For most parents, finding out you’re expecting quadruplets would be enough of a shock, but after getting the happy news, a Texas couple found out something ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛɪɴɢ.
Twenty-seven-year-old Katie Sturm of Haslet, Texas, was sᴛᴜɴɴᴇᴅ when she learned that she was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with quadruplets. But amidst her quad ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ joy, Sturm learned that she had a ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴛᴜᴍᴏʀ. It was news that seemed to foretell the ᴡᴏʀsᴛ, but ᴍɪʀᴀᴄᴜʟᴏᴜsʟʏ the mom sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇᴅ her ᴛᴜᴍᴏʀ and ғᴏᴜɢʜᴛ to give birth to four happy and healthy boys. When she was 16 years old, she had received a ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪs. She had ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ ᴏᴠᴀʀɪᴀɴ ɪɴsᴜғғɪᴄɪᴇɴᴄʏ, a ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ where the ᴏᴠᴀʀɪᴇs sᴛᴏᴘ ғᴜɴᴄᴛɪᴏɴɪɴɢ normally before 40. She was told at the time that she’d never be able to have biological children., but somehow, Sturm managed to get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with her oldest son, Ryan, three years ago.
But what was even more miraculous was that Sturm ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ . The odds of having spontaneous quadruplets are estimated at 1 in 700,000 births. In February, the mom had a sᴇɪᴢᴜʀᴇ while she was working, and her ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs told her it was a ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴛᴜᴍᴏʀ. After a second sᴇɪᴢᴜʀᴇ, Sturm’s ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ recommended she get the ᴛᴜᴍᴏʀ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ even though she was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with multiples. In March, her ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs at UT Southwestern Mᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ Cᴇɴᴛᴇʀ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ a ɢʟɪᴏᴍᴀ, or ᴛᴜᴍᴏʀ that occurs in the ʙʀᴀɪɴ and sᴘɪɴᴀʟ ᴄᴏʀᴅ. It was a decision made to help lower Sturm’s chance for sᴇɪᴢᴜʀᴇ. Also, the couple were in the process of finding a new house to accommodate their children — the four boys on the way as well as their 3-year-old son, Ryan. The family now lives in Haslet, north of Fort Worth. Her husband, 33-year-old Chris Sturm said:” This whole year has just been a lot of changes. I don’t know how to really describe it other than the giant ball of ᴀɴxɪᴇᴛʏ.” Katie Sturm and her children didn’t have ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs from the sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ, which took place during her second ᴛʀɪᴍᴇsᴛᴇʀ. She ʀᴇᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ at home during ʟᴏᴄᴋᴅᴏᴡɴ orders. At 32 weeks, ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs decided it was time to deliver the babies. On July 3, she gave birth via C-section to Austin, Daniel, Jacob and Hudson. They were the first set of quadruplets ever born at UT Southwestern’s William P. Clements Jr. University Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ.
The boys remained in ɴᴇᴏɴᴀᴛᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ while they gained weight, learned how to feed from a bottle and improved their ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ. Austin and Jacob stayed for a month, Daniel went home about a week and a half later and Hudson was cared for almost two months before going home. Katie’s said:” They weighed between three and four pounds each at birth, which is just amazing and more than we could have ever hoped for when we were first talking about the boys coming several weeks before they were due.” The couple say they feel extremely lucky despite all the difficulties. Chris Sturm said:” There’s not an instruction manual for quadruplets. There’s no book that says, ‘This is how you do this.’ It’s just kind of, ‘Here are babies,’ . It’s been a fun and exceptionally challenging adventure to say the least.”
