A couple from Berks County found out that they were having quadruplets, just a couple of months after adopting the four children they had been fostering.
Maxine and Jake Young have always wanted to have a large family since getting married in 2016. They both welcomed the idea of having both biological and adopted kids.
It was in February 2017 when the couple started foster training. Upon completion of their training, they immediately took the next steps, so they could take placements. Thus, on July 28, 2017, they got a call for a placement of three siblings, ages 4, 2, and 11 months. They accepted it.
Not even a month has passed, they picked up the sibling's newborn sister from the hospital. They encountered and overcame the challenges that came along with it, even as they were also trying to conceive.
In their GoFundMe page, they described the things they had to go through just to get to pregnant - multiple miscarriages, chemical pregnancies, and a round of IVF and an IUI. In October 2018, their prayers were finally answered when their son, Henry, was born.
Pregnant with quadruplets, just adopted four kids. What happens now?
The couple went from zero to five kids in less than a year, Maxine told WFMZ-TV. On December 20, 2019, they adopted four other children, making them officially a family of seven. While they were hoping for one more child to complete their family, they were pleasantly surprised to find out that they were indeed pregnant, not with one, but with quadruplets.
Maxine said that she didn't think that the idea of her getting pregnant without doing an IVF, like what they did with their son, was possible. But the excitement turned into worry as they thought about the other kids. Considering that they already have five children to take care of, adding four more is really worrisome.
Their quadruplets, Silas Ledger, Theo Alexander, Beck Killian, and Cecilia Hudson were born on July 31, 2020. Thus began the challenge of dividing their time to their quadruplets who needed an extended NICU stay and their five other children - apart from the financial challenges the family will have to face.
Realizing the difficulty, Jake's mother, Arlette Young, started a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for the Young family. They wrote, "Jake is the sole provider," and they are looking at around three months of him having to take time off - he is not receiving paid time off. So far, they have raised $8,400 out of the $10,000 goal.
The quadruplets are home!
In their last update, they noted that the babies are a month old and the couple can't believe how fast time went. "We are beyond grateful for their strength and resilience," the couple said. They also thanked their families and friends for helping them. They said that they are also grateful to their other children who have been very patient and understanding, "even when we aren't our best."
"To everyone who has donated, purchased off our registry, offered to help with our children, made meals for us, WE CAN NOT THANK YOU ENOUGH...The babies are home!"
Read next:
Former NYPD Detective Finds Biological Parents After Current Family Dies
Virginia Boy Kindly Donates 22,000 Diapers to Help Needy Single Moms
Mom Struggles to Find SpaghettiOs for Her Child With Autism, Community Stepped in to Help
