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Parents of quintuplets born In St. Louis say children are miracles

  • October 1, 2007
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By Kay Quinn, KSDK-TV, January 3, 2007

A Danville, Ill., couple is counting their blessings after becoming the proud parents of quintuplets just in time for Christmas.

Pete and Jenny Ferrill suffered two miscarriages in the past. On Wednesday, they held a news conference at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, which is where they delivered their five babies. They described the children as "miracles."

"Children is something that we have always wanted and after losing two I think that we both just feel more blessed than I can even express," says Jenny Ferrill.

The Ferrill Five, as they are known, are Irelyn Kadyn, Landyn Konner, Layne Mykel, Kieran Skye, and Drayden Karter.

The babies each weigh between 3 1/4 lbs. and 3 2/3 lbs. They were born December 21.

Pete recalled visiting them in the neonatal intensive care unit for the first time.

"It was totally amazing that each one was ours and that they were a part of us," says Pete. "I couldn''t imagine only having one."

Jenny had been taking a fertility drug to lower the chances of another miscarriage when she found out she would be having more than one. Pete describes the moment an ultrasound technician told him there were five.

"She said, ''No there''s nothing wrong, I think there''s a fifth one.'' I won''t say what I said!"

Jenny was hospitalized October 30 as she awaited the birth of her five children, but that wasn''t the hardest part.

"I think the most difficult part was just waiting until December 21. I never really focused on the discomfort I was having. I was always just so worried about the babies health and well-being," says Jenny.

It took hours of planning and a team of almost 100 doctors and nurses to bring the babies into the world.

Doctors at St. Louis Children''s Hospital are excited about the progress of the three boys and two girls. Three of them are already off of ventilators and intravenous feedings.

"Our expectation for the five of them is each of them will chart their own course. They''re all behaving within the spectrum of what we''d expect for babies of this gestational age," says Dr. Scott Saunders, a neonatologist at St. Louis Children''s Hospital.

The Ferrill Five won''t likely go home until early March. So today was a day for photographs, gifts and questions about the future - including whether the Ferrills think they''ll have any more children.

"Our answer to that is you never know!" says Jenny.

The Ferrills are both social workers.

Jenny plans to leave her job to care for their children.

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