Parents welcome quintuplets to make family of 9: ‘A dream come true’
JACKSON, Miss. (WDAM/Gray News) - The world got a little sweeter - five times sweeter, to be precise - as a Mississippi family welcomed quintuplets.
Franklin Walker, Carter James, Saylor Kate, Allie Ray and Nova Mae were born last Friday at the University of Mississippi Medical Center to parents Ashley and Tyler Meyers. They are all in good health in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
The quintuplets join their older sisters, Pasleigh and Westlynn, to make a family of nine, WDAM reports.
“We found out the other day, it seems like, and now, they’re here,” said Ashley Meyers at a press conference Wednesday.
The babies’ due date was Oct. 3, but doctors expected them to arrive as early as August. As it turned out, the siblings arrived even earlier.
The two boys and three girls were born at 27 weeks. The smallest, Saylor, weighed almost 1 pound, 12 ounces, while the largest, Carter, weighed just over 2 pounds, according to UMMC.
“Seeing the babies is a dream come true,” Ashley Meyers said. “We had absolutely no idea what we were going to do when we were told there were five babies, but now seeing them here is like a breath of air.”
During the press conference, the quintuplets’ parents shared some of their journey alongside the doctors and care team at UMMC.
“When we got discharged, me and my nurses cried; we didn’t want to let go of each other yet,” Ashley Meyers said. “So, it’s been emotional, but it’s been good. Everybody up here, just the relationships you get when you come up here, everybody treats you like family.”
Dr. Rachael Morris, Ashley Meyers’ OB-GYN, agreed that the journey has been a personal one.
“We’re truly blessed, and this is a wonderful day,” she said. “I look forward to their continued growth and my relationship with this family because we are family now, and those are definitely my babies.”
UMMC officials said they would provide updates on the babies’ progress over the coming weeks.
Leading up to the quintuplets’ births, the Meyers’ hometown of Laurel rallied behind them to help prepare for their growing family. Many people donated money and supplies or purchased gifts from their registry.
“Everybody high and low that has donated to us, gifted to us, just checked on us, prayed for us, that is who has made us get this far because, without them, we couldn’t have been here today,” said Ashley Meyers after the births.
Angie Ducksworth, the owner of Mayders and Tayders in Seminary, has stepped up to lead much of the community effort.
“They say it takes a village to raise a child,” Ducksworth said. “It’s going to take a big old town to raise these five.”
The Meyers, who have been married for seven years, had just moved into a new home when they were surprised by the news they were expecting quintuplets. They told UMMC they are looking forward to introducing the babies to their older sisters.
The odds of spontaneous quintuplets are about one in 60 million, according to Morris.
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