Sofía, Philomena, Veronica and Isabel Campos have one heckuva birth story.
The identical quadruplets, born at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix in January, have finally gone home to Rhode Island — months after their parents Rachel and Marco Vargas sought medical attention for Rachel’s “1-in-40 million” high-risk pregnancy.
“We’re so excited to start this new chapter of our lives,” Rachel, who shares son Walter, 3, and daughter Stella, 1, with her husband, said in a news release from the hospital. “While it hasn’t been an easy journey, we’re thankful that we came to Banner and Dr. [John] Elliott for care, and we can’t wait to share the milestones that will come with raising our beautiful girls.”
The New England natives, who conceived the quads naturally without fertility assistance, arrived in Arizona after realizing they wanted a specialist “who was not just a maternal fetal medicine specialist, but who was also a specialist in high order multiples,” Rachel told Good Morning America.
According to Elliott, two of the babies shared the same amniotic sac and had the umbilical cord inserted into the fetal membranes instead of the placenta, which could have resulted in a 30-40% risk of death. In addition, two of the babies were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which is uneven blood flow between identical twins sharing a placenta.
“With all the complications involved in Rachel’s pregnancy, we were very candid about the risks and potential outcomes, but we also underscored the importance of having a positive outlook,” Elliott said, according to the hospital. “I believe that played an important role in her successful case, along with constant top-class medical care throughout their stay in Phoenix.”
Still, the doctor — who has delivered more than 100 sets of quadruplets in his career — told GMA that he had never seen a pregnancy quite like Rachel’s. Yet, he said the Vargas family persevered: “Marco and Rachel — they never wavered,” he said.
On Jan. 24, 30 weeks and three days into her pregnancy, Rachel delivered the four babies via Cesarean section.
“It was glorious seeing these girls being triumphantly being pulled out,” Marco told GMA, while his wife added, “I felt a huge sense of relief because I felt like they had made it, they were going to be okay.”
After weeks in the NICU, the quads are healthy and now catching up with their siblings at home in Cranston, R.I., where brother Walter has already taken on diaper duty.
