Lauren and David have been through an unimaginable journey; When they first tried to conceive, they had no idea it would become such a rollercoaster ride.

A regular trip down to the doctor’s office changed their lives forever. When the doctor examined their ultrasound scan, he was completely floored!

Click ‘Next’ to find out what left the couple’s doctor puzzled and speechless..

Lauren and David

Lauren and David Perkins knew that they were meant for one another and they had no doubt in their minds that they wanted to grow as a family.

In fact, not far into their marriage, the two agreed that it was time to start their own little family.

With things going so well, they were ready to take their family from two to three.

Hopeful

Lauren and David were very hopeful about their chances to become pregnant.

In fact, some couples spend a very long time trying to get pregnant. Fortunately for Lauren and David, they were still young and healthy,

so they expected the process to go smoothly.

Waiting

Even though there were no positive results coming in, they weren’t in any rush.

It was a few months in when the couple started to think about the possibility that things might not be working properly.

Men and Women

Previously, it was often assumed that if a couple could not get pregnant, it was the fault of the woman.

In fact, while there are many women who cannot develop an egg, there are also men who cannot provide a high enough sperm count for successful procreation.

A Year

It had now been a year, and Lauren and David were seeing no signs of a positive pregnancy test.

At this point, they started to really consider that maybe having a natural pregnancy wasn’t going to be an option for them.

What to Do

At this point, Lauren had read everything under the sun about ways to improve the chances of pregnancy.

Lauren could also chart her basal body temperature, to see when she would be most likely to be ovulating.

It was also helpful to load up on good vitamins.

Team Effort

After a year of trying, and Lauren doing everything she could to promote pregnancy, the couple just wasn’t seeing the results they wanted to.

At this time, more than ever, it’s helpful to be supportive of one another, and keep up a positive environment in the home.

Taking a Break

After a hard year, Lauren and David talked about going on a vacation. They thought that it would be helpful to head somewhere calm and relaxing.

Instead of having to focus on pregnancy every day, they thought that a trip might help them to focus on something else for a little while.

Opening Up

David and Lauren decided that they would travel to Nicaragua for their vacation.

The vacation was going to be a relaxing one, with the couple enjoying the sandy beaches, going on long hikes and being one with nature.

An Honest Trip

During this time, the couple was able to do a lot of talking, and they were both able to open up about the feelings they had been experiencing all year.

The entire trip was a huge help to the two, who had the opportunity to expel any stress that they were feeling and get rid of any bad feelings they had.

Good Friends

Not only did the couple enjoy time with one another, but they also had friends join them on the trip as well.

However, their friends knew that they were struggling, and they were very supportive of the couple.

They were open and honest with David and Lauren.

Friendly Advice

During the trip, David and Lauren were able to hear a range of views from their closets friends.

Hearing about other people’s problems getting pregnant made Lauren and David feel a bit better.

It was nice to know that they weren’t alone in this struggle.

The Priest

One of the friends that happened to be joining David and Lauren on their trip worked as a priest back home.

While most of their other friends offered advice on ways to improve pregnancy chances, the priest had a completely different outlook.

A-OK

When the couple explained their situation to their priest friend, he didn’t seem to be worried about their situation at all.

The priest shared with the couple that he believed everything that was happening to the couple was happening for a reason.

He told them he saw big plans.

A Grain of Salt

Of course, Lauren and David didn’t know what to think.

They decided that they would take what their friend said with a grain of salt, and perhaps focus on the possibility that he could always be right.

Going Home

After a long week of exploring and relaxing together, Lauren and David were finally ready to head back home.

Not only did they get to relieve some stress and re-connect with one another,

but they were also exposed to the fact that they had all kinds of support systems to turn to.

Making Moves

When Lauren and David got home, they were feeling really good about their situation. However, they could still tell that there was something missing in their home.

The couple knew that they wanted to keep trying for a child.

Even if it took them years, they knew that they didn’t want to give up hope.

Change of Plans

Even though Lauren and David agreed to start trying for a child again, their viewpoint was different.

The couple spent long hours talking about their options, and finally agreed that it might be time to try another route for pregnancy.

Artificial Insemination

Lauren and David began exploring their options and came across artificial insemination.

This was a pain-free, relatively fast procedure that many couples chose to help with pregnancy.

Luckily, ranging anywhere from $300-$500 per session.

Worth It

Even though Lauren and David really wanted to become pregnant naturally, they didn’t want to wait forever.

