Once couples are married, they usually plan on having children together.
However, life does not always go as you planned, and sometimes, it gives you more than you ever could have even dreamed of!
When Gaby Hagler and Patrick Hagler married each other, they already had kids of their own from earlier relationships. The couple got married soon after they met in 2018 and it has been a rollercoaster ride for them ever since.
Gaby already had a daughter named Kalleigh with her ex-husband, while Patrick also had a son from his last marriage named Paxton.
Soon after their marriage, the couple welcomed their first child together, Sammy, who is now three years old. The couple decided they wanted to have one more addition to their family before they deemed it complete.
Gaby said about having a fourth child, “After that, we were going to be done because I’m turning 40 in March, and he’s turning 50 this month, and we thought we would have four kids, and it would be great.”
After their decision to have a fourth child, Gaby found out she was pregnant. The couple was elated till Gaby suffered a miscarriage. Instead of allowing the miscarriage to dishearten them, they decided to try again.
Soon after, Gaby decided to take a strip test and found out she was pregnant again. She was over the moon at finding out she was pregnant again. She went to the hospital to confirm her pregnancy and it came back positive, which elated her and her family.
But it was at her 12-week ultrasound that everything she knew about her pregnancy would change. The technician applied gel on her belly and moved the wand around. Then a few moments later, the technician started counting.
Hearing the counting confused and worried Gaby, which prompted her to ask, “Are you counting limbs? What are we counting here?”
Gaby was unable to understand why the technician was smiling at the screen. The technician said to Gaby, “there’s four,” but the mom-to-be remained confused. To which the technician told her, “Four babies. Did you know you’re having four babies?”
Gaby and her husband Patrick were shocked. They never expected to have quadruplets; they were expecting just one baby! The doctor also warned them about the high risk of the pregnancy and advised that Gaby take it easy for a while and rest.
The couple had gone for an ultrasound on January 21, 2022, when they found out about their quadruplets. In the next few weeks, they struggled to get on top of the situation. They got insurance for the three other babies that they had not been expecting. Then Gaby had to undergo a medical procedure that would help prevent a miscarriage. She recalled the time, “End of January, beginning of February was insane.”
In general, quadruplets are born before their due date but Gaby and Patrick’s little foursome took their sweet time and were born after 34 weeks. The couple became parents to four more children on June 22, 2022.
Gaby and Patrick had never even imagined having quadruplets. Once they did, they were committed to their kids. They named the boys with the first four letters of the alphabet, Adam, Bennett, Coby, and Dane (A, B, C, D).
While the parents were ready for anything that came their way, they did struggle initially. Even going to their home in Katy from the Texas Medical Center was a massive logistical nightmare. Their car was only able to fit two baby carriers at a time and hence they had to transport the boys in pairs.
Even scheduling checkups for the boys meant two appointments so the boys could be taken in pairs.
Gaby’s godmother Barbara Garaygordobil and her friends saw her struggling and set up a GoFundMe page to help the family raise money to get a van big enough to fit the quadruplets, the family’s five car seats, and a quad stroller. The family raised the $20,000 they needed in no time at all and were able to afford a new Ford van.
Once the babies were born, Gaby had not anticipated the number of issues she would have in taking care of them. Her eldest child, her daughter Kalleigh was initially uneasy with her four new brothers. But soon she warmed up to them and became her mother’s number one helper in taking care of the four newborns.
The biggest obstacle for Gaby was breastfeeding. The quadruplets would get hungry at the same time and with Kalleigh’s support, Gaby is able to feed them simultaneously by pumping breastmilk beforehand.
About their feed schedule, Gaby said, “That requires a very disciplined pumping schedule. It’s a ridiculous amount of milk. And honestly, it’s exhausting.”
“We’re still figuring it out, but it’s awesome. It’s incredible,” she added. The family is grateful for the addition of four more to their brood and is happy to be a family of nine!
What a wonderful story. We wish the family well for the future.
Share this beautiful story of this couple finding out about their quadruplets and taking the news in stride with your friends and family to remind them to be grateful for whatever comes their way.
