢʜ ʀɪsᴋ. She said :”I was ᴛᴇʀʀɪғɪᴇᴅ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ I ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʟᴏsᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. At 28 weeks, I was ᴀᴅᴍɪᴛᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ when one of my babies had ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴍɪᴛᴛᴇɴᴛ ʀᴇᴠᴇʀsᴇᴅ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ғʟᴏᴡ of the ᴜᴍʙɪʟɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏʀᴅ ᴀʀᴛᴇʀʏ. I was told if ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʙɪᴇs ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴅɪsᴛʀᴇssᴇᴅ, they would all have to be ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ. Fortunately the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ to continue until 31 weeks.”
On 20th January 2021 , Santina was ʀᴜsʜᴇᴅ for ᴀ ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ and gave birth to her four babies. She said: “They were all crying so it was a big relief. Aiden came home after five and half weeks in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ and Aria and Sebastian followed a few days later. Sevilla had to sᴘᴇɴᴅ ɴɪɴᴇ ᴡᴇᴇᴋs ɪɴ ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ before she could come home.That was really ʜᴀʀᴅ having Sevilla in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ still and the others home. Having them all home was amazing. There ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛɪᴇs are starting to come out and they are doing so well. Aria is a little chatterbox, Sebastian is the smiliest and needest, Savilla is our easy baby and the sweetest, and Aiden has a flirty personality- he’s going to be ᴀ ᴄʜᴇᴇᴋʏ ᴄʜᴀᴘ.”
Since the couple have had to get used to being a family of six and juggle feeds, wake ups and cuddles. The busy mum starts her day at 3am to pump breastmilk before going back to sleep until 6am when she rises to feed them and get ready for work. Luckily her husband, Adrian, is on hand to feed them throughout the day before she gets back at 7pm with another round of breastmilk. She said: “I was feeding them every three hours to start off with. It was ᴇxʜᴀᴜsᴛɪɴɢ. They were going through 32 bottles a day and about 40 nappies. Now we’re down to 20 bottles a day – which is still a lot. It’s ᴀ ᴍᴀᴅ ʜᴏᴜsᴇ and ᴇxʜᴀᴜsᴛɪɴɢ but a dream come true to be a mum to four gorgeous babies.”
The family spend £108 a week on five large containers of formula milk – which lasts a week and a half. They must do at least four loads of washing a week to clean up the messy bibs. Santina said: “It’s gets very messy after each feed. We have so many bibs as we have to replace them each time. As the babies are growing, we are also finding having to spend a lot on new clothes for them. I just bought the boys new pyjamas and now they look snug on them already. Im glad we have a family now, it can be ᴄʜᴀᴏᴛɪᴄ but that is our family.”