In the end, Lauren and David agreed that they would go for the artificial insemination.

It was a fairly easy process, and they would know quickly.

Taking Chances

When it came to artificial insemination, the numbers were pretty impressive.

Lauren and David knew the numbers. The success rates for this process were anywhere from 10-15% per menstrual cycle when using ICI, and 15-20% when using IUI.

Patiently Waiting

Once the artificial insemination took place, David and Lauren waited patiently for the news.

In most cases, doctors would recommend that women don’t take a pregnancy test until the first day of a missed period.

A Sign

After a few weeks of waiting, Lauren and David were ready for some results.

Lauren purchased multiple pregnancy tests, to make sure that she got a consistent answer.

After the very first test that Lauren already knew the answer: They were pregnant!

Finally Happening

Now that they knew they were pregnant, Lauren started to look into all of the things she needed to do to make sure this pregnancy was a success.

One of the things Lauren had to stay on top of was her appointments.

First Appointment

In no time at all, Lauren was scheduled to have her first appointment. By this time, she thought that she was perfectly prepared.

Everything seemed to be going well, and the nurses were very happy with how the small fetus was developing.

The nurses spoke with Lauren for quite some time.

Something Off

Lauren immediately began to worry. Nurses calmed her, and explained that it wasn’t something serious, but something to be aware of in the coming months.

What they noticed, was that Lauren seemed to be shower higher than normal levels of HCG. HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, and is it a hormone.

More Than One

Lauren didn’t really understand why the nurse was telling her about her HCG levels, if they were a common thing to have in pregnancy tests.

They wanted Lauren to know about this, because higher levels of HCG were most often seen in women who were having more than one child.

Twins?

The expectant mother was shocked. More than one baby? Did this mean what she thought it meant?

At this stage in her pregnancy, it was hard to tell. The nurses couldn’t be sure until later ultrasounds. However,

Lauren and David felt more ecstatic than ever now!

Thankful

After trying for so long to become pregnant, David and Lauren were overjoyed with the news that aside from finally being pregnant, they could have twins.

This was a truly unique experience for the couple, one they never could have seen coming.

No matter what happened or how many babies there were, they were grateful for even one.

Another Appointment

Lauren and David couldn’t want to go in for another ultrasound. They were so curious about what was growing inside of Lauren.

Aside from all of that, all they wanted to know was that their baby or babies were healthy.

At this appointment, they would get to hear the heartbeat, and see any movements going on!

Another Hitch

The appointment started out fine, just as the first one had. The doctor applied the lubricant to Lauren’s stomach, and began applying the machine to her belly to put up an image on the screen.

At first, everything seemed to be fine. It was only when the doctor started to look deeper at the ultrasound that a scared looking started growing on his face.

How Many?!

Lauren and David held their breath. They could see the screen, but they had no idea what they were looking at.

Eventually, he spoke. When his voice broke the silence, Lauren heard something she never, ever could have expected.

“Wait a minute! I just found a sixth baby.”

April Fools

Lauren and David sat in silence. Neither had any idea what to say. Six babies?! They had expected two, maybe three babies total.

It was a surreal moment that took both David and Lauren a moment to really let sink in.

After all those years of trying, now it was possible.

Excitement and Fear

At first, Lauren and David had a mixed bag of emotions to deal with. They were grappling with the idea of having six children all at once.

It was safe to say that the couple had no idea what to do with the news, at first. They had so many questions.

Help

Once the news broke about their six babies, Lauren and David were informed about all kinds of information and advice to help them.

In the case of having multiple babies, each would be fighting for the room and nutrients that Lauren provided.

The couple knew that this could be a dangerous pregnancy.

Complications

Lauren had never considered the fact that some of the babies not get the same nutrients and blood that the others did.

In the meantime, Lauren and David were given some options. One of them had to do with the option of reducing the number of babies in the womb.

This could be done.

A Hard Decision

This was a very hard decision for Lauren and David to make. After hoping so hard for one baby, now they had been blessed with six.

David and Lauren spent long hours trying to decide what to do. There was no telling how Lauren’s body would react to the pregnancy.

Everyone Stays

At the end of the day, it was harder for the couple to fathom denying any one of their babies a chance at life.

Lauren was a strong woman, and she felt as though her body would fight for her and her babies.

David and Lauren passed on the option to reduce the fetus.

Team Effort

As soon as the couple made their decision, the wheels were in motion. The doctors promised that they would do everything in their power.

