When Graham and Stephanie Freels found out they were having five babies, they were shocked. The couple had unsuccessfully tried to have a baby for five years. Stephanie had a pituitary cyst removed after their marriage in 2017, but they still couldn’t have a baby, so they opted for an ovulation induction and intrauterine insemination.
Stephanie found out she was pregnant in December 2022, but a bigger surprise awaited the family. An ultrasound in January confirmed that Stephanie was pregnant with five babies at once. An excited Graham announced the news on Facebook in April 2023 and even started a blog to share updates with friends and family.
Graham and Stephanie were both elated and scared at the news. They had initially planned to move out of Stephanie’s parents’ home, where they had been staying since they married and had signed a lease for a small apartment. With the babies coming, they canceled the lease.
“I called up the landlord and I said, ‘I think we’re about to have a lot of kids, and I don’t think that apartment is going to work for us anymore,’” Graham told Good Morning America (GMA).
The Freels also temporarily relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, in March 2023 so that Dr. John Elliott, a maternal and fetal medicine expert who had helped deliver multiple babies, could monitor the pregnancy. The couple revealed that Dr. Elliot helped them not to fear having five babies at once.
While Graham worked remotely in Phoenix and cared for his wife, she had to overcome the intense, unrelenting nausea and vomiting that came with her pregnancy.
“I think that was the hardest part of pregnancy for me, that I had to try to meet that (calorie) goal,” she said. “I didn’t really consistently eat solid foods until I was about 23 weeks pregnant.”
Although the Freels tried to get to 34 weeks, Stephanie went into labor in the 27th week, and an emergency cesarean section was carried out at St. Joseph’s Hospital. A team of over 20 medical personnel helped in the operation and delivered four girls and a boy on June 4, 2023.
The hospital shared a press release about the births. The fraternal quintuplets were named Adelyn, Eliana, Linnea, Harper, and Fisher. They weighed around 2 pounds at birth and spent 11 weeks in the NICU because they needed respiratory support.
Thankfully, the hospital has a renowned Nursery Intensive Care Unit (NyICU), according to Andrea Hassler, nursing director of women and infant services at the hospital, which she said is notable for looking after “some of the most fragile babies.” The babies were healthy with no significant complications.
“For years we had prayed that God would bless us with children, and now it was finally coming true! I’ve always wanted a large family, but I could have never imagined it would happen all at once,” Stephanie said per the release.
Fisher, the only boy, was the last of the babies to be discharged on Aug. 19, 2023. The couple then moved back to Washington, to Stephanie’s parents’ home, where they had lots of help.
“It’s amazing having them at home,” Stephanie told GMA. “And it’s so nice not having them go back and forth to the NICU.”
The new parents were grateful to the strangers, family, and friends helping them with gifts and services. They also thanked the doctors and nurses for their care.
“They truly are just amazing people and just the amount of care they put into taking care of not only our babies, but every single baby they’re working with. They’re doing amazing things,” Graham said.