On Jenny Marr’s 34th birthday, she and her husband decided it was time to start trying for a baby.
Both only children, Jenny Marr, 35, and her husband, Chris Marr, 35, live in Dallas. They would have been happy with just one child — a compact family of four, including their dog Zeke.
On Oct. 6, she took a pregnancy test: It was positive.
The couple, yearning to hear the sound of a steady heartbeat, began counting down until they would finally see their baby on a sonogram screen.
Little did they know, though, that they had not one, not two, not three, but four heartbeats to hear and four sonogram images to study.
Jenny Marr was carrying a quartet of medical marvels: identical monochorionic quadruplets, of which there are only 72 cases recorded in medical literature, according to her obstetrician, Lauren Murray.
“The fact that we didn’t have any medical intervention, and no history of multiples in either of our families, made the news a total shock,” said Jenny Marr.
Any pregnancy is risky, he said, but in this case, the risks are multiplied by four.
“Pregnancy, even with one baby, is hard on the body. Four is just ridiculous,” Rinehart said. “The body is simply not made to do that.”
For the mother, carrying multiple babies comes with the increased risk of high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and other health issues.
For the babies who share a placenta, there is an increased risk of uneven distribution of blood flow, resulting in one or more babies not receiving adequate oxygen and nutrients.
“It’s kind of like survival of the fittest,” said Murray. “The babies need to share the placenta evenly in order for all of them to survive.”
On March 15, at 28 weeks into her pregnancy, Jenny Marr went into early labor.
But the C-section was successful, and within three minutes — Harrison, Hardy, Henry and Hudson — came into the world.
“It’s exhilarating every time I deliver a baby,” Murray said. “But to deliver identical quads was just incredible.”
All four boys came out strong and healthy, and even the tiniest baby — weighing 1 pound, 15 ounces — didn’t require oxygen support.
All four stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit for several weeks to be monitored, until the last Marr boy arrived home.
The Marr parents said they’re relishing every moment with their boys, watching as they grow and change every day.
“They all have such different personalities already,” said Chris Marr. “It’s incredible to watch.”
The identical boys wear different-color ankle bracelets to help distinguish them.
Even so, “we confuse them from time to time,” said Chris Marr.
On a recent afternoon, the couple sat in their living room, looking over their squirming babies.
“I still can’t believe we created these tiny humans,” said Jenny Marr. “All in one shot.”