For at least the next 18 years, Justin Clark will be required to frequently wait in line outside of his own restroom.
The 43-year-old may have Toby the labrador and Sox the cat as masculine companions, but there is no doubt that he is currently outnumbered by women. He could not be any happier.
Three months ago, he and his 36-year-old wife Christine carried their all-female quadruplets home from the special care unit at Rotherham Hospital.
Last month, proud parents Justin and Caroline Clark carried their four three-month-old daughters home from a special care unit. Since then, their hands have been full.
Caroline, Darcy, Alexis, and Elisha were born at 30 weeks after their mother was admitted to the hospital.
Caroline, Darcy, Alexis, and Elisha were born prematurely at 30 weeks and are truly exceptional infants.
After nearly a decade of attempting to have a child, the couple had almost given up hope and resigned themselves to childlessness. Their first round of in vitro fertilization was a spectacular success.
Furthermore, this is not the only reason the quads are exceptional. Unbelievably, they are also the consequence of one embryo dividing into three and then one of those embryos dividing into two.
The probability of a single embryo producing four offspring has never been calculated. People have cited probabilities of two million to one and even seventy million to one, but it cannot be quantified because it has never occurred before, according to Justin.
“We are the first individuals to experience this, and even some physicians find it hard to believe,”
To say that the couple is shell-shocked would be an understatement. Mothers of multiples frequently assert that parents of a single child “have no clue how difficult it is.”
Having given birth to identical twin daughters 11 months ago, I have repeated this phrase numerous times with clenched teeth.
I meet Justin, a lorry driver, and Christine, a nurse, at their three-bedroom ‘but one’s only a box room’ semi-detached property in the South Yorkshire village of Brinsworth. I do so with a mixture of profound admiration, curiosity, and a small amount of sympathy for the sleep they will never regain.
The only indication of the infants’ presence are the dark circles under the eyes of their parents. However, the delicate bleating of a newborn pleading for attention is unmistakable as it echoes from above.
Christine says “Forgive the disarray” as she guides me into a room littered with baby equipment.
The consequence of the couple’s initial IVF attempt. They are the result of a single embryo dividing into three and then one of those embryos dividing into two.
Four infant females, each weighing approximately 5 to 6 ounces, are sleeping in a single cot.
Three are sound slumber, but Alexis is challenging her lung capacity to the maximum. Christine gently lifts her up and embraces her to soothe her down. Clearly, Mom is a natural.
Twelve years ago, Justin and Christine met in a bar and wed three years later. Like the majority of youthful married couples, they desired to establish a family.
Christine declares, “I’ve always desired to be a mother.” I originate from a small family, but children were always a priority. We began attempting prior to our wedding, but nothing occurred.
“Because I was only 25, I did not despair. But after two years, we visited our doctor, who conducted numerous tests. It turned out I had dysfunctional ovaries and would likely require assistance to conceive.
It was very distressing. Friends were becoming expectant, and while I was always pleased for them and never envious, I often wondered why it wasn’t happening for us.
The couple attempted numerous treatments, including the ovary-stimulating medication Clomid, but Christine became sickly due to its adverse effects.
“IVF was a last resort because we knew how unpredictable it could be,” she explains.
People don’t comprehend unless they’ve experienced it for themselves, so we debated whether we wanted to put ourselves through it. It was our last chance.
The NHS offered Justin and Christine two cycles of IVF at Care Fertility in Sheffield, where they were referred by their physician.
Only two of Christine’s eggs were collected for fertilization, which confirmed the couple’s worst concerns. Unfortunately, one of those embryos was too immature to be used.
Justin and Caroline were married in March 2004. They turned to IVF after a nine-year wait and the discovery that Caroline has polycystic ovaries.
Christine states, “I was devastated.” “I couldn’t believe I’d put my body through so much for a single opportunity. I know women who receive approximately 12 embryos, while I only received one.
There was a time when I asked myself, “What’s the point?” However, as our midwife informed us, “one egg is sufficient.”
After the embryo was implanted, Christine was told it would take 12 days for a pregnancy test to confirm whether the procedure was successful. Possibly inevitably, she was unable to wait that long.
She states, “I sneaked and took the test on day ten, and I was utterly stunned when it was positive.”
I’d never had a positive pregnancy test in my nine years of attempting. I was unable to believe my senses.
I took the exam to Justin downstairs, who asked, “What does that mean?” I instructed him to peruse the packaging, after which he was rendered dumbfounded.’
At this juncture, the couple dared to hope that they would become parents — to one child. Seven weeks later, they received the most shocking piece of information.
Christine explains, “I was reclining on the scanning platform while the sonographer viewed the screen without speaking.”
“I felt nauseated because I thought something was amiss, but she immediately reassured me that I was expectant. Then she stated, “I see three sacs; you’re expecting triplets.”
