Rare, naturally conceived quadruplets born in Scotland
Global News
Mother Arlene Mitchell said the birth of her four newborns was "an incredible and overwhelming experience."
Life just got a lot busier for one Scottish couple celebrating the births of their rare, naturally conceived quadruplet babies.
Arlene and John Mitchell welcomed their four newborn sons, Ben, Noah, Harrison and Rory, on May 14.
The family, which lives in the village of Longridge, is the first to have naturally conceived quadruplets in the Lothian region of Scotland, the local health authority reported. The odds of naturally conceiving quadruplets are estimated to be about one in 700,000 births.
NHS Lothian said a “dedicated team of 17 doctors and midwives” delivered the four newborns. The medical team at the Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh said they are “immensely proud” of the medical feat.
The quads were delivered during a planned caesarean section when Arlene was 30 weeks pregnant.
According to the BBC, the smallest of the quadruplets, Harrison, was born weighing 2 pounds, 14 ounces. The other three brothers each weighed 2 pounds, 15 ounces each. Arlene, 34, said the birth of her four newborns was “an incredible and overwhelming experience.”
She told the BBC it was a “total shock” when she learned at her first scan they would be having quadruplets.
“I was absolutely speechless and my husband just couldn’t believe it,” she recalled. “They are really beautiful and we are so delighted.”