Not only that, but everyone working with the couple at the hospital took extra time and effort to avoid any complications.

Seven Months

Over the next seven months, Lauren’s body started to do some incredible things. Her body had to compensate for all of the little beings inside of her.

Lauren started to experience lots of back and foot pain, and it was hard for her to travel very far for very long.

Her stretch marks were beautiful lines.

Labor

Lauren was made aware that she would likely go into labor much sooner than most women. This was because of the size of her stomach.

Eventually, there was no more room left for the babies to grow.

Lauren was preparing every single day in case they had to head to the hospital.

30th Week

In her 30th week of being pregnant, Lauren started to feel the signs of labor. She was feeling incredible pain, and she began to keep track of her contractions.

They were told to head to the hospital in these cases since the doctors wanted to be sure that they had the chance to do whatever they could for the children.

Abnormal

For most women, a normal time to go into labor was anywhere from the 38th week to the 41st week of pregnancy. However, she was going in much earlier.

In this case, the doctors referred to her babies as “premature”.

This meant that they would be much smaller than the regular baby.

Preparation

Because Lauren was giving birth to six babies, the hospital had to be prepared. They knew all about Lauren.

Almost everyone knew about Lauren’s case, and they were all ready to go.

It was important that the hospital team work quickly, in case there were any problems.

In Labor

When it was time for Lauren to start pushing, the hospital staff was on top of everything. There were 35 workers waiting for her!

Lauren couldn’t believe that so many people were here, just to make sure that her children were alright.

Reality Check

As everything began happening in the hospital, it finally hit Lauren that this was really happening. It had seemed like a dream for so long.

The momma-to-be was mixed with excitement and nervousness.

She hoped and prayed that each baby would be okay.

Minutes

Lauren was required to have all of her babies via cesarean-section. The whole process was a bit of a blur for the couple.

In fact, the process really was only a few minutes long—four, to be exact! It was true.

All six babies were removed and cleaned up within four minutes.

Early Babies

As was expected, all of the babies were very tiny when they were born. They had all been sharing quite a small space.

Each baby only weighed one to two pounds’ total, which was very small.

In the end, Lauren gave birth to Benjamin, Caroline, Levi, Leah, Allison, and Andrew.

Lonely Mom

During all of this time, Lauren had been unable to see most of what was going on because of her surgery. They all had to be taken directly to the NICU unit for more care.

Lauren longed to see her children, and the nurses knew this. She got to touch their feet instead.

Too Small

The next few days were hard for the new parents. Even though they had just had six children, they weren’t allowed to touch or hold any of them!

It was four days before any of the children were strong enough to be in contact with their parents.

Allison was the first to be given the go-ahead, and it was a wonderful moment.

Fragile Things

Over the next little while, all of the babies stayed in the NICU to be looked over by the staff.

Lauren and David constantly worried about each of their children, and they were constantly praying that all of the children would grow strong.

A Long Wait

It was the little victories that kept Lauren and David feeling positive. Each of their babies was getting bigger.

Eventually, all of the babies were healthy enough that their parents could hold them.

Lauren and David would visit the hospital every day.

Little Leah

After four months in the NICU, five of the six babies were released to go home. However, there was one baby, Leah, who had to stay behind.

Little Leah had been at the very bottom of the womb, and the weight of all of the other babies had pressed down on her for quite some time.

Coming Home

Although Leah struggled more than the rest of her siblings, she was very resilient. Not long after her siblings, Leah finally made the trip home.

Her parents now had all kinds of preparations completed for Leah, and they knew what they needed to do to give her the extra care she required.

Learning Curves

Every single day is a learning experience for David and Lauren. Having one child is one thing, but having six is a whole other monster!

This meant figuring out feeding schedules, nap schedules, and everything in between.

It was a very busy household, but it was one that was filled with love.

Amazing Staff

Lauren and David attribute all of their success to the amazing friends, family, doctors and hospital staff that helped them along the way.

If you can believe it, Lauren and David’s children are now six years old!

All of the kids are growing up perfectly healthy, and their personalities are shining through.

Going Strong

When it comes to little Leah, she is just as feisty and hilarious as her siblings. Leah tries to be independent and even attends a preschool for kids with disabilities.

Even through her adversities, Leah is a positive young lady who is excited about her future.

Happy Ending

At the end of the day, Lauren and David never could have imagined themselves becoming parents to six children.

Lauren and David proved that even couples with pregnancy issues can in fact create their own families.

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