Haylee and Shawn Ladner, the Mississippi couple who welcomed quintuplets in February, have an exciting announcement: Three of their five babies are home!
Jake — the one boy — and his sisters Adalyn and Magnolia Mae have been discharged from Children’s of Mississippi Medical Center. Siblings Everleigh and Malley Kate are expected to join them this week.
“It’s amazing,” Haylee tells TODAY.com. “It’s definitely challenging at times, but it is the biggest dream come true! I wouldn’t trade for the world. All of the sleepless nights are worth it. I’m overjoyed and blessed with these miracles.”
At 2 months old, the infants are developing their own distinct personalities.
“Adalyn likes to sleep, but if she’s upset, you’ll know it,” Haylee said in a news release from the hospital. She noted that “Jake is the calmest as long as he’s fed” and rested. Malley Kate, the smallest of the bunch, has a “feisty” disposition, while she described Magnolia Mae as “dainty and calm.” And Everleigh? She likes to eat!
The girls' nursery is decorated in a Disney princess motif, while Jake's bedroom has a "gone fishing" theme.
“I’m constantly amazed with how strong they are and how beautiful they are, and I’ll always be grateful for that,” Haylee shared in the news release.
The four girls are identical quadruplets, which means one fertilized egg divided four ways.
Quintuplets occur in roughly one in 60 million births, according to Dr. Rachael Morris, an associate professor of maternal fetal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
The odds of having identical quadruplets are about one in 15 million.
Haylee and Shawn underwent intrauterine insemination (IUI) in 2022 after experiencing two miscarriages. An IUI is when a healthy sperm is placed in the uterus around the time of ovulation to improve the chances of fertilization.
Weeks after the procedure, the couple heard five heartbeats on their ultrasound. Haylee carried her babies until 28 weeks gestation; an early birth is common for high-order multiples.
Last month, the quintuplets posed together in one crib for Easter pictures. The photo shoot made Haylee emotional.
“It was really hard not to cry,” Haylee told TODAY.com at the time. “It was just such a beautiful moment for us.”