An Australian mom recalls the jaw-dropping moment she learned she had naturally conceived quadruplets after years of infertility. She now shares the reality behind her incredible family’s exploits on social media as mom of a grand total of five children under the age of 3.
Natalie Maree, 30, from Roebourne, Western Australia, first heard four heartbeats during her week-seven scan. Natalie and her husband, Kahn, had struggled to conceive before doctors diagnosed her with “anovulation”—infertility for unknown cause—and recommended hormone injections to stimulate Natalie’s ovulation.
The couple eventually welcomed a daughter, Kiki. Their second pregnancy was a welcome surprise. Neither suspected, however, that Natalie was carrying more than one baby on the second go-round.
Twins run in the family for Natalie. She was ecstatic, but the sonographer’s count soon exceeded her own. “[W]ithout a word, he held up four fingers,” she recalled. Kahn, she said, “almost passed out.”
The couple’s doctor warned them that hers was a high-risk pregnancy. “My head spun as the doctor told us about fetal reduction,” Natalie said. “It meant I was being offered the chance to terminate one, two, or even three of the babies to make my pregnancy more viable.
“I understood the risks, but I’d just seen my four tiny babies and heard four tiny heartbeats,” she explained.
Natalie whispered to her husband, “There’s no way.” And Kahn agreed with her.
The four growing babies were closely monitored. Natalie struggled with nausea, pain, and exhaustion as they grew but held out as late as 34 weeks. Though the baby bump was quite a sight to behold.
Siblings Maioha Kahn, Frankee Gene, Marley Rose, and Maddison Grace were born within minutes of each other on July 21, via cesarean. A staff of 50 attended the birth.
The healthy quads were allowed home after four weeks in the NICU.
“The reality is I grew 4 miracles in this belly!” she captioned.
She also paid her dues to a supportive family network.
“We will NEVER be able to thank them enough for the selfless sacrifices they are making to help us raise our 5 beautiful children,” Natalie shared, “but we appreciate it more than they will ever know.”
