A Utah couple whose journey through in-vitro fertilization captivated the nation welcomed quadruplets — two sets of identical twins.
Ashley and Tyson Gardner said they are “overwhelmed with joy” after the birth of Indie, Esme, Scarlett and Evangeline by Caesarean section at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo. Three of the newborns weighed a little more than 2 pounds at delivery. The fourth weighed slightly less than 2 pounds, according to the hospital.
The couple said they sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ for eight years to conceive a baby before deciding to turn to IVF treatment. It is a sequence of procedures that involves fertilization of an egg outside a woman’s body in a specialized lab. After both of the fertilised eggs Ashley was carrying split – at odds of one in a million – she found herself pregnant with not one, but TWO sets of twins. This is a rare phenomenon. Only one out of 70 million pregnant women deliver quadruplets.
This Lone Peak grad carried the four girls for 29 weeks and 4 days, with 7 1/2 weeks on hospital bedrest. But Ashley wasn’t bored. By the time Ashley met her miracles, the Gardners had become quasi-spokespersons for the infertility community. She spent hours answering questions on social media, reading messages of support, and sending love to those sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟɪɴɢ to start families.
Then on Dec. 28, 2014, the bedrest ended — and so did the word “rest” in any form. The four baby girls were born within 2.5 minutes — small but healthy.
“It’s amazing to see babies come into this world,” Tyson says with emotion. “You can’t describe it — you have to feel it.”
Five neonatologists — and a total of 37 people — were in the much-anticipated delivery room at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, prepared to take care of each baby girl’s needs. Within two months, beautiful girls named Indie, Esme, Scarlett and Evangeline had all come home — and the family was together in their American Fork townhouse.
“I like to say, ‘These are the little blessings I never knew I wanted,’” Ashley says.
Indie, Esme, Scarlett and Evangeline attract attention wherever their parents take them, from shopping malls and grocery stores to swimming pools and parks. As they wheel the girls around in a quad stroller, Ashley and Tyson have learned to deal with being rushed by crowds of people with a vested interested in their daughters’ welfare.
“So many people followed our story every step of the way – they feel like we’re part of their family,” says Ashley, 28, who is finally getting a full night’s sleep after months of being awakened every few hours around the clock.
“Those first months since they were born were ᴇxʜᴀᴜsᴛɪɴɢ, but so rewarding,” she tells PEOPLE. “Every day, I feel so grateful as I watch these little miracles grow. They’re healthy now, they’re happy and thriving. I’m soaking up every minute with them – I can’t get enough of holding them and watching every little milestone.”