A Mother Gives Birth To Quadruplets, Doctor Astonished By Their Appearance: The Probability Is 1 In 11 Million
Note: This article revisits a story originally reported in March 2020.
A couple from Dallas has undergone a dramatic life change after recently welcoming an extraordinarily rare set of identical quadruplet boys.
Jenny Marr, the excited new mother, voiced her concerns about managing their expanding family. “I drive a Honda Accord, and Chris has a truck. How are we going to handle this? We need to shop and get a new car,” she said.
Before the babies were born on a Sunday at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Lauren Przybyl from Good Day met with Jenny and her husband, Chris.
The couple was astonished when they discovered their family of two would soon grow to six. “Jenny had a very worried expression, and I feared there might be no heartbeat. But she reassured me, saying, ‘There is a heartbeat!’ Then I was stunned to learn we were expecting twins, but she corrected me, saying, ‘No, there are three heartbeats!’ Then she revealed, ‘There are actually four babies in here.’ It was overwhelming,” Jenny recalled.
They were subsequently referred to Dr. Ryan Reinheirt, a leading expert in maternal-fetal medicine. During the sonogram, Dr. Reinheirt’s technician discovered more than the expected number of babies. “I asked if something was wrong with one of the babies. The technician, though not supposed to reveal too much, confirmed, ‘There are four babies in here. I’m absolutely certain.’ We were left speechless,” Jenny recounted.
Chris humorously remarked, “I joked with Dr. Ryan, saying, ‘I’m not coming back next week because there will be five.'”
The quadruplets are all identical, resulting from a single egg splitting four times post-fertilization. Remarkably, fertility treatments were not a factor in this event.
Identical quadruplets are extremely rare, with only 72 documented cases globally, most of which involve girls. For the Marrs, the pregnancy was an incredible surprise. “We didn’t plan this. It was just a spontaneous night,” Jenny laughed.
Both Chris and Jenny were only children. Reflecting on their own childhoods, Jenny noted, “It’s quite something since we’re both only children.” Chris added, “We never had siblings, so we hoped for at least two kids of our own, knowing how solitary being an only child can be.”
Before the birth of the babies, Jenny adhered to a 3,000-calorie diet. She shared her experience of constant hunger and her lively, active boys. “They’re always moving! At night, they’re bumping around everywhere… it’s really uncomfortable sometimes,” she said.
In the NICU, Hudson, Harrison, Henry, and Hardy are all doing well, and Jenny is also recovering effectively.
Sources: Fox 4