Woman Gives Birth To Very Rare Set Of Identical Quadruplets Conceived Without Fertility Treatment

Oct 09, 2023

Jenny and Chris Marr were the only children of their parents with no history of multiple births in their families, so when they visited their doctor in 2019 to do a sonogram, they were hit with the most surprising news. Jenny and Chris started dating after they met at a pub and tied the knot later. They then started trying for a baby. Jenny got pregnant several months later, and the couple was ecstatic to welcome their little one into the world. The news from their doctor, Dr. Lauren Murray, an OB-GYN at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, shocked them, though. 

They noticed that Dr. Murray had a strange look on her face, so naturally, Jenny was worried that something was wrong with her baby. However, Dr. Murray reassured her and then delivered some shocking news. 

“She goes, ‘Y’all, there’s three babies in there.’ And we were just absolutely floored,” Jenny told Today. 

A week later, Jenny and Chris went to a maternal-fetal medicine specialist for a follow-up appointment on Nov. 19, 2019. They wondered what was up when they saw the technician giving them an odd look, too. 

“We were like, ‘Oh what’s going on now?’ We got worried again,’” Chris recalled. “She was really cute. She said, ‘I’m not supposed to say this, but y’all got four babies.’”

Naturally occurring quadruplets are rare, occurring in 1 in 11 million or 15 million births. Dr. Murray confirmed this to CBS News as she and her colleagues found only about 72 such cases in the literature. 

“It’s unbelievable. It’ll never happen again in my career. I said, ‘Girl, go buy a few lottery tickets because those are the kind of odds we’re dealing with,’” she told Today. “What a miracle it was.”

The couple got scared when they learned their babies were sharing one placenta, which meant the other babies would be at risk if one baby got more nourishment than the others. However, the doctors assured Jenny and Chris that they would monitor the situation closely. Fortunately, the babies shared generously. 

Jenny was even more worried when she learned she would deliver during the pandemic. She went into labor when she was 28.5 weeks gone, although she tried to get to 33 weeks for the babies' sake. The Texas resident delivered the quadruplets at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas, on March 15, 2020, a week before the lockdown restrictions for Dallas County, Texas, were announced starting March 23.

The  C-section went well, and Jenny delivered all four babies within three minutes. Harrison came first, weighing 2 pounds 6 ounces. Hardy came next at 2 pounds 10 ounces, followed by Henry at 2 pounds 6.7 ounces, and finally Hudson, who was 1 pound 15 ounces. 

Three Marr babies needed oxygen, so they stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for about 10 weeks and nearly one month in the special care nursery. The last of the babies went home in May 2020. The hospital also celebrated as they shared the news on Instagram. 

“To be able to share these little miracles, the joy of them with everybody, it’s just been really special,” Jenny told CBS News. 

She also disclosed that telling the boys apart was hard for a while and that they needed to wear ankle bracelets. However, each baby soon started to develop their own personalities, which made it easier for the parents to tell them apart. 

“They each have little bitty characteristics,” Chris told Today.

The boys are now 3 years old and healthy. 

We know that the Marr family will be busy keeping up with four active boys, and we wish them the best as they raise their healthy children. Do you know any parents of multiples? Let us know, then pass this on to your friends and family!