Dream Of A Big Family
Alexandra Kinova and Antonin Kroscen were partners. They loved each other and agreed that one day, they wanted a huge family. They just didn't know that it was right around the corner. They thought they would have plenty of time to plan it all.
But Alexandra realized she was pregnant with twins, or at least that's what she thought. When she decided to get an ultrasound, the truth was revealed.
Thrilled To Be Pregnant
Generally, when partners discover they are expecting they become very excited. When Alexandra Kinov and her partner Antonin Kroscen realized they were going to have a child together, they were really thrilled.
But they didn't know how pregnancy would change their lives forever.
She Wasn't Afraid Of Parenthood
When Alexandra found out she was pregnant she was only 23 years old... but that didn't dishearten her. She already had a son before this and what could another do but bring more joy?
Alexandra knew from having her son that he brought nothing but happiness to her life. She just didn't know that her past pregnancy could never have prepared her for this one.
She Thought She Knew How It Would Go
With one child already in her life, she thought she knew how it would go. How different could this pregnancy be from the last?
When she decided to get checked by the doctor, he told her something that she would never forget. The information would change her life.
More Than One Baby
Kinova assumed that one pregnancy meant one child, that's how it usually goes. It turns out that what was growing inside her wasn't just one child but two!
Twins aren't entirely uncommon and women throughout history have been having twins, but there was something about her pregnancy that would make headlines everywhere.
She Didn't Know What Was Going On
Had she been taken by aliens in the night and brought to their ship? Was she carrying not human babies, but alien ones instead? Was Antonin not the real dad?
Alexandra didn't understand what was going on but soon enough after all the tests, the doctors would no longer leave her waiting and tell her what they had found.
Another Appointment
The only thing that the first ultrasound told the doctors and Alexandra was that she was pregnant. At least she knew that much, right?
In her early stages of pregnancy, the doctors told her she was doing well and was healthy. But no one could have guessed what the ultrasound would pick up.
The Doctors Were Astonished
The next doctor's appointment that Alexandra scheduled gave them all more insight than the subsequent visits. Thankfully, it relieved Alexandra somewhat.
In just a few more weeks the doctors told Alexandra that they could find her precious baby's heartbeat. But it wasn't the only heartbeat they'd found!
She Was Twice As Happy As Before
When the ultrasound was finally scheduled and Alexandra had her appointment, the doctors confirmed that she was carrying not one, but two little infants in her belly.
She couldn't believe it and nor could her husband. They were having two babies! This meant that they would be raising three kids including Alexandra's son. But what they presumed to be true turned out to be premature.
Planning For Twins
As Alexandra got further into her pregnancy, they started planning for two babies. They got all the necessities for twins, clothing, furniture, and cribs.
They wanted their twins to be the most comfortable babies possible. What they were unaware of at the time would come around and change their plans drastically.
She Was Oblivious to the Truth
As the time passed between check-ups, Kinova never expected that her pregnancy was out of the ordinary or that it would soon become international news.
Surely, having twins isn't something that strange, is it?
Something Still Seemed Off
As Kinova's pregnancy continued, she once again felt that something was wrong.
So, she counted the days until her next doctor's appointment and assured herself that everything would be fine until then.
Her Next Check-Up Was Alarming
When her next doctor's appointment came around, her doctors looked at her medical records and back at Kinova and seemed baffled.
What could they see about her that immediately tipped them off that something was wrong? Whatever it was, they knew they needed to get her another ultrasound and figure out what was going on.
Her Husband Didn't Know What to Expect
Her husband, who was by her side during her first pregnancy and who joined his wife to all of her doctors appointments couldn't guess what the doctors were expecting to find in this ultrasound.
He also didn't suspect that he would soon have more on his plate than he could handle.
She Was Sure Everything Would Be Okay
Even as her husband and doctors showed concern for Kinova, she didn't let her confidence waver. She knew that she had taken good care of herself since finding out that she was pregnant and she never missed a dose of her prenatal vitamins.
Kinova was sure that her babies would be healthy, but the doctor's face told a different story...
The Doctors Weren't So Sure
As Kinova was taken to a hospital room for her appointment, she overheard doctors speaking in hushed tones around her and throwing concerned glances her way.
What was so obvious to them that she couldn't see?
