A Pennsylvania couple is now parents to a total of nine children after welcoming quadruplets – about a year after adopting four siblings. Maxine and Jake Young were already parents to a biological son named Henry when, in December 2019, they adopted four siblings that they had been fostering for years.
After the adoption, the couple decided to try for one more child – but were in for a major surprise when Maxine got pregnant with quadruplets, transforming them into a family of 11 in just three years.
According to a GoFundMe page started by Jake’s mother, Arlette Young, Jake and Maxine married in May of 2016, they wanted a family right away.
Arlette wrote: ‘Maxine always wanted to be a foster parent and had always dreamed of having a large family with adopted and biological children,’
‘Jake was completely on board and loved the idea of having a house filled with lots of love and laughter, maybe a little bit of chaos too!’
They got a bit more love and chaos than they expected, though.
First, the couple completed foster parent training and took in three siblings on July 28, 2017. At the time, the children were four, two, and 11 months, and they were joined a month later by a fourth sibling, a newborn baby girl.
‘All the while, they were trying for a baby to join their family,’ ArLette explained. ‘They suffered multiple miscarriages, chemical pregnancies, a round of IVF, and an IUI before they finally were blessed with their son, Henry, in October 2018.’
Just a year after Henry was born, the couple officially adopted the four siblings they were fostering on December 20, 2019.
‘It was chaos,’ Maxine – who shares her family’s story on their YouTube channel, The Family Young Vlogs – told local news station WFMZ. ‘We went from zero to five within less than a year.’
The couple thought their family of seven was complete, but within weeks of finalizing the adoption, Maxine found out she was pregnant again – this time, without even having to use IVF.
‘I didn’t even think that I could get pregnant without IVF or IUI, which we had to do with our son. I remember texting [my husband] and was like, “Oh my G.od,”‘ Maxine said.
And they soon learned that they weren’t expecting just one more baby but four since Maxine had unexpectedly become pregnant with quadruplets.
Maxine gave birth on July 31 at 32 weeks. The couple named them Silas Ledger, Theo Alexander, Beck Killian, and Cecilia Hudson, and they were born between 8 a.m. and 8:02 a.m., each weighing between three and four pounds.
They all spent some time in the NICU, though two of the babies have been able to go home this week.
‘It’s been crazy, but I don’t think it’s hit us just yet,’ Jake said.
‘Meeting the babies was an indescribable moment. All of the struggles from the past few months were immediately forgotten, the pain and stress didn’t matter, in that moment, everything we have been through was worth it,’
‘Luckily, they’re all doing really well, and we’re really grateful,’ Maxine added.
