The joyous journey of Brianna and Jordan Driskell with their five adorable new children in family photos preparing for a wonderful Christmas
Briana and Jordan, 26, struggled for nearly two years to conceive a child. Briana said it was her biggest emotional roller coaster. Each month began with anticipation, hoping that this would be the moment they’d been waiting for. The tests failed repeatedly, dashing their hopes. After their sixth fertility treatment, the Driskells saw two pink lines – a long-awaited good result. Briana exclaimed: “We’ve had a baby every time we’ve tried! They were thrilled when the eight-week ultrasound revealed quintuplets. Five bags on the screen ꜱtᴜnnеd them. Briana sat stunned. Her husband almost collapsed, and the two moms remained speechless. The news upset Briana’s mother, who vomited twice outside. In that terrible moment, Briana’s mother kept repeating, “Five? Five?” The immensity of the blessing became clear.
As all five children were unlikely to survive the pregnancy, the doctors advised selective reduction. Briana and Jordan adamantly refused. “We believe God gave us these children,” said Briana. So there’s no need to give them up. We trust God’s choice. Ovarian problems and severe morning sickness wreaked havoc on Briana throughout her pregnancy. “I lost ten pounds and was hospitalized for extreme dehydration,” she says. It sucked. At 22 weeks, her cervix was narrowing, putting her at risk of premature delivery. Briana was hospitalized and bedridden. She overcame the obstacles to keep the children inside her until the 30th week.
Briana’s quintuplets were born at 28 weeks’ gestation due to preeclampsia, a dangerous condition caused by high blood pressure. Zoe Hart, Dakota Faith, Hollyn Grace, Asher Blaze and Gavin Lane were born by C-section at the University of Kentucky’s Chandler Hospital. Zoe, the smallest, weighed one and a half kilos, while Hollyn, the largest, weighed two and a half kilos. Zoe is the most spirited baby.
Five children are at home with their families almost two months after birth. Life with five children is hard, but Briana loves it. Jordan, her husband, returned to his farm job after a week. Fortunately, her mother and nanny helped her out. “It’s ιnsanе,” says Briana. Home is never boring. As we feed the first child after feeding the last, we feed him every 30 minutes. Everything repeats itself. It’s like a factory. They use several bottles a day.
We are grateful for our child, and my mother attends her every day at 6am. Because of their poor immune system, we rarely take them out.
After they were born, we needed a van because our vehicle couldn’t accommodate them. Even that’s tight! Taking them out is a big job, and we get a lot of attention. It’s fun to watch them develop their own features. We have to follow a strict schedule and adapt to their development. We’ll need a bigger house. This year seems a bit fuzzy to me. Four outfits a day equals three loads of laundry. 60 diapers a day. The couple’s five children will make this Christmas memorable.
“Over the years, I’ve received Christmas cards from friends and family who had children,” Briana explains. Today, I’m a parent and look forward to sending Christmas cards with my children. Thank God we’re satisfied.
