Mom of Seven, Including Quintuplets, Shares How She Manages While Husband Is Deployed
Roxanna and Michael Hoffman from Georgia, USA, have a bustling household of seven children: ten-year-old Connor, one-year-old Gideon, and two-year-old quintuplets Aurora, Briella, Delilah, Elias, and Felicity. With Michael serving in the military, Roxanna often finds herself managing the household alone while he is deployed for a year.
The family has faced numerous challenges, including moving three times over the past two years and adapting to life with seven kids. Practical adjustments have been necessary, such as buying a 15-seater van and a stroller capable of holding five children.
“Everything in our life has changed,” Roxanna, 27, said. “It takes twice as long to do anything, there’s never enough space, and when we go out, people always stop to ask questions about all the kids.”
The quintuplets are currently navigating the “terrible twos” and have even developed their own form of communication. “They share a special bond and at one point had their own little language,” she explained. Roxanna receives support from her mother, who recently moved nearby, and from her in-laws when possible.
Roxanna and Michael conceived the quintuplets through intrauterine insemination (IUI) following a previous miscarriage. Initially told that only one baby was likely, the couple were stunned when their first ultrasound revealed twins — and even more shocked to discover five heartbeats. “My husband went pale and almost passed out,” Roxanna recalled. “I had to keep joking to stay strong. The whole family was completely stunned.”
During pregnancy, Roxanna faced extreme physical demands. By 17 weeks, she measured as large as a woman full-term with a single baby and consumed up to 7,000 calories daily, attending frequent ultrasound appointments.
After the quintuplets were born on June 13, 2014, Michael returned to work just 11 days later, leaving Roxanna to manage newborns who were only six months old at the time. “Those early months were a blur,” she said. “We were changing 50–60 diapers a day, visiting the doctor daily because the babies were premature. Sleep was scarce, and everything felt chaotic.” To keep track of the infants, Roxanna even color-coded their toes with nail polish so Michael could tell them apart.
Despite the challenges, Roxanna emphasizes finding joy in the chaos and cherishing small moments. “Even a few minutes outside to get the mail feels like a break,” she said. Looking ahead, the family is excited for a trip to Disneyland in May and counting the days until Michael’s return in August.
Roxanna, a former United States Air Force Emergency Medical Technician, reflected on raising such a large family: “I was an only child and always wanted a big family. My husband originally wanted two or three kids — so I guess I won!”
