Jamie and Skyler had longed for another sibling for sons Shayden, 12. And they couldn’t believe it when a scan showed they were ᴅᴜᴇ to have quintuplets.
Jamie Scott and her husband, Skyler, were sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟɪɴɢ to become ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ for five years. They desperately dreamed of having another child to join their two sons, Shayden, 12 and Landon, 7. As years passed, they began to slowly come to terms with the realization that a new baby ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ be in their future. ᴅᴜᴇ to Jamie having ᴘᴏʟʏᴄʏsᴛɪᴄ ᴏᴠᴀʀʏ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ. They tried an ⒾⓊⒾ ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴄʏᴄʟᴇ, which was ᴜɴsᴜᴄᴄᴇssғᴜʟ, but the second attempt worked. Jamie said :” When I first found out I was pregnant, I did just an at-home ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛ a couple days before I could ᴏғғɪᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ɢᴇᴛ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ work done to see if the ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇᴅᴜʀᴇ had worked. I went through so many ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛs, I was used to seeing ᴀ ɴᴇɢᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ. So, after all these years of trying, it was just incredible to see those two pink lines.”
A few weeks after finding out they were pregnant, ᴀ ᴛᴇsᴛ showed Jamie’s ⒽⒸⒼ ʜᴏʀᴍᴏɴᴇ ʟᴇᴠᴇʟs were ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇʟʏ ʜɪɢʜ. Typically, this indicates ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄɪᴇs. And while they knew there was ᴀ ʜɪɢʜᴇʀ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇ ʙɪʀᴛʜ, they were told the chances of ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠɪɴɢ ғɪᴠᴇ ʙᴀʙɪᴇs ᴡᴀs 0.003%. She said: “When we had the ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ I was expecting to see one or two ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ sᴀᴄs and there were four in the first 20 minutes. Then we found the fifth. I just cried. I was in awe. We had tried for quite some time so it was amazing that I even was pregnant. “I asked, ‘Are they all ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ?’ and so they went through each one hearing their ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛs and taking their ᴍᴇᴀsᴜʀᴇᴍᴇɴᴛs and I breathed a sigh of relief. After the scan we were so excited we pulled the boys out of school and filmed them as I asked how many babies they thought were in my belly. Shayden guessed triplets and Landon quads. Their mouths gaped open when I told them we were having five babies.”
But being ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with quintuplets presents its own challenges. Jamie said :” It’s very ᴅɪғғɪᴄᴜʟᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀʟᴋ so I’m kind of ᴡʜᴇᴇʟᴄʜᴀɪʀ-ʙᴏᴜɴᴅ because I’m so ᴇxʜᴀᴜsᴛᴇᴅ, and I’m also hungry all the time. My ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ recommended eating 4,000 calories a day and I’ve gained 20lbs so far but it’s not enough so I’ve got to eat a lot, fast. I’m craving healthy food like cucumbers but they have zero calories so I have to beef it up with high fat things like McDonald’s and ice cream. It’s also ᴅɪғғɪᴄᴜʟᴛ ᴛᴏ sʟᴇᴇᴘ because my sᴛᴏᴍᴀᴄʜ is growing sᴏ ғᴀsᴛ and it’s ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ᴘᴀɪɴғᴜʟ. When one of the babies moves the all move – it’s like a party in there. Shayden and Landon loved touching my ʙᴜᴍᴘ though. Their faces lit up every time they felt their siblings move. But the thought of having five babies is totally overwhelming. I’m just really looking forward to bringing home five healthy, chubby babies.”
Jamie says she is hoping to carry the babies for 34 weeks. But at 21-and a-half weeks, there was ʙᴀᴅ ɴᴇᴡs. The ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ had ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ on baby A, the boy ᴄʟᴏsᴇsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴇʀᴠɪx and this meant ʟᴀʙᴏᴜʀ was starting. Jamie said : “In a ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ room with six ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs, we began to ᴘᴀɴɪᴄ. I asked if we had any hope of sᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ and one ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ replied ‘no’. He told us we would ʟᴏsᴇ all of our babies. We were ᴀʙsᴏʟᴜᴛᴇʟʏ ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ. Then something incredible happened… the ʟᴀʙᴏᴜʀ sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ and the ᴍᴇᴍʙʀᴀɴᴇ ʜᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ. The chances of that happening were sʟɪᴍ ᴛᴏ ɴᴏɴᴇ. After that, I was kept in ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ. But then there was another problem. My ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴄᴇʟʟ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ was getting ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜsʟʏ ʜɪɢʜ.”
But, incredibly, Jamie’s ʙᴏᴅʏ ʜᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ ɪᴛsᴇʟғ for a second time and she was ᴘᴜᴛ ᴏɴ ʙᴇᴅ ʀᴇsᴛ. Eventually, she reached 29 weeks and her ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs started. She said :” The babies had to be delivered immediately. Skyler gave me a kiss before I was wheeled into the theatre. When I came round, Skyler was smiling and told me we had five ᴛɪɴʏ but perfect babies. I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe we had done it.” Violet Rose weighed 2lbs 6oz, Daisy Kate, 2lbs 9oz, Logan Matthew, 2lbs 2oz, Lincoln Alan, 2lbs, and Lily Jane, 2lbs 3oz. Jamie was taken to the ɴᴇᴏɴᴀᴛᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴜɴɪᴛ where she met her ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ ǫᴜɪɴᴛᴜᴘʟᴇᴛs, all in their ᴏᴡɴ ɪɴᴄᴜʙᴀᴛᴏʀs. Jamies said :” My heart was so full. I gazed at them all, taking in the 50 ᴛɪɴʏ fingers and 50 ᴛɪɴʏ toes before me. They were more beautiful than I ever thought they’d be.”
The quintuplets turned 11 weeks old on June 6, their original ᴅᴜᴇ date. It felt so special to have all five out of ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ in time for that day. Now the fun really begins! She added :” We moved past the sʜᴏᴄᴋ phase pretty fast and now it is just gratitude and excitement that we get to be on this journey. We want to show these five babies how beautiful and fun the world is.”
