For the first time this week, a Mississippi couple got to hold their baby quintuplets together and commemorate the milestone with a couple of precious family photographs.
Haylee and Shawn Ladner of Purvis, Mississippi, welcomed their five children -- Adalyn Elizabeth, Everleigh Rose, Malley Kate, Magnolia Mae and Jake Easton -- back in February but although they've been able to hold them individually, it wasn't until this past Sunday when they could both cradle their little ones simultaneously.
"We got all the babies dressed up in their little Easter outfits and we held all of them at once and had one big group photo for them for their first Easter," Shawn Ladner explained to "Good Morning America."
"It was a little bit nerve-wracking because traditionally, you only hold one baby at a time," the 26-year-old father continued. "So I had three, she had two, that was a little bit of a joke but we managed it fine and it was a really impactful moment to see all of our babies together again because that was the first time that they had all been together, right beside each other since they were in her womb. So it was a really cool moment."
Haylee Ladner said it was "just so sweet" to see all of their kids, who she describes as "miracle babies," interacting with each other.
"It's definitely been miraculous, I would say, to see all five babies grow and not have any complications and to just be perfectly healthy and to be striving and thriving," the 26-year-old mother told "GMA."
The Ladner quintuplets -- four identical girls and one boy -- were conceived through intrauterine insemination or IUI, after Haylee and Shawn Ladner experienced a miscarriage and chemical pregnancy.
The babies were born on Feb. 16 at 28 weeks and 1 day gestation and were delivered by caesarean section at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Since then, they have been in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children's of Mississippi Hospital in Jackson.
Because the babies were born prematurely, they've had to receive care such as respiratory support, according to their parents, but have not had any major complications after birth.
"The biggest thing right now is the babies are still learning to bottle feed and so, as they work up their ability with bottle feedings, they'll be able to be discharged," Haylee Ladner said.
The Ladners said they've been soaking up their time with quintuplets.
"I love getting to be their mom and getting to be here with them every day and getting to see them learn new things and grow and it's literally the greatest thing I've ever done in my entire life. I couldn't be any happier," Haylee Ladner said.
Shawn Ladner, who works as a maintenance mechanic, added, "It's been amazing really, even through all of the ups and down. I had to go back to work so I've been traveling back and forth to come up and see the babies ... It made me so happy that they've been doing so good."
As their quintuplets continue to grow, the Ladners say they plan on documenting and sharing all the noteworthy and special moments through their new "5 Little Ladners" YouTube channel.
Editor's note: This was originally published on April 13, 2023.
