by Mum Give Birth Quadruplets, The First To Be Born In New Zealand In 20 Years
Kendall MacDonald, from New Zealand, gave birth to the first set of twins the country had seen in 20 years. Kendall MacDonald, from New Zealand, was already mum to Brooklyn, three, but she and her husband, Josh, longed for a sibling for him.
With Kendall, 27, sᴜFFᴇʀɪɴɢ Fʀᴏᴍ ᴘᴏʟʏᴄʏsᴛɪᴄ ᴏᴠᴀʀɪᴇs, she confessed it was a “surprise” when she fell pregnant the first time. She said: “I suffered from polycystic ovary syndrome and ᴇɴᴅᴏᴍᴇᴛʀɪᴏsɪs which made it difficult for me to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ ᴀs I ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴏᴠᴜʟᴀᴛɪɴɢ regularly.”
Beginning trying when Brooklyn was just two-months-old, over the next few years they tried to fall pregnant again without success, with Kendall sᴜFFᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ. As well as PCOS, Kendall also sᴜFFᴇʀᴇᴅ Tᴏxɪᴄ Sʜᴏᴄᴋ Sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ, when a piece of placenta remained inside her following Brooklyn’s birth, leading to sᴄᴀʀʀɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀ ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs.
Advised these multiple factors would make it hard to conceive, they turned to drug Clomifene, which helps ovulation. After their second try they were delighted to discover Kendall was pregnant. At her nine week scan a second heartbeat appeared, and a third scan revealed a further two heartbeats. Kendall was told she needed to make a tough choice.
At 12 weeks the mum-to-be was told that there was a chance none of her babies would sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ, and she was advised to ᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴀᴛᴇ two of the foetuses to increase the sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ chances of the other pair. She said: ‘It was suggested for the sake of my health and my babies health that I reduce my pregnancy by one set of twins.”
Kendall and Josh decided to keep all their babies. They were told she needed to make it to 28 weeks for them to have a Fɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴏF sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ, and the pair moved nearer the hospital just in case.
Kendall said: “I was told that if I went into labour before 28 weeks, the babies wouldn’t sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ. So the first goal was to get to 25 weeks, with an ultimate goal of 28 weeks.”
At 28 weeks and four days, Kendall went into labour and all four babies were born ᴠɪᴀ ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ last August. Ranging from 2.57lbs to 2.88lbs, Molly, Hudson, Indie and Quinn were rushed to intensive care. After seven long weeks they could be held and cuddled, and at 12 weeks the quads came home. The quads were the first to be born in New Zealand in 20 years. Now she says she feels like a proper mum-of-five as the quads approach their seven-month milestone.
The family have set up a GiveaLittle page to help with the costs of raising five babies under four, with Kendall saying: “I can’t believe we are on the other side of it and four healthy babies and they are all miracles.”
