Christmas Miracle: Couple Welcomes Quintuplets

The Baudinets' dreams of being parents seemed impossible. But, on Dec. 4, Margaret gave birth to Ava, Clara, Camille, Luke and Isabelle Baudinet.

"This is an incredible time for the Baudinet family and for the hospital," said Patty White, president and CEO of St. Joseph's "They are now a part of the rich history here at St. Joseph's."

After two miscarriages, the Baudinets decided to try fertility treatments. Upon learning the treatment was successful, the couple recalls feeling a mixture of shock and joy alongside a healthy dose of fear and anxiety.

"Going to our first ultrasound, I was worried it would result in yet another miscarriage,'" said Margaret, 31, who manages College Solutions, a private college counseling firm in Richmond, Virginia. "Then, I remember the nurse started to giggle as she performed the sonogram. She told us she saw at least four heart beats. We immediately went into shock which was only furthered when we later learned that I was actually carrying five babies."

While complications can happen with any pregnancy, Margaret's pregnancy would pose higher risks for prematurity, low birth weight, sight and hearing deficiencies, underdeveloped lungs and cerebral palsy, among other risks. Quintuplets are rare, occurring only once in several million pregnancies.

"I was prepared for two or three children, and always thought it would be fun to have twins. I wasn't at all prepared for five children all at once. Still, after all we've been through, it wasn't until about 24-weeks gestation that we actually started to feel excited," said Michael, 34, a lawyer at McGuireWoods LLP in Richmond.

After a lot of research, Margaret ant Michael spoke with renowned perinatologist John Elliott, MD, in Phoenix. Following a phone consultation, they decided to move temporarily from their Virginia home, near Richmond, to Phoenix to work with Dr. Elliott. The plan included delivering the babies at St. Joseph's Hospital.

"Like many patients who call, they were scared and looking for answers," said Dr. Elliott, who specializes in high-risk pregnancies and has delivered more sets of quintuplets than any doctor in the world. "Our goal is to give them a program; a blueprint to help them feel more in control and more optimistic for success."

The Baudinet quintuplets were born at 32-weeks via cesarean section. Delivering the five babies took the 24-person team at St. Joseph's just 17 minutes. Despite their early arrival, the five babies had better than anticipated weights ranging from three to four pounds.  All are doing well and will spend their first Christmas continuing to grow in St. Joseph's NyICU, before heading to Virginia in January.

The Baudinets have chronicled their pregnancy on their blog, A Bundle of Baudinets, which has links to a Go Fund Me campaign and other baby registries.

"We are very grateful to our friends and family for all their love and prayers and to McGuireWoods for all the support it has provided us," Michael said.

About Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center 
Located in the heart of Phoenix, AZ, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is a 586-bed, not-for-profit hospital that provides a wide range of health, social and support services with special advocacy for the poor and underserved. St. Joseph's is a nationally recognized center for quality tertiary care, medical education and research. It includes the internationally renowned Barrow Neurological Institute, the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, the Norton Thoracic Institute, a campus of Creighton University's Medical School and the first Level I Trauma Center in Arizona verified by the American College of Surgeons. U.S. News & World Report routinely ranks St. Joseph's among the best hospitals in the United States for neurology and neurosurgery.  For more information please visit our website at www.dignityhealth.org/stjosephs.

SOURCE Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

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