Mom Gives Birth to 'Miracle' Quintuplets at 28 Weeks — Now Has a Dozen Children to Raise

A couple from Poland originally planned on having one more child to have a total of eight, but they were in for the surprise of their lives when they welcomed more than that.

A mom of seven gave birth to quintuplets at 28 weeks, a miraculous feat that only happens once in 52 million cases. Now, she has twelve children to raise at home with her software engineer husband.

While planning to expand their family, Dominika and Vince Clarke never imagined they'd be new parents to more than just one baby. After all, they already had seven kids and simply wanted one more so that their youngest child had someone her age to grow up with.

They Needed Time for It to Sink in

Earlier in her pregnancy, Dominika learned she was pregnant with five babies. She wasn't with her husband when the doctor first broke the news to her, so it came as quite the shock to her husband. Recalling how his wife revealed they were having more than one child, he said:

"She phoned from the hospital and said 'I think you'd better sit down.' Then she said 'I've got a bit of a surprise.'"

After that introduction, Dominika dropped the bomb on her husband that they were pregnant with five babies, leaving him floored.

Vince claimed that at the time they conceived, he and his wife had been on a juice and low fat diet. They believe their diet played a part in their sudden quintuple pregnancy.

Being Parents to Multiples

Before getting pregnant for the eighth time, Dominika had already given birth to seven kids. She had a 12-year-old, a 10-year-old, 7-year-old twins, 4-year-old twins, and a 10-month-old baby, so she and Vince already had an idea on how to successfully raise multiples in their household.

For most of Dominika's pregnancy, she had been receiving in-patient care from a hospital in Krakow. She agreed with her doctor to stay in the hospital until the end of the pregnancy to avoid any complications and give birth to her babies in the best condition.

At 28 weeks, she underwent an emergency C-section to deliver her children and gave birth to three girls, Arianna Daisy, Elizabeth May, and Evangeline Rose, and two boys, Charles Patrick and Henry James, who all required respiratory support upon birth.

Receiving Much-Needed Hospital Care

With all her newborn children in stable condition, Dominika and Vince are able to visit them. The quintuplets are incubated in one ward, where they receive the treatment they need.

Although doctors are positive the newborns could come home once they meet all the requirements, they would need to continue visiting the hospital until 3 years old for constant consultations. Dominika and Vince acknowledge that they may need help raising their children along the way, but for now, they are receiving the best care at the hospital.

As giving birth to quintuplets is a rare feat, the hospital hosted a news conference for the parents after the birth. While speaking to the media, Dominika acknowledged that her latest pregnancy was a "miracle."

The Circumstances of Their Pregnancy

Dominika and Vince had wanted an 8th child so their youngest baby, a 10-month-old, would have someone to grow up with. After learning they were having quintuplets, they Initially told their children they were pregnant with three kids to soften the blow and not scare them.

Knowing they lived in a small town, they kept the quintuplets bit to themselves. They didn't want their children to talk about it in school too.

Now that they have twelve children, Dominika and Vince are about to make the "Cheaper by the Dozen" movie their reality. However, no matter how difficult the road ahead might be, Vince is positive they're going to make it. He shared:

"We'll cope. My wife and I didn't plan for five but we are very happy and the other children are excited too. We have a huge house."

The Couple's Growing Household

Dominika and Vince first met in the United Kingdom, where Dominika worked as an English and Math teacher. Meanwhile, Vince is a software engineer. With stable sources of income, the couple is able to provide for their children, and are confident they'll be able to continue doing so.

After living in the United Kingdom for years, Dominika, Vince, and their older children moved to Poland. They live in the province of Lublin, where they have a big property surrounded by a garden and a forest.

They chose to relocate to raise their kids in a peaceful environment surrounded by nature, where there is a proper care system. "It's nice to have a life with such a bunch," the proud mom explained.

While her quintuplets are still receiving hospital care, Dominika is longing for the day her kids will be healthy enough to come home. She dreams of the moment she'll finally be able to hug them all together, which would then mean all the challenges to get to that point were all worth it.

While having multiples over quadruplets is extremely rare, there have been miraculous stories of quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets, and even octuplets living normal lives. In recent news, America's first surviving sextuplets turned 30 years old this year. Click here to read all about it.