Couple Who Wanted to Give Their Only Child More Siblings Ends Up Having Quadruplets TWO SETS of Identical Twins

Hannah and Michael Carmack got the surprise of a lifetime when, during a routine ultrasound, they found out they were having not one, not two, not three, but FOUR babies.

Surprise!

The Alabama couple, already parents to an 8-year-old daughter, had decided to try for one more...but things didn't exactly go as planned.

Instead of one more, they ended up with four more — two sets of identical twins. And their family of three is now officially a party of seven.

And Then There Were...FOUR??

Hannah and Micheal received the news about their multiple bundles of joy during their first ultrasound.

In an interview with Today, Micheal shared that Hannah knew something was up before he did.

A veterinary technician, the mom-to-be noticed two sacs on the screen instead of one. She immediately asked the ultrasound tech, "Is it twins?" When the tech didn't respond, she asked, "Is it three?"

At this point the tech placed a hand on her knee and broke the news gently, telling her "Sweetie, it’s four." 

"I had to convince Hannah it was a good idea to have a second child," Michael said. "Imagine how she reacted when she found out we were having four!"

Imagine.

Michael, who always wanted a large family, started to laugh. Hannah started to cry. (Who can blame her? I'd be crying too.)

Michael immediately called in reinforcements. He scheduled an emergency meeting with their church pastor. "He thought we were getting divorced," Michael joked. Although, this doesn't seem to be outside the realm of possibility given that his wife just found out that he got her pregnant - WITH QUADRUPLETS.

Nevertheless, they weren't getting divorced and Hannah left the meeting with a newfound realization.

“What I think Hannah came to realize is, ‘This is not normal. We had been chosen for something by God,” Michael said. 

What Are the Odds of Having Two Sets of Identical Twins?

Having spontaneous quadruplets is extremely rare. Having them as two sets of identical twins? Even rarer.

According to the CDC, there were only 148 quadruplets or higher-order births in the U.S.A. in 2021 (the most recent data). Most of these, however, were a result of assisted reproduction techniques such as in-vitro fertilization or fertility-enhancing drugs.

This was not the case for the Carmacks. Their quadruplets were spontaneous — meaning they were conceived without the help of fertility treatments.

Dr. Kecia Gaither, an OB-GYN, told Insider that the chances of spontaneous quadruplets fall somewhere between 1 in 700,000 and 1 in 1 million. It occurs when multiple eggs are released or when eggs split, as with the Carmacks.

Some estimates put the odds of having two sets of identical twins at 1 in 70 million.

Party of Seven

On March 14, Hannah, 29, gave birth via cesarean section to two sets of identical twins: girls, Evelyn and Adeline, and boys, David and Daniel. The babies were born premature, at only 27 weeks and 3 days gestation. The smallest, Adeline, weighed 1 pound, 10.5 ounces. The largest, Evelyn, weighed in at 2 pounds, 9 ounces. 

According to Dad, all four are doing well and are breathing on their own. They are expected to remain at the UAB Women and Infants Center in Birmingham until June.

In the meantime, the proud parents visit them daily and are working on renovating their home to make room for the Carmack Quads. They've set up a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $20,000 to help cover some of the renovation costs (and diapers, no doubt).

As for how their 8-year-old is feeling about being a big sister to four? "She's super excited," Michael told news affiliate WAFF 48. "She wanted all four of them to sleep in her room."

Having quadruplets may not have been the plan, but now that they're here, their parents are thrilled with their little miracles.

In a Facebook post, Hannah writes:

"I can’t always say that it feels real to me that I’m a mother of four quadruplet babies, but when I get to hold all of them at the same time…it becomes very real that I am not dreaming..but that this is real life and it’s simply extraordinary."

Extraordinary indeed.