The ᴏᴅᴅs of having two sets of ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴡɪɴꜱ are 70 million to one, despite the fact that all new parents think their Nᴇᴡʙᴏʀɴꜱ are Mɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇs, as the Turner Bᴀʙɪᴇꜱ truly are. Because of how similar they are, a mix-up might easily lead to Lauren becoming Emily and James becoming Joshua.

Sharon and Julian were married in 2007, but Sharon was unable to become Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ due of her polycystic ovaries, a condition that frequently impairs fertility. The couple made the decision to attempt IVF in 2011. After doing one IVF cycle privately and one on the NHS, they chose to try a high success rate facility in Athens. They utilize different medications and follow different regimens, according to Sharon. I underwent the operation in May of last year, but it failed. By now, we were in despair. We believed a family was not destined to exist.

The pair decided to give the Athens clinic one more shot. Then, in September, Sharon’s pregnancy test revealed a positive result, to her sʜᴏᴄᴋ. Julian, who was still in bed, heard her scream, she claimed. I insisted that he test the kit since I couldn’t believe it. Julian felt joyful. However, they were sʜᴏᴄᴋed to learn Sharon was carrying two sets of ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴡɪɴꜱ after a scan at 14 weeks revealed both fertilized eggs had split in two. When the sonographer announced that there were not one but four Bᴀʙɪᴇꜱ, she finally forced herself to look at the monitor.

Eliminate one set of ᴛᴡɪɴꜱ, eliminate both sets and all the offspring, or retain all of them. The doctors only presented the information. Although they didn’t say it, we got the idea that they wanted at least one set of ᴛᴡɪɴꜱ to be put to ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ. Though we were afraid, Julian and I knew we couldn’t do that. The physicians said it was fine to move forward when we said we planned to carry out the quadruple pregnancy.

At 29 weeks, physicians found Sharon’s ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ pressure to be alarmingly high and diagnosed her with pre-eclampsia, a condition that can impair the unborn child’s growth and, in rare instances, pose a life-ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛening ʀɪsᴋ to both mother and child. The hospital staff advised her that she would need a cesarean section the following day. The delivery of the kids was swift once the procedure started. At 4.55 p.m., James arrived first, weighing 2lb 4oz. Joshua arrived shortly after, weighing the same. Lauren arrived next, weighing 2lb 6oz., and Emily arrived last, weighing 2lb 4oz.

The Qᴜᴀᴅʀᴜᴘʟᴇᴛꜱ were transported by ambulance to a high dependency unit at the royal berkshire hospital in Reading one week after their birth. The Bᴀʙɪᴇꜱ spent their first six weeks in the hospital, hooked up to tubes and wires in a dedicated ʙᴀʙʏ unit. For their worried parents, it was a stressful and draining time.

It’s challenging to look after 4 kids at once. Every every day involves 18 hours of feeding, five loads of laundry, and ᴍᴀɴy diaper changes. For the first few months, we scarcely slept at all, according to Sharon. Just feeding them is a major chore, and they need continual attention. All four infants must be fed every four hours, which takes about three hours.

I will have an hour to myself after I’m done before it all begins again. She and her 44-year-old husband Julian also do at least five full loads of laundry every day to keep up with the dirty sheets and clothing, and they anticipate needing to change 30,000 diapers before the children reach adulthood.

The family vehicle was then exchanged for a nine-seater VW transporter that could accommodate their entire family as well as all of the essential goods, including two double buggies. The pair insists they have not ruled out having additional kids despite their tiredness. Never say never, Mr. Turner advised. They have greatly enriched our life.