“I was in complete disbelief. The same was true for Justin. The sonographer desired a second opinion, so she instructed us to wait in the lobby while she consulted with a specialist.
Justin relates, “As we sat outside, all we could hear was the staff chanting, “It’s triplets! It’s triplets!” It felt like an eternity before we returned to that chamber.
‘As senior consultant Dr. Shakar scanned Christine, he scrutinized the screen and then announced, “You’re not having triplets; you’re having quads.” We were astounded. So too was he!
Everyone witnessed four tiny heartbeats. I kept mentally counting, “One, two, three, four,” but it was too much to comprehend. We went from having no children to having four all at once.
Any multiple pregnancy is fraught with peril, but a pregnancy with four fetuses posed four times the threat to mother and offspring. The medical professionals presented the couple with a difficult decision.
Mr. Clark lavishes affection on his 11-week-old daughter Alexis. He quit his job as a truck driver to care for his four daughters.
Christine states, “We were offered selective termination on multiple occasions, in which the physicians would have aborted two of the infants to assist the other two survive, but we refused.”
‘We wouldn’t have had to choose which fetuses were terminated; the physicians would have done that for us. However, Justin and I are against abortion.
Even if there had been a grave problem with the infants, I do not believe I could have tolerated the loss of two of them.
This is also the reason why we did not take the Down syndrome test. We knew there was a risk involved.
“I had waited too long for children and cared not what occurred to me. I was willing to risk it.
Christine experienced severe morning nausea throughout her difficult pregnancy.
She states, “It was awful.” People told me after my 12-week ultrasound that I should be brimming with vitality, but I was ill day and night. Even in the midst of the night, I would awaken and vomit.
“Justin wished to know the gender of the infants at 20 weeks, but I refused.” If the pregnancy was going to be this difficult, I desired a pleasant surprise at the end.
“By this time, we had accepted the fact that we were going to have four children. We had no notion how we’d afford it. People have donated clothing, cushions, and even a swaying chair.
Christine was admitted to the hospital at 24 weeks for bed rest, and the twins were delivered by Caesarean section on March 25 at 30 weeks, weighed between 2 and 3 pounds each.
One in two million miracle infants use more than 200 diapers per week.
“We had over 42 personnel and occupied two operating rooms,” she explains. Everyone desired a position in the front row. When the newborns emerged, they were hurried into a side room, where Justin followed them.
“It was distressing for me because I longed to see them, but I was separated from them for twenty-four hours. That was arduous.
“Justin took 253 photographs of them in order to show them to me, as I went directly to high dependency.” My airways were wounded because the infants had kicked me so forcefully.
A week later, Christine was discharged from the hospital, but her daughters remained in special care for nine more weeks, returning home at the end of May. Christine states, “I couldn’t wait to have them return home.” I desired to be their mother and take care of them here.
Now that they have been home for more than a month, their lives are unrecognizable.
Justin has quit his job to assist in the caring of his daughters, and he intends to become a full-time house spouse.
He explains, “It would be futile for me to return to work because my earnings would not even cover the cost of child care.”
I am eagerly anticipating it. In the end, being a long-distance truck driver and a full-time quad caretaker are quite similar. You are required to work long hours, the work is monotonous, and you cannot take your eyes off the ball for even a second lest a tragedy occur!
“I’m principal diaper changer regardless; I changed more than 25 diapers yesterday, and it doesn’t bother me.”
“I can tell which female is which because I remember what they wear in the morning. However, occasionally Christine fools me by altering their top. I’ve been duped on multiple occasions.
The couple does not rely on state benefits beyond the statutory £60 per week child benefit.
Christine intends to return to work part-time after a year of maternity leave because her remuneration is higher than her husband’s.
Today, they survive on fragments of sleep, the generosity of family and friends, and secondhand clothing.
Additionally, volunteer nursery nurses assist with the caring of the children. The infants consume over 200 diapers per week and at least one carton of formula milk every 48 hours.
Christine expressed breast milk admirably for the first seven weeks until an infection precluded her from continuing.
Christine explains, “The infants are fed every four hours, but it takes at least an hour to feed all four of them, so you only have two or three hours until the next feeding.”
‘Of course it’s exhausting, but it’s not the kind of exhaustion that comes from employment. It is extremely beneficial.’
It is a logistical disaster. Anyone with a baby knows that exiting the home can take an eternity. How is it when there are four?
If we go out, we bring two tandem strollers, but if we must travel, I take the four girls in the car and Justin must walk or take the bus! The other day, we went shopping and left the house in less than two hours!’
The couple receives remarks from passersby that are familiar to any mother of twins or triplets –
You have your hands busy at the moment. or ‘Oooh, double/triple/quadruple the trouble . . .’
I enjoy it when people come up to us and say pleasant things, but sometimes I want to respond, “Yes, thanks, I know!” Christine is happy.
Recently, someone asked me if we were planning to have more children. I believe the answer to be an emphatic no!
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