In the Spring of 2014, a then 42-year-old woman from Jayess, Mississippi gave birth to identical quadruplets. This had come as a shock to Kimberly Fugate and her husband as they had been told initially that they were expecting triplets.
As women age, complications with pregnancies tend to increase. Doctors specify that women above 35 fall under this risk age group. You have probably been through this phase in your own life, or you simply find it your heart to understand the level of apprehension these moms go through.
It’s already difficult enough for a woman carrying one child. Take some time to imagine the kind of worry that folds a woman carrying multiple babies and hoping that they will grow to full-term. Anxiety and excitement all wrapped in one package. This was 42-year-old Kimberly Fugate when she received the news that she had conceived three babies at once. The news took her by surprise.
Kimberly and her husband Craig already had a child together, Katelyn, who was 11 years old then. Kimberly didn’t think she would have another baby after Katelyn. When talking to Today, Fugate revealed that the entire incident caught her surprise, including the idea that she was carrying babies and that they would be born a little too early than usual.
She said: “I was 13 weeks along before I found out I was pregnant and had the babies at 28 weeks and one day. I didn’t have a whole lot of time to comprehend that I was having more children. Everything happened so fast. Sometimes, I still have to pinch myself and wonder, ‘Am I dreaming or is it real?’”
What’s even more surprising is that neither Kim nor Craig have some history in their lineages that include twins.
During delivery, as the doctor helped remove the babies, Kimberly heard the doctor say that he saw more feet. Her bundles of joy actually turned out to be four identical quadruplets! However, since the quadruplets were born a little too early, they were underweight and had some medical conditions.
The four girls were named: Kayleigh, Kristen, Kenleigh and Kelsey. As fragile as they were, the quadruplets had to spend three months under critical neonatal care with the further help of ventilators to keep them breathing. Those three months were tough for the girls and Kim’s family. One of the girls had to undergo eye surgery, two of them had to be resuscitated during recovery, and they all had various cardiovascular issues.
Fortunately, the girls were brave and fought all odds to recover. They were discharged from the hospital and went home that summer. Kimberly was lucky to have a strong support system from her family during this difficult period that helped with the babies.
Today, Kimberly is a happy mom of five and can’t explain how lucky she is for her multiple bundles of joy. She describes her little bundles of joy as happy, babbling babies: “When they babble, it sounds like they are having a conversation. I put two babies on the couch recently, and one turned and put her arm around the other like she was hugging her.
The Fugate identical quadruplets are unique. According to statistics, there are only about 70 sets of this genetic component in the world. The uniqueness of the four girls earned them a popular Facebook page. In 2014, when the Fugate quadruplets were born, they received tons of warm welcome into the earth by people from all corners of the world.
A majority of them were interested in this rare occurrence of four identical sisters and kept sending them gifts. Owing to the expansion in the family, the Fugate’s had to adjust and move into a bigger home and get a bigger car. Kim continues to narrate how she is blessed to be a mom of the quadruplets and her older daughter.
We only get to hear about such stories once in a blue moon. What do you think about the Fugate Family and their story on expanding their family at once with the quadruplets? Tell us in the comments and be sure to send this to your friends and family and bless their day.