by Mom’s Dream Of Big Family Expects One Baby Girl But Gave birth Quintuplets
Sometimes, wishes come true more abundantly than you ever could have imagined. The Hulen family, living near Minot, North Dakota, might be a perfect example. Megan and Josh had two sons, ages 7 and 2. Josh really wanted to try for a girl, and Megan eventually agreed. In the early morning of Sept. 2, Megan and Josh received their wish. Actually, they delivered four girls, plus a boy, at Sanford Medical Center Fargo.
In their birth order, Allison weighed 3 pounds 5.6 ounces; Adam weighed 4 pounds 0.2 ounces; Madison weighed 3 pounds 6 ounces; Emma weighed 3 pounds 10.9 ounces; and Chloe weighed 3 pounds 3.5 ounces.
Megan had dreamed of having a large family, and the addition of quintuplets certainly has made that dream come true, too.
The idea of having quintuplets required an adjustment period at first, but at 30 weeks along, a couple of weeks before their birth, she talked lightheartedly about that, along with her challenges of getting pregnant with ᴘᴏʟʏᴄʏsᴛɪᴄ ᴏᴠᴀʀʏ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ (PCOS), how her body was coping with sᴜsᴛᴀɪɴɪɴɢ five babies and why she felt so calm about her ᴜɴᴜsᴜᴀʟ sɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.
Because of her PCOS, Megan typically doesn’t ᴏᴠᴜʟᴀᴛᴇ on her own. With the Hulens’ first son, she had achieved pregnancy by taking an ᴏʀᴀʟ ɪɴFᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. That didn’t work when they wanted to have a second child, so he was the result of Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs ᴛᴏ sᴛɪᴍᴜʟᴀᴛᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴏᴠᴀʀɪᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇ ᴇɢɢs ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴ ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ sᴛɪᴍᴜʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴏᴠᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, Fᴏʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ ʙʏ ɪɴᴛʀᴀᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ɪɴsᴇᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.
At the 20-week ᴀɴᴀᴛᴏᴍʏ sᴄᴀɴ during Megan’s pregnancy with Matthew, the couple received a sʜᴏᴄᴋ. Their baby boy had some sᴇʀɪᴏᴜs ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs. He would be born with a ʀᴀʀᴇ ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ Nᴀɢᴇʀ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀFFᴇᴄᴛs ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ of the face, hands and arms. After Matthew was born, he sᴘᴇɴᴛ Fᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴏɴᴀᴛᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴜɴɪᴛ (NICU). He needed a ᴛʀᴀᴄʜᴇᴏsᴛᴏᴍʏ, ᴀ Fᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴜʙᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇǫᴜɪʀᴇs sɪɢɴɪFɪᴄᴀɴᴛ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴀʀᴇ.
“But other than that, he is a ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ, ʙᴏᴜɴᴄʏ 2-year-old,” said Megan, a stay-at-home mom.
The plan was for Megan to undergo the same Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ that had helped bring about Matthew. She took her ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs ᴛᴏ sᴛɪᴍᴜʟᴀᴛᴇ Fᴏʟʟɪᴄʟᴇs, ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ᴀɴ ᴇɢɢ, to grow. This time, the ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs worked too well — there were too many Fᴏʟʟɪᴄʟᴇs, ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄɪᴀɴs ᴏʙsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ at her ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ. So they aᴅᴠɪsᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ǫᴜɪᴛ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ɪF ᴀɴʏ ᴏF ᴛʜᴇ Fᴏʟʟɪᴄʟᴇs ʜᴀᴅ ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴇᴅ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴠᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ-sᴛɪᴍᴜʟᴀᴛɪɴɢ ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ (ʜCG).
At that next ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ, there were still too many Fᴏʟʟɪᴄʟᴇs ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ, so they canceled the cycle and didn’t go through with the hCG ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ to try again on Megan’s next cycle.
Megan was advised to take a pregnancy test in two weeks before starting the new cycle. A couple of days before the end of two weeks, she said, “I started feeling funny.” Her pregnancy test was ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴠᴇ.
Evidently, Megan had ᴏᴠᴜʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ on her own, either the day of her ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ or the next day. And while the couple, as advised, ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅᴇᴅ relations after that ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ, they hadn’t just before it. Hence, the true sʜᴏᴄᴋ when they went in for her first pregnancy ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ at six weeks and ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ Fɪᴠᴇ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs.
She ended up crying for an hour in the corner of his office. “We did not plan this. This is too many. What are we going to do?” she asked Josh, a roadmaster for BNSF Railway Co.
Josh reassured her, keeping in mind that only one ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ʙᴇᴇɴ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ sᴏ Fᴀʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪɢʜᴇʀ-ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇs, sometimes one or a few tend to vanish. In a week, they would find out how many embryos were actually ᴠɪᴀʙʟᴇ.
“He was excited and keeping it together for me,” Megan said.
A week later, when five ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴅᴇᴛᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ Fʀᴇᴀᴋ ᴏᴜᴛ.
Megan, who had been staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Fargo, delivered on schedule Sept. 2 at 32 weeks. That’s good timing for the quintuplets when taking into account the balance between ʀɪsᴋs to the babies earlier than that and ʀɪsᴋs to the babies and mother later than that, Dr. Beiswenger said.
