‘Natural Quadruplets’ Born in Livingston Hospital — Couple Overjoyed by Their Miracle Babies
When Aja Kennon and her fiancé, Emmanuel Volmar, went for a routine ultrasound, they had a feeling this pregnancy might be different.
Twins run on both sides of Kennon’s family, and she was showing more this time than she had during her first pregnancy with their son, Emmanuel Jr., now 8. So when doctors told her she was expecting twins, she wasn’t entirely surprised.
Excited, Kennon FaceTimed her sister-in-law, Terika Volmar, to share the news — turning the camera toward the screen.
“Then my sister-in-law said, ‘Wait, I think I see another head,’” Kennon recalled with a laugh.
That’s when the doctor confirmed there were three babies — all boys. But the biggest surprise was still to come.
Because multiple pregnancies can carry complications, Kennon was referred to a specialist at Maternal Fetal Medicine inside Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey.
Two weeks later, during another scan, the specialist began counting on the screen — one, two, three, four.
“I was saying to myself, if there’s a fourth one, it better be a girl,” Kennon said.
It was — and the mother-to-be burst into tears of joy. A video of her reaction, posted on Instagram on April 5, captured the moment she found out she was carrying quadruplets.
“It’s unreal,” Kennon said. “You always imagine this being someone else’s story — not yours.”
A Rare and Natural Occurrence
Volmar was at work driving trucks in and out of Port Newark when he got the life-changing phone call.
“Once they told me, my heart started racing,” he said.
The couple, who live in Orange, New Jersey, conceived the quadruplets naturally — without any fertility treatments. Experts say natural quadruplets occur in about 1 in 700,000 pregnancies. Roughly 90% of quadruplet cases are the result of medical intervention such as IVF.
After the initial shock, Volmar said they quickly switched into planning mode.
“I say it was God’s plan, not ours,” he said. “I’m just here to take on the job.”
Preparing for Four Babies
At first, the couple hadn’t planned to throw a baby shower. But after finding out they were expecting four, they quickly organized one.
“If it had been just one baby, we could handle everything ourselves,” Kennon said. “But when you hear ‘four,’ you realize you’ll definitely need help.”
They also launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the added costs of food, diapers, and childcare. As of Wednesday, they had raised $4,880 toward their $24,000 goal.
The Economic Policy Institute reports that the average cost of infant care in New Jersey is $18,155 a year — or about $1,513 a month — making childcare in the state more expensive than in-state college tuition.
Kennon, who works for the U.S. Postal Service, stayed on the job until she was eight months pregnant.
“I didn’t want to just sit at home and do nothing,” she said. “Staying busy and active helped me feel better throughout the pregnancy.”
Care and Caution
Meanwhile, doctors at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center closely monitored her condition. Women expecting multiples face higher risks of complications such as pre-eclampsia and preterm labor.
“We assembled a team from the NICU, anesthesia, blood management, and OB/GYN departments,” said Dr. Claudine Sylvester, associate program director of the hospital’s OB/GYN department. “We met regularly to plan her care, because you never know when a mother carrying quadruplets will deliver.”
Sylvester arranged for Kennon to receive intravenous iron treatments to avoid the need for blood transfusions.
“You can imagine how hard it is for one body to supply blood for four babies,” she said.
Kennon also met regularly with dietitians, social workers, and doctors every two weeks.
As the pregnancy progressed, Kennon began to feel the strain — sleeping, moving, and even breathing became more difficult. At her 34-week appointment, doctors decided to schedule a cesarean section, as a vaginal delivery would be too risky.
“It’s amazing she made it to 34 weeks,” said Sylvester. “Most quadruplet pregnancies end between 20 and 30 weeks. She was so positive and followed every medical recommendation, and that made a huge difference.”
A Team Effort
Behind the scenes, a team of more than 20 medical professionals prepared for the birth, said Dr. Joanne Bishara, director of neonatology at Cooperman Barnabas.
“We held multidisciplinary meetings — OB, maternal-fetal medicine, nursing, respiratory therapy, neonatology — to plan for each baby,” Bishara explained. “Each newborn needed its own team ready for resuscitation.”
While resuscitation is common in premature births — about 10% of babies need some help to start breathing, and 1% need intensive resuscitation — all four of Kennon’s babies were delivered safely.
“There was an assembly line of providers,” said Bishara. “Each baby came out, was handed to their team, and taken to the warmer for resuscitation. That happened four times.”
None of the babies required intubation or breathing machines. Once they were stabilized and swaddled, they were brought to meet their parents.
“It was such a relief to see them,” Kennon said. “Doctors have to tell you everything that could go wrong, so you worry — but thank God, everything went smoothly.”
Four Little Miracles
Kennon was discharged on July 5, just four days after the C-section. Her babies — Ean, Evan, Alayha, and Eamon — stayed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit a bit longer before all were finally cleared to go home.
Now, the couple are adjusting to life as a family of seven.
“It’s been an adjustment,” Volmar said. “Sleep — you start appreciating it a lot more when you don’t get any.”
Even so, Kennon says the joy far outweighs the exhaustion.
“Every time you look at them, even when you’re burping them, and you see those little smiles — it’s just pure happiness,” she said.
