Rare Identical Quadruplets Are Born
August 17, 2007
Canadian parents won the lottery this week. According to the Associated Press, a woman has a 1 in 13 million chance of conceiving identical quadruplets, although another source I read said the chance was 1 in 65 million. Whatever the true figure, the possibility of having identical quadruplets is extremely rare.
But Karen Jepp of Calgary, Alberta, beat the odds and delivered identical girls, Autumn, Brooke, Calissa and Dahlia. Amazingly, although they were premature and all weighed between 2.15 and 2.6 pounds, doctors say they are doing very well and breathing on their own. They were conceived without fertility drugs.
To our knowledge, there are less than 50 sets of identical quadruplets in the world, the most recent born to a 26-year-old woman in India in April 2006.
The Jepp quads will remain hospitalized for four to six weeks, and then will be heading home to their two-year-old brother, Simon. And, hopefully, to lots and lots of help for their parents!
About the Author
Susan M. Heim is a writer and editor, specializing in multiples, parenting, women’s and Christian issues. A former Senior Editor for Health Communications, Inc., she specialized in the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series, as well as teen, religion and other self-help books. Susan is the author of Oh, Baby! 7 Ways a Baby Will Change Your Life the First Year, Twice the Love: Stories of Inspiration for Families…with Twins, Multiples and Singletons, and It’s Twins! Parent-to-Parent Advice from Infancy Through Adolescence. Susan's articles and essays have appeared in many books, magazines and Web sites. In addition to her own projects, Susan enjoys developing proposals and manuscripts with many high-profile authors. She is a member of the National Association of Women Writers and the Southeastern Writers Association, and has a degree in Business Administration from Michigan State University. Susan lives with her husband and four sons in south Florida.
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