She Was Worried For Her Children
The glances that her doctors gave her as they lead her to her room was worrisome. Even Kinova started to worry about her health, as she hadn't before she stepped foot in her doctor's office.
When she left the office that day, she too would understand why her doctors were so worried.
Everything They Believed Was a Lie
Kinova's ultrasound was a fairly routine procedure, as it is for any expectant mother. But, her doctors were concerned at just how much her stomach had grown in the few months that she was pregnant.
That’s when doctors gave the couple some news that left them shaken to the core.
She Feared She Had Miscarried
When the doctors told her she wasn’t carrying twins, she assumed they meant that one of the babies had passed away in utero.
Perhaps one of the twins absorbed the other twin, which tends to happen during multiple births. But that wasn’t the case either.
She Wanted Answers
If Kinova wasn't expecting twins, what was going on? Had she even been pregnant at all, or was she experiencing some strange tumor that had grown at a crazy rate.
The answer was something that hadn't been seen in nearly 500 years.
She Was Scared for Her Health
Being left without answers made Kinova start to fear for her health, and more so for the health of her unborn babies.
She had done everything right and watched what she ate since she learned that she was expecting. Even the thought of losing her babies brought her to tears.
The Doctors Were Shocked
At just one glance, her doctors knew that Kinova's pregnancy wasn't normal for a woman expecting twins. Her stomach had grown at a rate that wasn't normal for a woman even expecting triplets.
The ultrasound they performed brought the doctors suspicions to light, but they still didn't have answers for the expectant mother.
The Ultrasound Brought Up More Questions than Answers
Was Kinova expecting triplets? Like anything in medicine, it was hard to tell.
Her ultrasound proved that she was at least expecting more babies than she initially was told, but they weren't sure just how many she could expect.
She Was No Longer Carrying Twins
For a moment, her heart sank when doctors told her she wasn’t having twins. Luckily, she was still pregnant. She just wasn’t having only two babies.
And once she found out the real story, she simply couldn’t believe it.
She Didn’t Know How Many Babies Were Coming
The doctors told her she wasn’t carrying twins. But she wasn’t carrying triplets either.
Kinova hadn’t undergone any kind of fertility treatment, so the likelihood of multiple births was impossible, and yet, all signs seem to suggest otherwise. But how many was she actually having?
She Was About to Have a Full House
After making sure for themselves, the doctors broke the news that she was having quadruplets. Understandably, the couple was startled.
They initially thought they’d only have two children. Suddenly they realized they were going to have five children in total, including the one they already had. And just when they thought they were through with surprises, another one popped up unexpectedly.
There Was Still One More Surprise
Kinova and Kroscen rushed to the store and started buying for the two extra babies they hadn’t foreseen.
But then she went in for another ultrasound, and it revealed something no one had seen coming.
The Ultrasound Revealed Another
The couple already knew they were having four babies. But this time the ultrasound showed that there was a fifth baby in utero.
Kinova was having quintuplets. But why hadn’t doctors detected it before?
They Couldn’t See the Baby
Doctors didn’t know about the fifth baby right away because there were so many fetuses in Kinova’s belly.
They were also constantly moving around in there so that made it difficult to get an accurate scan. But there was still something they couldn’t figure out. Was there a sixth baby?
She Wanted to Know the Genders
Kinova wasn’t expecting sextuplets but she still wanted to know the gender of the babies so she could figure out how many blue baby outfits versus pink outfits they had to buy.
Unfortunately, with so many babies, doctors couldn’t make out the gender of the unborn fetuses yet. But would they find out before the birth?
The Babies Were Ready for Their Debut
The couple had to wait until the babies were born to figure out their genders.
When Kinova went into labor, there were 40 people in the room to take care of her and the quintuplets. A lot could go wrong with so many babies. But was her life in danger, too?
Extra Doctors Were Called to the Operating Room
Doctors at her hospital had never experienced a multiple birth with so many babies, so extra hands were on deck to keep mother and children safe.
A cameraman was even brought in to capture the incredible moment on tape. There was hardly any space in the operating room for Kinova's husband or parents to witness the birth.
Extra Nurses Were on Staff, Too
Each baby was looked after by two nurses as soon as they were born, to check their vitals and make sure they were healthy.
It is a common occurrence during multiple births for one or more of the babies to experience health problems or not live long after the birth. It was vital that these nurses checked on each and every baby immediately.
