A couple received a sʜᴏᴄᴋ when they unexpectedly welcomed a set of quintuplets. Proud parents, Heather Langley, 39, and her partner, Priscilla Rodriguez, 35, both from Texas, US. The couple, who have been together for nine years, already had a daughter together, Sawyer, three. They decided to ᴛʀʏ for one more baby using ᴀʀᴛɪFɪᴄɪᴀʟ ɪɴsᴇᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.
Much to their surprise, they welcomed their five daughters in August last year following an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ when Heather was 28 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. The birth of Hadley, Reagan, Zariah, Zylah and Jocelyn was so ʀᴀʀᴇ that they are ᴊᴜsᴛ the sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ sᴇᴛ of ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅᴇᴅ all girl quintuplets in the ⓊⓈ. Heather said :” I have always wanted children, and I ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ sure if it was ever going to ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ for me. At first, Priscilla ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ really want children, but after we had our first daughter, we knew we wanted to ᴛʀʏ for one more. We ᴜsᴇᴅ the ⒾⓊⒾ ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅ again, the same Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ we ᴜsᴇᴅ to have Sawyer, although we ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ’ᴛ able to use the sᴀᴍᴇ sᴘᴇʀᴍ ᴅᴏɴᴏʀ as it ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ available. We ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ’ᴛ sure if it was going to take. But this was our first attempt, and it worked.”
But, she sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ. Heather says that she was ᴊᴜsᴛ six weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ when they ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ they were having quintuplets. She added: “Initially ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs only saw four ɢᴇsᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ sᴀᴄs, but then they Fᴏᴜɴᴅ the fifth one. I ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇʟʏ felt sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ when we Fᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ there was going to be five because I Fᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ my ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏwould be ᴡᴏʀʀʏɪɴɢ and ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ. I was also ᴘᴀɴɪᴄᴋɪɴɢ about how we would take care of five babies and how on earth we would pick and agree on five names, let alone one. However, after the ɪɴɪᴛɪᴀʟ sʜᴏᴄᴋ and the ɴᴇᴡs ʜᴀᴅ sᴜɴᴋ in, I realised how special and unique our babies were going to be. It feels like we have won the lottery.”
The ᴘᴀɴᴅᴇᴍɪᴄ ᴍᴇᴀɴᴛ that Priscilla ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ go with Heather to her ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ᴀᴘᴘᴏɪɴᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs and ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ there when she Fᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ they were having quintuplets. Heather says that she broke the news to Priscilla by text message. She said: “She was incredibly sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ, she responded to my text saying ‘please tell me this is a ᴊᴏᴋᴇ’. She didn’t believe I was being serious at first because you ʀᴀʀᴇʟʏ hear of people being ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with five babies. Out of our five babies, we were really ʜᴏᴘɪɴɢ we were going to get a couple of ʙᴏʏs, but that ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ to be. At around 19 weeks we had a sᴄᴀɴ to Fɪɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ the ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ of the babies. The ᴍɪᴅᴡɪFᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ kept saying ‘ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɢɪʀʟ’. I couldn’t believe we were going to have five more girls. I ᴊᴜsᴛ kept thinking, Wow that is a lot of girls, what are we going to do with them all? We would have six in total. And then when we Fᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ that they were going to be the sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀ sᴇᴛ of all-girl quintuplets in the ⓊⓈ, we felt so blessed with how ʀᴀʀᴇ and ᴇxᴛʀᴀᴏʀᴅɪɴᴀʀʏ they were.”
At 28 weeks, Heather was given some ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ that would ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʙɪᴇs’ ʙʀᴀɪɴs because the ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs knew that the would be early. However, the ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ sent Hᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴇᴀʀʟʏ ʟᴀʙᴏʀ. After two days of ᴛʀʏing to ᴘʀᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ʙɪʀᴛʜ, Heather continued to ᴅɪʟᴀᴛᴇ and ᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴ ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ where all five babies were delivered in the space of three minutes. They had to sᴘᴇɴᴅ the first three months of ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʟɪᴠᴇs in the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ. The first one came home on Halloween, and the last came home on 2 December.
Heather said : ” It has been ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ, ʜᴇᴄᴛɪᴄ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛɪʀɪɴɢ, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Our eldest daughter has been ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ but amazing with her sisters, she even calls them her babies. It is so cute. Everyone in our home town knows them, they love how ʀᴀʀᴇ and special they are. We also love seeing peoples reaction when we tell them about our quintuplets, and people come up to us in public because they are so amazed. I am loving being a mum of six, it is amazing. I am always surrounded by my girls and there is ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ better than that.”
