Kids & Family

‘Natural Quadruplets’ Born At Hospital In Livingston, Family Is Overjoyed

It was a one-in-a-million situation – literally.

A New Jersey mother recently gave birth to natural quadruplets at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.
A New Jersey mother recently gave birth to natural quadruplets at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. (Photos courtesy of Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center)

LIVINGSTON, NJ — It was a one-in-a-million situation – literally. That’s the inspiring and statistically rare event that recently took place when natural quadruplets were born at a hospital in New Jersey.

Aja Kennon and her fiancé, Emmanuel, welcomed Ean, Evan, Alayha and Eamon to the world on July 1 at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. The newborns join their 8-year-old brother, EJ.

Kennon carried the babies to an impressive 34 weeks. Her delivery involved more than 20 medical professionals – each baby with their own dedicated team.

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All four babies are now thriving under round-the-clock care in the neonatal intensive care unit the hospital, administrators say.

>> Want to help the family cover the cost of raising four new babies? View a GoFundMe campaign created for their benefit here.

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“Caring for quadruplets is rare and extraordinary experience, but our team is fully equipped for moments like this,” said Joanne Bishara, director of neonatology at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center.

When Kennon first found out she was pregnant, she never imagined she’d be welcoming four babies at once.

“It was two weeks after my first ultrasound that I went in for another scan for triplets,” she recalled. “The technician was checking, and then she said ‘I think there’s another head up there.’ She stepped out and brought another set of eyes in to confirm. I could hear the doctor counting ‘one, two, three… and then four.’ I just froze and thought, are you sure it’s not just another placenta?”

But it wasn’t … it was quadruplets.

Kennon’s pregnancy is even more extraordinary because it was completely natural, with no fertility treatments involved, the hospital reported.

With twins on both sides of her and her fiancé’s families, Kennon joked that it felt almost meant to be.

Despite the challenges of carrying four babies, Kennon stayed active throughout her pregnancy, working at the USPS until just a month before delivery.

As she reflected on her journey, Kennon said she still can’t believe it.

“Sometimes I’m still in amazement … just to naturally carry four babies at one time, it’s amazing,” she said.

“They’re here, and they’re perfect,” Kennon said.

Experts estimate the odds of having naturally conceived quadruplets between one-in-700,000 and one-in-a-million.

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