Barberton couple excited to meet their quintuplets soon – cleveland.com

BARBERTON, Ohio Hannah and Jacob Merton unfurled a set of 16 ultrasound photos that spanned the length of their dining room table.

In the pictures, Baby B was sucking on a fist. Baby E seemed to be waving. Babies A, C and D were just hanging out with their siblings.

Soon-to-be parents Jacob, 22, and Hannah, 20, are expecting quintuplets three girls and two boys. The multiple babies are the result of fertility drugs Hannah took after having no luck getting pregnant for a year. The married couple said they wanted to start a family right away and didnt think the fertility treatments would work so fast.

Im just so excited to meet all of them, Jacob said during an afternoon at the couples Barberton home.

Hannah said she isnt worried or fearful, just eager to meet her babies. Strong family ties and their Christian faith give them strength, the couple said.

Theres not any use worrying; its not going to change anything, Hannah said. I try to stay calm.

Quintuplets are a rare occurrence. Only 10 quintuplets and other higher-order births happened in the United States in 2018, compared with 115 quadruplet births, 3,400 triplet births and more than 123,000 twin births in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Multiple births can happen in various ways. Sometimes a fertilized egg naturally divides into two eggs, and both develop into babies. In that case, the babies are identical twins. At other times, a womans body releases more than one egg, and each egg is fertilized by separate sperm. In those cases, the babies are not identical, but fraternal.

Fertility drugs stimulate a womans body to release multiple eggs in the same cycle. If each egg is fertilized and viable, multiple embryos are the result.

Dr. Eli Adashi, professor of medical science and former dean of medicine and biological sciences at Brown University, said pregnancies of two or more fetuses are rare and dangerous, because the human body is designed to carry one fetus at a time.

The higher the multiples, the higher the risk, said Adashi, who was senior author for a 2013 study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that examined fertility treatments and higher-order multiple births in this country.

Following large upswings from 1980 to 1998, triplet and higher-order multiple births in the United States fell 41% from 1998 to 2014, according to the CDC. The numbers continued to trend downward between 2014 and 2018. The number has dropped because of changes in the way that assisted reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), are done, the CDC said. The number of fertilized embryos generally transferred from a lab to the mothers womb has declined.

Despite the decline in recent years, the rate is still three times as high as before the use of IVF and ovulation-inducing drugs became more widespread, the CDC reported.

Women pregnant with higher-order multiples, like Hannah, are at risk for gestational diabetes, delivery by caesarean section and premature birth, said Dr. Melissa Mancuso, chair of maternal fetal medicine at Akron Childrens Hospital, and one of Hannahs physicians.

Preemies can develop neurological problems, cerebral palsy, respiratory difficulties, jaundice due to an immature liver, temperature instability and digestive problems, Mancuso said.

Normal gestation is about 36 weeks. Hannahs physicians hope she can carry her babies to 23 or 24 weeks, when they have a better chance of survival outside the womb, Mancuso said.

Hannah, who was 21 weeks pregnant in early February, hopes to carry her babies to 30 weeks, or early April.

I want them to stay in as long as possible, she said. Of course, it is a little scary, but were really taking it one day at a time. They really are our little miracles.

Hannah and Jacob Merton lay out three finished baby quilts that a family member made for their quintuplets. Two more baby blankets are coming.The Plain Dealer

Mancuso doesnt anticipate that Hannah will be placed on bed rest, because many physicians feel it isnt helpful. She is doing so great already, Mancuso said.

Hannah left her job at Acme about a month ago. Now she stays active by walking the couples dog Ollie, doing housework and getting ready for five little people who will need lots of diapers and onesies.

The nursery is just a spare room filled with boxes right now, but Hannah has visions of decorating it with a Dumbo theme. A Go Fund Me page has raised about $2,000, which the couple have earmarked for a new car.

Summit County Councilwoman Bethany McKenney, who is a family friend, is hosting a public Quintuplet Community Baby Shower from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at the Prince of Peace Parish, 1263 Shannon Ave., Barberton.

Hannah and Jacob, who married in 2017, already have all of the onesies and baby furniture they need, thanks to donations. Family and friends are knitting and stitching up a storm, making tiny hats and soft baby blankets. People have been really kind, Hannah said.

Some people, however, have left less-than-kind comments on online news stories about them, saying they were unprepared kids wholl need welfare to raise their family, the couple said.

Jacob works at Aldis, which provides good health insurance. He took college classes while attending Norton High School and anticipates graduating from the University of Akron with a degree in financial planning in May.

The couple met when Hannah, who was home schooled on her familys farm in Marshallville, Ohio, joined the Norton High School bowling team and Jacob was a teammate. For their first date, he took her bowling.

Not my best idea ever, he said, laughing. I am still not that great at being romantic.

But hes sure hell be great at caring for Hannah and their quintuplets.

Were very young, but very much in love, he said. Were going to be the best parents we can be.

Read related story:

Local moms of multiples give Barberton couple some advice

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Barberton couple excited to meet their quintuplets soon - cleveland.com