All Were Born By C-Section
Because of the amount of babies, Kinova needed to deliver by C-section under the supervision of many doctors.
This was the safest method of delivery to ensure that there weren't any unnecessary birth complications.
The Smallest One Needed Extra Attention
Each of the babies needed attention, and extra support was given to the smallest of the children.
After just a few days of recovery, Kinova and all five of her new babies left the hospital to start their life as a family together.
They Now Had Five New Family Members
According to the neonatal unit’s chief medical doctor, the births took place without any complications.
The couple was so happy with their new family. But how many boys and girls did they end up having?
Grandma Lent a Helping Hand
Kinova's mother and her husband's mother not only assisted Kinova in carrying the babies out of the hospital, they also joined the new parents at their home for the next few weeks to help take care of their grandchildren.
But, they also insisted on asking for government assistance for their grandchildren, because the births soon became national news...
They Knew Their Genders and Their Names
Kinova and Kroscen were beyond happy with their new family. She gave birth to 4 boys which she named Deniel, Michael, Alex, and Martin.
She also gave birth to a girl named Terezka. But she had no idea she had broken a record.
The Birth Made Local History
One of the obstetricians in the room that day was Alena Makarova.
She did some research after Kinova gave birth and discovered that the family had made local history on the day the quintuplets were born. But what made these babies so special?
They Were the First of Their Kind
Makarova was interviewed by The Telegraph. The obstetrician stated that birth statistics in the Czech Republic had been recorded since 1949 and there was no mention of any quintuplets
So, was Kinova the first mom in this region to ever give birth to five children?
Quadruplets Are as Rare as Quintuplets
It turns out that in the Czech Republic, quintuplets are born only on an average of about once every 480 years.
What makes this even more interesting is that the odds of conceiving quadruplets naturally is one in seven million. But what about quintuplets born around the world?
Most Multiple Births Are the Result of IVF
Quintuplets born around the world are usually the result of some type of fertility treatment like In Vitro Fertilization.
But since Kinova conceived naturally, is it possible that the answer to this mysterious multiple birth lies in her family genes?
Multiple Births Are Normal in Their Family
According to Kinova and Kroscen, twins run naturally in both their families. Because of their combined family history, it’s not surprising that they gave birth to quintuplets.
Caring for one child is tough enough. But five can be exhausting. Did they have enough help?
They Had a Few Helping Hands
People from all over the world offered the couple donations to help support their huge family.
They also received plenty of help in taking care of the babies from family and friends. And now that the history-making family is complete, they can look forward to a happy future together.
Donations Were Raised to Ease Living Costs
When the story broke that Kinova's quints were born, people from all over the world offered their support in the form of donations to the couple.
Because an event like this is seldom seen, there were hurdles that the couple had to go through to access the money that was being raised for them.
The Local Government Gave a Helping Hand
One thing that stopped the couple from getting access to outside donations was the fact that the government had already agreed to give the family some assistance.
They provided the family with a nanny, but that was soon proven to not be enough help to care for the six young children in the house.
A Request for Aid Was Denied
Requests for more government assistance were denied, but only because the system had never dealt with a situation like Kinova's family before.
The Czech Social Affairs Ministry released a statement that said, "Simply put, our system is not prepared for such multiple instances of 'good luck.'"
Nothing Will Tear Them Apart
Despite the hurdles that the new family has had to endure to take care of their miraculous children, Kinova is happy raising her children.
With every birthday that passes, the family celebrates with five little cakes for each of the children and invite all of their friends over to share in the excitement.
More Than She Can Handle
At times, five babies seemed like too much to handle, but Kinova and her husband have proved that anything is possible.
Medical advisors said that the babies have a 95% chance of growing up healthy, and every day they beat the odds.
The Quints Turn 5!
Even five years after the miraculous birth, Kinova hasn't lost her stamina as she has grown into motherhood. One thing that fuels her is the fact that her situation is so rare.
The chance of naturally conceived quintuplets is one in 48 million pregnancies. Some 800 quintuplets live in the world, more than 130 of whom were conceived spontaneously.
A Happy Family
With years having passed since Alexandra first learned that she was expecting quintuplets, she never expected her children to fill her life with so much joy.
But, one thing is for sure, she doesn't want to have any more kids!