Most people believe getting ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ is a simple, natural process. However, this is not always the case: being able to fall ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ is the end output of ᴀ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇx process. And when it happens, we can truly speak of “ꜰᴀᴛᴇ” intervening. Dayna Childress knows this very well. She is a young 28-year-old mother who, after the ʙɪʀᴛʜ of her first child, Lincoln, ᴛʀɪᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ʙᴀʙʏ, but without any success: ᴜɴꜰᴏʀᴛᴜɴᴀᴛᴇʟʏ, Dayna sᴜꜰꜰᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴄᴏɴsᴇᴄᴜᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs.

Dᴇsᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ, the stay-at-home mother was ᴘʀᴇsᴄʀɪʙᴇᴅ ꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴅʀᴜɢs, which she took for another year before she ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ. At five weeks, an ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ revealed the couple were expecting ǫᴜᴀᴅʀᴜᴘʟᴇᴛs. Otto, Willow, Simon and Willis were born on June 29 after 28 weeks and six days. Mrs Childress said: “Colby and I started trying in 2015 and got ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ immediately. The ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ was ᴜɴᴇᴠᴇɴᴛꜰᴜʟ and very healthy.” After Lincoln ᴡᴀs ʙᴏʀɴ, she spent seven months trying to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ before ᴀ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴠᴇ. Mrs Childress said: “We decided to try [to get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ] again so they could be close in age.”

She became ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴᴇᴅ when ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀᴜsᴇᴀ she ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴇᴅ during her first and second ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴀʙʀᴜᴘᴛʟʏ sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ at week five. Mrs Childress said: “Water was the main thing that caused me to get ɴᴀᴜsᴇᴏᴜs in that ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ and with my son, so I noticed the minute it ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴀᴡᴀʏ and drank lots of water to try to get ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀᴜsᴇᴀ back. A week after ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀᴜsᴇᴀ stopped, ᴛᴇsᴛs ᴄᴏɴꜰɪʀᴍᴇᴅ I ʜᴀᴅ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ. I ᴡᴀs ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛ ɪᴛ.”

Despite ʜᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ᴀᴛ ʟᴏsɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ʙᴀʙʏ, Mrs Childress became ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ soon after. However, she ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ at four weeks. Wᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ sʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ have any more children, she saw four gynaecologists to try and ᴅᴇᴛᴇᴄᴛ ᴀɴʏ ꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍs. Mrs Childress said: “They all responded differently, with the first one telling me to wait three months, then the next said that was pointless and tested my ʜᴏʀᴍᴏɴᴇ ʟᴇᴠᴇʟs which all came back normal.” A specialist later diagnosed Mrs Childress with ᴜɴᴇxᴘʟᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ʀᴇᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs. She said: “I saw a specialist who redid my ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋ and everything was fine. I was happy there were no ɪssᴜᴇs ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ but also sᴛʀᴇssᴇᴅ because if they couldn’t find ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ, how could they help the ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ I ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ?”

She took the drugs for a year before she became ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ again, however, this too ended in ᴀ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ. She said: “ᴜɴꜰᴏʀᴛᴜɴᴀᴛᴇʟʏ, ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʙʏ ɪᴍᴘʟᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏᴏ ʟᴀᴛᴇ and my body was already preparing for a period. Mʏ ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ʟᴏss ʜᴀᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ I ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴄᴀʀʀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʀᴍ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ.” Mrs Childress continued ᴜsɪɴɢ ꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴅʀᴜɢs for two more of her ᴍᴇɴsᴛʀᴜᴀʟ ᴄʏᴄʟᴇs when she became ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ in December last year. Doctors reportedly ᴡᴀʀɴᴇᴅ the couple the drug carries a 30 per cent chance of ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄɪᴇs.

Mrs Childress said: “The first ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ sʜᴏᴡᴇᴅ ꜰᴏᴜʀ sᴀᴄs, but we could only see two babies with ʙᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛs, so I thought it would only be ᴛᴡɪɴs at the most, so I was delighted about that but even happier about quads. The babies were born in June, Simon weighed 3lbs 2oz (1.4kg), then the other three were 2lbs 14oz (1.3kg) each.” Mrs Childress is speaking out to raise awareness ᴏꜰ ɪɴꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ. She said: “When people find out what we went through, they’ve opened up about their own ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇs. You don’t realise how common ɪɴꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ is because everyone keeps it a secret, it’s like we’re all too ashamed to talk about it, but that was what helped me get through it.”