After Years of Heartbreak, Irish Couple Welcomes Miracle Quadruplets Conceived Naturally
After enduring four heartbreaking miscarriages and believing their chance to have a family had slipped away, Grace and James Slattery are now celebrating a joy they once thought impossible — the arrival of naturally conceived quadruplets.
The couple, from County Limerick in Ireland, spent four difficult years trying to have children, only to face repeated loss. The emotional toll became so great that they decided not to pursue IVF and quietly accepted that parenthood together might never happen.
Then, against all expectations, Grace discovered she was pregnant — without medical intervention. The surprise deepened when doctors confirmed she was carrying four babies, a phenomenon so rare it occurs in only a tiny fraction of natural pregnancies.
Now parents to four seven-month-old infants, the Slatterys are preparing to celebrate their first Christmas as a family of six — something they once couldn’t allow themselves to imagine.
“We call them our fantastic four,” Grace said. “It’s hard to believe they’re already seven months old. Time has flown, and we’re so excited for their first Christmas together.”
Their daughters — Amelia Helen, Mollie Rose, and Lily-Grace May — and their son, Lucas James, have already been showered with love from family and friends. “They even have a Christmas music CD they adore,” Grace laughed. “It calms them instantly.”
For Grace, the babies represent far more than festive joy. “They are our Christmas miracles,” she said. “Just when we felt we couldn’t take any more heartbreak, we were given the greatest gift imaginable. I really want other women to know not to lose hope — if we had given up sooner, our babies wouldn’t be here.”
One of the quadruplets, Amelia, faced her own life-threatening challenge. Born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia — a serious condition where organs shift into the chest cavity — doctors initially feared she might survive only a few hours.
“We were told that if she was too small, surgery wouldn’t be possible,” Grace explained. “Her heart was displaced, and her lungs hadn’t developed properly.”
Fortunately, Amelia weighed 4lb 3oz — the largest of the four — and was strong enough to undergo emergency surgery shortly after birth.
“We will always be grateful to the team at Crumlin Children’s Hospital for saving her life,” Grace said. “She’s been a fighter from day one.”
Despite the joy, the pregnancy was filled with anxiety. Even after the positive test, Grace and James struggled to believe the outcome would be different from the losses before.
“At our first scan, we feared the worst again,” Grace recalled. “Instead, we were told not only that the pregnancy was viable, but that we were expecting four babies. We were warned not to get our hopes up — quad pregnancies rarely end well.”
After months of careful monitoring, the babies arrived just one day before Grace’s planned cesarean section at 32 weeks and six days.
Amelia Helen weighed 4lb 3oz, Mollie Rose 2lb 15oz, Lucas James 3lb 10oz, and Lily-Grace May 3lb 4oz.
Born in May, the quadruplets now go through around 35 nappies a day and keep Grace — a former childminder — and James, an insulation consultant, constantly on the move.
“They eat three meals a day now, plus bottles,” Grace said. “I thought my years working with children had prepared me — but nothing compares to four babies at once. It’s exhausting, but so worth it.”
As Christmas approaches, the couple are focusing on gratitude rather than exhaustion.
“We’re going to my parents’ house so we can all sit down and enjoy Christmas dinner together,” Grace said. “This year feels truly magical. I never let myself dream this could happen — and now here they are.”
