The family says they will always be appreciative of Phoenix and the city will always be a part of them.
Washington-based couple Stephanie and Graham Freels quite literally have their hands full from here on out because in their first pregnancy, they hit the jackpot times five.
“Never thought it was going to be quintuplets. That never even crossed our minds,” she told KPHO. “We did an ultrasound, saw five sacks and two heartbeats and then the week after that we saw five heart beats. So we found out [when] I was like six almost seven weeks pregnant."
The Washington state residents told KPHO they temporarily moved to Phoenix, Arizona, so Stephanie could give birth to Adelyn, Eliana, Linnea, Fisher and Harper at St Joseph's Hospital.
After carrying for just 27 weeks, Stephanie delivered all five babies within an hour and half.
Andrea Hassler, senior director for Women and Newborn Services at St. Joseph’s Hospital, told KPHO “it was about 20 people between the nurses, the respiratory therapists, who came in to help set up for this delivery and we only had about an hour's notice."
Stephanie said that she didn’t think she was in labor.
“I didn't think I was in labor. We went in because I was so uncomfortable because of so much weight from the babies. And when she told us we were going to have the babies tonight it was definitely shocking."
The siblings had to spend almost 11 weeks in the hospital since they were born so early.
"The last baby was discharged after 76 days in the NICU," Hassler added.
Now begins the journey back to their home state where the Freel family of seven will embark on their new life together.
The family says they will always be appreciative of Phoenix and the city will always be a part of them.
Related Stories
