Against the odds: family from northern Saskatchewan welcomes quadruplets on Leap Year Day

A family from northern Saskatchewan marked Leap Year Day like virtually no one else — by bringing quadruplets into the world.

Savannah Ratt and Gilbert Merasty welcomed Aleah, Beautiful, Cecelia and Dominick on Feb. 29, 2024, at the children's hospital in Saskatoon.

The four babies and mom are doing well, Merasty said.

"[Savannah] is doing really well. She's up and walking around, in high spirits," Merasty said.

The couple is from La Ronge, Sask., which is about 350 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon. 

Ratt was staying close to Saskatoon because of the pregnancy, but Merasty works for a diamond company that's located even further north. 

When Ratt called to say the babies were on their way and she needed him 'right now,' Merasty drove nine-and-a-half hours to the hospital. 

"I just started freaking out. I didn't know what to do, but I made it safe and sound."

The babies were born two-months premature, so they are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and will need to stay in hospital for quite some time.

"They're hooked up to breathing tubes...one had to get a blood transfusion because they weren't doing too good," Merasty said, adding two had jaundice. 

But ultimately, he said the babies are doing good. 

Merasty said this new chapter of parenthood has been an amazing experience, but it's also been a juggling act trying to spend time with each child. 

"I'm trying to visit one kid, but then you gotta jump to another one…just trying to put your attention equally among the four — and then your other ones, too."

The four babies are joining five other siblings in the family: Kyla, Gilbert, Kaitlyn, Kerrian and Surriah.