A Texas family is overjoyed to bring home their identical quadruplet sisters, who finally meet their brothers after three months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
The sisters — Hannah Grace, Lucy Marie, Rebecca Claire, and Petra Anne — were born on May 1 when their mother, Mercedes Sandhu, delivered them at 29 weeks and three days.
Mercedes Sandhu’s pregnancy was unique, as she carried four identical quadruplets who shared the same placenta. This type of pregnancy is known as monochorionic.
Though born just before Mother’s Day, Sandhu only brought all four daughters home on July 25 after Rebecca was discharged from the NICU. Hannah and Petra went home on July 12, and Lucy came home a week later.
“We’re so happy they can be together too,” the babies’ father, Jonathan Sandhu, told “Good Morning America,” explaining that the past few weeks have been the only times the quadruplets have been separated.
Jonathan added that even in the NICU, they were kept close, just a few feet apart.
The reunion of the identical quadruplet sisters also marks a special moment as they met their older brothers, Luke, 4, and Aaron, nearly 2, for the very first time.
Due to their young ages, the brothers could not visit their baby sisters in the NICU.
“The best part has been watching our boys welcome their baby sisters … They are obsessed with the girls,” he said, adding that seeing their little family come together has been the most heartwarming moment of their lives.
The birth of quadruplets on May 1 brought the Sandhu family’s total number of children to six in just four years.
Remarkably, the quadruplets were conceived naturally, without the aid of fertility treatments.
Jonathan noted that two babies can be distinguished from each other because they have hemangiomas.
These are harmless growths of extra blood cells in the skin, a common condition in infants, as Texas Children’s Hospital explains.
To keep track of their identical quadruplet sisters, the Sandhu couple uses labeled bassinets and arranges the babies in their birth order — Hannah, Lucy, Rebecca, and Petra — during feedings.
Jonathan emphasized the importance of proper identification, given that the babies are identical.
Meanwhile, the Sandhus are sharing their incredible journey with their “miracle” babies on their Instagram account, @thesandhucrew.
The quadruplets are now happy and healthy at home, with no ongoing medical needs.
Although they were born weighing about two pounds each, they have grown significantly, now weighing between six and seven pounds.
Jonathan noted that despite the higher risks associated with high-order multiples sharing one placenta, the family faced only minor issues that did not pose a serious threat to the babies’ lives or require long-term care.
The quadruplets’ birth was a complex medical event that required the assistance of over 20 specialized medical staff, in addition to the usual nurses and doctors, in the delivery room, Dr. Nathan Sundgren, the neonatologist who oversaw the delivery, explained.
“We gathered a full neonatal resuscitation team, which includes between four and five team members, for each baby,” Sundgren told the outlet, adding that around 18 people in the two rooms used to stabilize the quadruplets, not including the team of obstetricians, anesthesiologists, and nurses caring for the mother.
Despite many medical professionals, Texas Children’s Hospital had the necessary facilities and space to manage the complex delivery.
Now that the identical quadruplet sisters are home, Jonathan admits that he and his wife face the typical challenges of having newborns multiplied by four.
Lack of sleep is a significant hurdle they’re navigating.
He also explained that caring for a newborn at night is challenging enough, but it becomes even harder with more crying babies and dirty diapers.
“My wife and I take shifts at night and one person feeding and changing multiple babies can take two hours. Then you have to repeat it all a few hours later.”
Watch the heartwarming story of the identical quadruplet sisters below:
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