Callie and Gabriel Smith, a couple from California, had initially planned to add just one more baby to their family, which includes Ariella, their 7-year-old, and their 4-year-old twins Noah and Samara. They were quite surprised to learn they were expecting quadruplets.
Before this, 36-year-old Callie had undergone several rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI) and experienced a challenging ectopic pregnancy.
The babies, named Norah, Selah, Ezra, and Abigail, were born prematurely. Neonatologist Dr. Huy Truong disclosed that their birth, though nine weeks early, was a seamless operation. The newborns spent some time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, where they learned important skills like breathing and feeding.
The first to exit the NICU were Noah and Selah, and then a week later, Ezra and Abigail were also allowed to go home. However, Abigail returned due to feeding issues at home. She later underwent a successful surgical operation to close a blood vessel that runs from her pulmonary artery to her aorta, according to Truong.
Currently, the babies are settling into a routine at their home in Upland. Their 37-year-old father, Gabriel, describes the news of expecting four babies as a miracle, adding that it required careful planning. Unfortunately, just a week after the quadruplets’ arrival, Gabriel’s older brother passed away from a heart attack at the age of 49. Gabriel traveled to be with his family in San Diego, while Callie remained in Upland with the children.
Callie told People that even though they have three children already, this still feels like a first. “It feels like they’re our first kids because they’re our first preemies. It’s definitely been a learning curve. We’ve had to readjust our expectations and we’re just constantly trying to figure it out as we go.”
Despite these difficult circumstances, the couple is staying strong with the support of their friends and church community. A GoFundMe campaign has also been set up to help the family cover the expenses of purchasing a new van.
“They’ve really reached out,” Gabriel said of their support system. “We were like, ‘We’ll figure this out, and we kind of got this.’ And then it’s like, Okay, we don’t got this.”
Callie also remarked, “Every week, it’s kind of an uphill battle, we’re getting very little sleep, probably like two or three hours each night. But we know it’s a season.”
“We have the benefit of having other kids, so we know that things are going to get a little bit easier. And it has been a joy seeing their little personalities come out,” she expressed.
