I gave birth to identical QUADRUTS – and no, it wasn’t through IVF

A mother who gave birth to identical quadruplets has revealed that “the sleep deprivation is really starting now”.

Mercedes Sandhu was already the mother of two boys when she found out she was pregnant for the third time… with her third, fourth, fifth AND sixth child.

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The 34-year-old carried all four of her identical girls in the same placenta – an extremely rare phenomenon that makes them statistical wonders.

The chance of having identical quadruplets is about one in 15 million. There are about 72 documented cases of naturally conceived identical quadruplets in medical history.

Naturally conceived quadruplets, which are not identical, are extremely rare. Doctors estimate the chance of a birth at about one in 700,000.

And yet Mercedes defied all expectations and welcomed her daughters.

She is officially a mother of six children and ALL of her children are under the age of four.

“Oh man, I was crying and laughing at the same time because I thought this couldn’t be happening,” the mother of six said. PEOPLE about the moment she found out she was pregnant with quadruplets.

“I felt all kinds of different emotions, but it was definitely a shock.”

Mercedes gave birth to her four daughters, whom she shares with her husband Jonathan, 37, on May 1.

The little ones are named Hannah Grace, Lucy Marie, Rebecca Claire and Petra Anne.

They were born at 29 weeks gestation and cared for by Texas Children’s Hospital.

All four babies have since been released from the hospital and are now at home in Houston with their older brothers: Luke, three, and Aaron, two.

The team at Texas Children’s Hospital said on Instagram: “Four. Identical. Miracles.

“Hannah, Lucy, Petra and Rebecca were born on May 1st after just 29 weeks of pregnancy, in our Women’s Pavilion, mother to Mercedes and father to Jonathan.

“Because girls share one placenta throughout their development, anything that affects one of the four can affect all of them.

“Thankfully, the team at Texas Children’s has been with the Sandhu family every step of the way.”

According to Texas Children’s Hospital, Mercedes and Jonathan can tell two of the babies apart because they were born with hemangiomas.

Hemangiomas are benign growths of extra blood cells in the skin. It is one of the most common skin conditions in babies.

Jonathan has set up an Instagram page to share updates on how his family of eight is adjusting to their new life.

You can follow his and Mercedes’ journey as parents of quadruplets on @shesandhucrew.

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