Briana and Jordan Driskell, 26, had spent two years trying for the seemingly impossible: having a baby. The couple from Kentucky were left exhausted, upset, and frustrated by the entire process. After experimenting with various fertility treatments over the course of four months, they found nothing worked. They decided to take a five-month break before trying again in October 2016. However this time they did something that would change everything — incorporating hormonal injections into the treatment.
Though Briana began to feel different, she didn’t want to get her hopes up and believe that she was pregnant. However, blood tests taken two weeks later confirmed that she was indeed pregnant! Filled with happiness and disbelief, Briana and Jordan felt as though they had conquered something. After trying for so long, they would finally have the child they’d wanted so much, but had proven so hard to get. Yet their jubilation was soon to change to a different feeling when doctors reviewed the eight-week ultrasound: the couple were in for some shocking news.
«I almost passed out,» said Jordan. And he’d have had good reason to since their were five fetuses on the screen! There was not one, but five babies inside Briana’s womb.
«I was in such shock, I couldn’t speak. I just sat there staring at the screen in disbelief. I couldn’t believe there were five sacs,» said Briana. Though they knew that a multiple pregnancy was a real possibility, the probability of having triplets or a higher number of babies was less than 5%. In fact, there’s only a one in 50 million chance of having quintuplets. Jackpot!
In the first few weeks of her pregnancy, Briana was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum. This means everything made her feel sick and want to vomit, so she could only eat breakfast cereal and bananas. This left her so dehydrated that she needed to be hospitalized. She also lost 10 lbs. At this point, it became clear that this would be no «easy» pregnancy.
While having a baby is difficult, having five at the same time is a real challenge for the body. At 22 weeks, she had to return to the hospital because her cervix had shortened. She then remained in hospital until the birth. «I wanted to keep the babies inside of me until 30 weeks,» said Briana. Yet Briana began suffering from preeclampsia, meaning she had to undergo a C-section at 28 weeks.
On May 2, 2017, Zoey, Dakota, Hollyn, Asher and Gavin were born: three girls and two boys. The five babies were born premature, but healthy, in four minutes thanks to the C-section. As Briana was very weak and at risk of her blood pressure rising too much, she couldn’t see her children until the next day. «When I finally saw them, I was crying so hard I couldn’t breathe. I still can’t believe I am finally a mom. It’s unreal,» she said.
The quintuplets were kept in intensive care for a short time so that they could develop. They are now putting on weight and getting stronger every day. They are in good health and there shouldn’t be any further complications in the future, except maybe one: the Driskells urgently need more room in their house! They’ve already received some generous donations, including cribs and toys. But they still need to buy a bigger car and get their hands on some other essentials. This is why the couple have created a gofundme page so people can donate. We wish them all the best for the future and the many challenges that lie ahead!
