A married couple got the biggest surprise of their lives when it turned out they were expecting triplets. After an intense episode of labor, they thought they were done with surprises when the doctor delivered startling news – one they didn’t expect.
Kimberly and Craig Fugate live in Mississippi with their daughter, Katelyn. In 2013, the couple found out they were pregnant again and couldn’t be happier. Then the Fugates discovered another piece of happy news – they were expecting identical triplets.
On February 8, 2014, more than two months before her due date, Kimberly went through an intense labor and grueling C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ with the triplets. But when the Mississippi mother was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the doctor interrupted her with another sʜᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ news. He announced: “I see more legs.” Kimberly was surprised and couldn’t believe what had happened.
Kimberly’s babies arrived just one day before her 42nd birthday, which only quadrupled the family’s joy. It turns out another baby is on the way. The fourth baby was somehow missed on the ultrasound and managed to stay hidden until her three siblings were born at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
“They took out the three and said, ‘More legs.’ More feet’… that’s all I heard and I said, ‘No.’ One surprise after another,” recalled Kimberly.
Kimberly eventually gave birth to quadruplets: Kenleigh Rosa, Kristen Sue, Kayleigh Pearl, and Kelsey Roxanne.
The mother said she delivered the babies at 28 weeks and the thought of giving birth to four babies at once still seems surreal. Kimberly added that her premature babies weighed between two and two-and-a-half pounds, and because they were developmentally delayed, they stayed in the hospital for a long time.
“I believed that God had chosen me to give birth to these quadruplets, and I felt that He would take care of them and allow them to live. Seeing how far they have come, I feel very blessed,” said the mother.
The Fugates said they moved from their two-bedroom trailer in Jayess, Mississippi, to a four-bedroom, double-wide mobile home to have more room for the children.
Dr. James Bofill, professor of medicine at Mississippi Hospital, said that the chance of ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠɪɴɢ identical quadruplets is shockingly rare – almost one in 13 million – and only 60 cases have been recorded in medical history.
Taking care of four babies is a lot of work, but luckily Kimberly had some help.
“Katelyn, my 11-year-old daughter, is a big help. She helps with bathing and feeding in the evenings. It helps put them to sleep. He plays with them and amuses them. My family is also nearby to help me if I need it,” she said.
Kimberly admitted that she knows how blessed she is and is grateful for her children every day. “I feel very lucky, I’m like the luckiest mother in the whole world. Babies have been the biggest surprise of my life, and I couldn’t imagine my life without them.”
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