Pregnant Woman Is Told She's Expecting Twins – Doctor Keeps Counting More Babies in Her Belly

Ivanna and David Gutierrez struggled to hold their joy when they heard they would have more than one kid. However, their journey proved more challenging than they could have imagined.

In February 2014, South Florida couple Ivanna Cardenas Gutierrez, 27 years old, and her husband David Gutierrez could not contain their joy when they learned they would soon become parents.

The couple initially went into the hospital to get an ultrasound. However, they could not believe their ears when doctors spotted more than one baby on the screen.

That surprise doubled when the couple learned that they were not having just twins, but the technician had spotted a third and then a fourth heartbeat on the screen. So they would be having quadruplets!

Ivanna and David were stunned beyond words. According to the former, she thought the doctors were joking with them. However, this was not a prank.

As expected, the news came as a pleasant surprise for the couple because they had always wanted a large family, and it seemed God had specifically answered their prayers.

Ivanna also conceiving quadruplets naturally without fertility drugs was very rare; on average, it happens only once in 700,000 pregnancies.

Also, to aid her pregnancy journey and delivery, the expectant mother got placed in the care of Dr. Salih Yusuf, a specialist in high-risk pregnancies and delivery of multiples.

However, unknown to David and Ivanna, they would soon have to make a difficult decision that would ultimately test their faith and resolve.

A TOUGH DECISION TO MAKE

On August 18, after 27 weeks of pregnancy, Ivanna and David entered the hospital to check up on their babies as usual when doctors gave them a piece of terrifying news.

The couple learned that one of their babies was not getting enough oxygen through the placenta, which placed the life of one of their quadruplets at risk.

Ivanna and David were heartbroken, and when they asked the doctors for a way out, the couple learned they would have to make one of their life's trickiest and most important decisions.

According to the doctors, all their babies would only survive if they immediately opted for a cesarean birth. Doing this would give the baby at risk a chance of survival, but the other three would only have a 40 percent chance of survival outside the womb.

The couple suddenly had to decide; carrying on with the pregnancy meant one of their babies would die, but an emergency operation would give all four kids a chance to live.

Ivanna and David decided to go for an emergency cesarean operation, knowing their premature babies would have less than a 50 percent chance of surviving.

PREMATURE BABY DELIVERY

On August 18, the same day Ivanna and David made the tough decision, they welcomed their quadruplets -- Gabriel, Julian, Sebastian, and Francesca.

All four kids weighed a pound or two, and medical staff immediately rushed them directly to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). There, the kids continued their battle to live and develop.

However, Gabriel quickly became the child most at risk. He weighed just one pound and three ounces; while the other babies developed, Gabriel's oxygen level kept dropping, and he suffered seizures. According to Ivanna and Daniel:

"He was dying. . . His color changed — he was starting to get white. [So] they told us, we're going to open the incubator so you can say your last words to him and say goodbye."

However, against all odds, the couple kept their faith. Even after doctors told them to say goodbye, the pair knew that, somehow, all their kids would pull through.

After about five months, Gabriel started improving. Then, the boy started gaining weight gradually until he became strong enough to go home with his parents.

IVANNA AND DAVID'S FAITH PAID OFF

Ivanna and David believed their babies would survive through the pregnancy and childbirth journey and were rewarded. Gabriel had the most challenging health scares to overcome, and the little warrior did so spectacularly.

After doctors released him to his parents, the little boy had to undergo minor surgeries. In the end, he flourished at home with his parents and siblings. According to the mother of four, Ivanna Gabriel, he deserves special praise.

She explained that although all her kids are miracle babies, Gabriel is unique because the little kid is a fighter. Meanwhile, David said:

"I thought there were so many people praying for them that that's what helped them get better. We had a lot of tough times in these three months, but in the end, it's been a blessing."

Ivanna and David did not know the journey that awaited them the first time they walked into the hospital. However, after years of fighting and keeping the faith, the couple could finally sit and watch their quadruplets grow and flourish.

Ivanna's decision to undergo an emergency C-section to keep all her babies alive showed that a mother's love and gut instinct is powerful. Most times, they can see the whole picture while the rest see half.

Do you feel Ivanna took a massive chance as a mother by undergoing the C-section and putting all her kids at risk instead of just accepting she would lose one of them?

If you consider this story a perfect example of how kids are blessings from God, kindly share as this might prove beneficial and inspiring to someone out there.