Jenny Marr might have been forgiven for thinking that something was amiss with her unborn child when she noticed the peculiar expression on her obstetrician’s face during the first ultrasound.
Little did she know that Dr. Lauren Murray would forever change the lives of both her and her partner.
Having a baby on the way and visiting the sonographer is an experience filled with both excitement and nervousness.
It’s truly heartwarming to witness something emerge on that dark screen and realize it’s a living being.
Jenny Marr and her partner Chris found that it was more than they had expected when they first met. The couple from Grapevine, Texas had been trying to have a baby for a while. However, when Jenny finally became pregnant, both she and Chris were in for a surprise during a routine ultrasound.
Jenny suddenly came to the realization that she wasn’t just carrying one baby.
Jenny shared, “I was thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, there’s no heartbeat.’ But then she reassured me, ‘No, there is a heartbeat.’ And she exclaimed, ‘Guess what? There are three babies in there!’ We were completely shocked!”
Jenny and Chris were naturally shocked by the news, and the unexpected revelations just kept on coming.
A week later on November 19, 2019, they visited a maternal-fetal medicine specialist for a follow-up appointment. To their surprise, the ultrasound technician gave them an identical peculiar expression.
Chris told TODAY that the technician performing the first scan gave him a strange look, which made them both wonder what was happening and feel worried once again.
She was adorable. She mentioned, ‘I shouldn’t say this, but you all have four babies.’
In just one week, they went from anticipating one baby to discovering they were actually expecting four!
Chris mentioned that he jokingly stated that he wouldn’t return because there would be five babies next time. The news of expecting five babies came as a shock to us. Going from three to four was already quite overwhelming, but then we received the wonderful news that all five babies were healthy.
Dr. Lauren Murray and her team have found that the occurrence of identical, spontaneous quadruplets is extremely rare, with only 1 in 11 million to 1 in 15 million births.
I can’t believe it! This is something that will never happen again in my entire career. I remember saying to myself, “Wow, girl, you should definitely buy some lottery tickets because the odds we’re facing are just unbelievable!” It truly felt like a miracle.
Surprisingly, the four children were fully ready to share, even though there was a chance that one of them might consume more nutrition, leading to the need for surgery and causing complications.
Murray mentioned that the babies shared remarkably well. Throughout the sonogram, there were no incidents that made us concerned about any of them, whether it was one, two, or three, being significantly smaller.
Jenny went into labor on March 15th, at 28.5 weeks of pregnancy.
She tried her hardest, but had to give birth before 33 weeks. Even though the twins arrived during the chaos of the coronavirus outbreak, her C-section was successful.
Baby Harrison was the first to arrive, weighing in at 2 pounds and 6 ounces. Next came Hudson, who weighed 1 pound and 15 ounces. After Hudson, it was Hardy’s turn, weighing 2 pounds and 10 ounces. Finally, Henry joined the group, weighing 2 pounds and 6.7 ounces.
Jenny marveled, “It’s amazing that they were all born within three minutes. We nicknamed them our baby birds because they truly resembled little birds.”
Over a span of 10 weeks, three out of the four babies stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit for oxygen and other treatments. Despite this, they were able to go home in early May, bringing immense joy to Jenny and Chris.
Jenny caught up with DFW Child after a year to share how her quadruplets are doing.
All of them are on the move. I have a pair who will likely start walking in the next month, so the other two won’t be far behind. They’re curious about everything. They’re messy and dirty. They’re already showing their boyish side! Mealtime is just about stuffing food into their mouths as quickly as they can. They’re hilarious and incredibly adorable.
Jenny shared, “We’re hopeful that this small story and our sons can bring as much happiness to others as they do to us.”
The quadruplets are celebrating their third birthday today and they appear to be doing very well.
Jenny decided to start an Instagram account to document her family’s adventures. With 140,000 followers, Jenny, a former dental assistant, regularly updates her followers with snapshots of the Marr family’s hectic daily routine.
Jenny’s unconventional birth story has sparked curiosity among many, leading to questions about her family and the experience of giving birth to her boys without any medical or medication assistance.
Lots of folks inquire about how Jenny is managing with her four energetic sons.
Jenny explains, “I grew up with preschools in my family, and the starting age was 8 weeks. I used to spend time with the preschool babies, so taking care of children feels like second nature to me. I don’t have any other options, as this is all I know!”
That’s just the way it is. You have to adapt to the challenges that come your way. I recall asking my doctor, “Should I attend parenting classes?” She replied, “No, you’ll pick up valuable skills in the NICU. And there are four of them. No one can truly prepare you for this journey.”
People often question how Jenny and Chris were able to distinguish between the boys.
Jenny explains, “Well, as parents, we have a natural instinct to differentiate between our children. We can easily distinguish them by their unique personalities and voices, even though they all share some similarities. Let me break it down for you in birth order: Harrison stands out as the tallest with the most amazing hair. Hardy, on the other hand, has a chipped front tooth and a slender build. Henry has an adorable chubby face, and his hair bounces playfully when he runs. Lastly, Hudson has the smallest head and a cute freckle on his forehead. That’s pretty much all the details I can provide to help you tell them apart.”
It was such a wonderful day on March 15 when four precious little babies were born into this world.
Congratulations, Jenny and Chris! I’m so happy for the two of you. I can only imagine the beautiful memories you’ll make as a family and the immense love that will fill your home.
Did this story bring a smile to your face? If it did, why not share the article on Facebook?