Courtney and Eric Waldrop from Alabama had been together for 22 years and were parents to three lovely little boys. Their eldest son was shortly followed by a set of twins - two more boys. But because Mama Courtney wanted a daughter, the parents kept trying. However, the 35-year-old mother, unfortunately, miscarried every time after.
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Artificial insemination was their last chance
That’s why parents, just like Carolyn and Sean Savage, sometimes opt for artificial insemination. Not long after trying, the two visited a gynaecologist to see if this treatment had been successful. And it turns out Courtney was pregnant again! The two were overjoyed at the news.
When the gynaecologist took a closer look at the ultrasound image however, they couldn’t believe their eyes. The specialist said in an interview with Highly Healthy:
I have never seen anything like this in my 30-year-long career,
Shock at the gynaecologist
The doctor then told the couple something that both baffled and startled them deeply. There was an unusual number of foetus’ present in the womb, six in total to be exact. The parents couldn’t believe that they were going to have another six babies, just like the Walton family. After all, they already had three children and had only really wanted one daughter.
But Courtney and Eric accepted this challenge and decided to keep all six babies. A team of 40 specialists were in charge of taking care of the pregnant woman in her mid-thirties and they soon informed her that she would never be able to physically carry the sextuplets in her belly for the full 40 weeks.
Suddenly a family of 11
As a result, the babies - three girls and three boys - were born in the 30th week of pregnancy at Huntsville Hospital in Alabama. The children were named Tag, Layke, Blue, Rivers, Rawlings and Rayne and weighed between two to three pounds each. Only then did it dawn on the new parents of nine who they would be sharing their lives with over the coming weeks, months and years.
The family now has eleven mouths to feed, but this ‘power family’ quickly got used to their new situation and everyone had to pitch in. The twins were particularly happy that they were finally big brothers and were eager to help take care of the little ones.
Babysitting service
Every afternoon, the three older siblings are in charge of watching the six little ones for an hour so that Mama Courtney can rest for a while. During this time, the kids normally just sit together in front of the television. Although the huge diaper mountains and the never-ending mass of bottles are a huge challenge for the parents, they nevertheless see their sextuplets as a gift from God.
