Parenting is taking on an entirely new meaning for one North Texas family after a a woman recently gave birth to quadruplets.
Staff Sgt. Jereme Barrera said he and his wife Hope were having trouble starting a family, so like many couples, she turned to fertility drugs.
When they went to the doctor, they knew there was a greater chance they could have twins.
“So when we first went to the doctor after she was pregnant, she goes, 'Oh! I see you’re having twins! Two.’ And then she goes, 'Let me just make sure, and we’ll double-check,'" said Barrera.
He said there is nothing that could have prepared him for what happened next.
“And she goes, ‘I think I see four.’ And I was like, ‘Are you sure it’s not the original two you saw before?’ And she was like, ‘I’ve been doing this 30 years. I’m positive.'"
Less than nine months later, at just 27 weeks, Hope gave birth to Rylan, Kinsley, Jaxxson and Paisley at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth.
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Each baby weighed approximately two pounds or less and measured around 12 inches long.
“They rolled them by us when they were leaving the operating room, and I was like, I cannot believe they are that small. But their eyes were open, all of them, and they were looking at me. And I was just thinking, I know they’re going to grow fast cause they’re strong and they're fighters,” Barrera said.
And fighters they are, though doctors said quads this young can face several complications.
So far, Rylan has experienced bleeding in the brain, and all four babies’ lungs are underdeveloped. But given their extremely young age, doctors at Harris Methodist said the babies are in good condition and all four should go home within a month.
Barrera said he can’t wait to make new memories.
“Just watching them lie in their crib, or giving them baths, or eventually running around the house trying to chase all of them... I think I feel like every little moment is one we’ll want to capture. I’m really excited about all of that,” he said. “It teaches you more than you ever thought you knew.”
This campaign is raising money for "The Barrera Quads."
