Haylee and Shawn Ladner, parents of the miraculous quintuplets born in Mississippi, recently celebrated their first Easter together as a family at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
The couple had the joy of holding their quintuplets for the first time in February, but were only able to hold them individually. However, on Easter Sunday, they were able to finally cradle all five babies at once, and shared the heartwarming moment in their first family photo.
“We dressed all the babies in their Easter outfits and held them all at once for a big group photo to celebrate their first Easter,” shared Shawn, the father of miracle quintuplets born in Mississippi. Despite feeling a bit nervous, they were able to hold all five babies at the same time. “It was an emotional moment to see our babies together again for the first time since they were in the womb. It was a really cool experience,” he added.
The couple was also glad that all the children were healthy, which is not common in quintuplet babies. “It’s definitely been miraculous, I would say, to see all five babies grow and not have any complications and to just be perfectly healthy and to be striving and thriving,” said Haylee.
Having babies was not easy for Haylee and Shawn. After Haylee suffered two miscarriages, the couple decided to get pregnant through an intrauterine insemination treatment.
“We found out we were pregnant with the IUI, and my numbers were super, super high,” Haylee shared. “We were thinking, ‘Okay, twins, it could be twins,’ cause we only had two eggs. [The doctor] said, ‘There’s five,’ and I immediately was like, ‘How is this possible?’”
Haylee and Shawn call their quintuplets “miracle” babies. They have always wanted to have at least one child, but they were given five at once, which they are very thankful for.
“We wanted to share this story for two reasons: one, because we believe they are miracles given to us by God, and two, we wanted to do it to hopefully help other couples who have gone through infertility, too, know that they have some hope out there in the world as well,” Haylee said.
The quintuplets – one boy and four identical girls – were born at 28 weeks on February 16 at Wiser Hospital for Women at UMCC.
Their daughters Malley, Adalyn, Everleigh, and Magnolia were all identical while their son Jake was the largest, at 2 pounds, 5 ounces. Because they were born quite too early, they had to receive neonatal intensive care such as respiratory support.
“The biggest thing right now is the babies are still learning to bottle feed and so, as they work up their ability with bottle feedings, they’ll be able to be discharged,” Haylee explained.
Shawn, who is a maintenance mechanic, said that the experience has been amazing despite all the ups and downs. “I had to go back to work so I’ve been traveling back and forth to come up and see the babies. It made me so happy that they’ve been doing so good,” he said.
Haylee, on the other hand, stays in the hospital with the babies and enjoys learning new things. “It’s literally the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. I couldn’t be any happier,” she said.
The Ladners plan to document their quintuplets’ future milestones and special moments on their new YouTube channel called “5 Little Ladners.” At the moment, their top priority is to take care of their miracle babies and cherish their growth until they can finally bring them home.
As unexpected blessings come with financial responsibility, the father has started a GoFundMe page to seek support from those willing to contribute to their journey. The family is deeply grateful for the blessings they have received and humbly appreciates any help given. Join them in their beautiful journey and show your support today. ❤️