Proud new parents Gabby and Bobbijean Gidley were astonished to learn that they were expecting quadruplets, with their exceptionally rare one-in-700,000 pregnancy requiring special preparation for the birth
A new school term has brought with it plenty of joy for two teachers, who have just welcomed an adorable set of quadruplets to the world.
In what has been described as an exceptionally rare one-in-700,000 pregnancy, proud parents Gabby and Bobbijean Gidley welcomed three little girls and a boy at Essentia Health-St Mary’s Medical Centre on July 28, with the four miraculous siblings all arriving within the space of just two minutes.
Gabby and Bobbijean, who both work as teachers and softball coaches, started their family using intrauterine insemination, a fertility treatment whereby sperm is placed directly into a woman’s uterus. After early pregnancy tests picked up on unusually high hormone levels at seven weeks, they booked in for an ultrasound.
It was then that they encountered an unexpected bombshell.
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To their great surprise, the couple learned they were expecting not twins, but quadruplets, marking the very first delivery of quads at Minnesota’s Duluth hospital since the early 2000s.
Gabby recalled: “I was getting an ultrasound and I noticed two sacs. [I asked the ultrasound tech], ‘Are we having twins?’ It was a blur. I was just praying the babies would be ok.”
In the weeks that followed, the medical team prepared in advance for the complex birth, running drills and ensuring that extra staff were on hand. When the time came, around 25 doctors, nurses and NICU specialists were there to assist, and the birth thankfully went smoothly.
Bobbijean shared: “There were so many people, but it put me at ease. They were 10 steps ahead, ready for anything. The nurses were phenomenal, answering every question and supporting Gabby through every moment.”
Babies Rozelia, Lillette, Icelynn and Miller were all born by C-section between 6:37 am and 6:39 am, with each weighing between 2lb 14oz and 3lb.
The four tiny siblings remain in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, where they are thankfully meeting milestones. It’s understood Gabby and Bobbijean may be able to bring them home by late September or early October.
Remarking upon this landmark moment for the hospital, Micah Alton, nurse manager for the NICU at St. Mary’s, stated: “This isn’t something we do every day, or every year even. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation.
“We spent weeks preparing for this, running trials and making sure we were prepared for every scenario possible – the good and bad. Fortunately, it was a really smooth birth, and everyone was happy and healthy.
“The babies will really determine when they are ready to go home. We have to make sure they can regulate temperature on their own, eat on their own, breathe without respiratory devices and several other benchmarks.
“We have staff monitoring all four of them around the clock to make sure they are growing and getting the care and attention they need.”
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