Chad and Amy Kempel have always wanted a large family. Suddenly finding themselves with a family of nine, their wish definitely came true!
After years of miscarriages and heartbreak, Amy learned that she was pregnant with twin boys.
The twins were born premature at only 22 weeks and unfortunately only lived a few hours.
Carrying their grief with them, they tried for another baby, and with the help of fertility treatments, they had two healthy girls aged 3 years old and 18 months.
Wanting to expand their family once more, they tried intrauterine insemination, a cheaper and less intrusive procedure than IVF.
It worked, and excited to welcome a new little one into their lives, the couple went to their first ultrasound appointment.
The were shocked to discover, not one, not two, but five beating hearts!
“We heard the doctor call out, ‘baby A, baby B, baby C and when he said ‘baby D’ I started to cry,’’ Amy told local media. “At that point I was already really worried and then he said, ‘I think there’s another heartbeat.’ I thought, ‘How is this possible?’ We were only trying for one.'”
The couple's joy was short lived however, as they realised that their insurance did not cover multiple births. With the immanent arrival of the quintuplets, they set up a Gofundme Page.
"It’s very difficult and humbling to ask for help," Chad wrote. "As a Dad in this situation I want to protect all of my children, but in this instance I’m at a loss."
The page has since raised over $750,000 towards medical and care costs for the quints.
The babies arrived last week via C-section at 27 weeks. All are currently in neo-natal care, with one needing breathing assistance.
Apart from that Lincoln, Grayson, Noelle, Preston and Gabriella are all doing fine.
Chad also noted that one of the babies, Noelle, had already opened her eyes.
"Everyone has praying for us and that needs to continue it's going to be a long road," he continued.
Here's wishing the quintuplets all the best! These parents are certainly going to have their hands full!
