Welcoming a child into the world is a magical and anticipated experience for many couples. Maxine and Jake Young had always dreamed of having a big family, but their journey was not without its challenges. Struggling with infertility, they never imagined that their lives would undergo a drastic change in just a few weeks.
Maxine and Jake, who got married in May 2016 in Pennsylvania, couldn’t wait to start their family. Maxine not only wanted to have her own biological children but also desired to provide a loving home for kids in need through adoption.
“Jacob was completely on board and loved the idea of having a house filled with lots of love and laughter, maybe a little bit of chaos too!” shares Jacob’s mom, ArLette Young, on the GoFundMe page she created to seek support for her son’s family.
In February 2017, after being married for just a few months, Maxine and Jake Young began their foster training journey. After completing the necessary steps, they were approved to take in foster children by June 2017.
A month later, the couple received a life-changing call. There were three siblings in need of a loving family: a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old, and an 11-month-old. A few weeks later, they also welcomed their newborn baby sister from the hospital.
Their journey wasn’t easy. Each child had their own unique needs, and the new parents had to navigate an Autism diagnosis, significant trauma, and other challenges, as shared by Jacob’s mom on GoFundMe.
But amidst it all, Maxine and Jacob never gave up on their dream of having biological children. However, their path was filled with obstacles. Maxine experienced multiple miscarriages and chemical pregnancies, and they had to undergo IVF and an IUI procedure.
Finally, in October 2018, they were blessed with their son, Henry. It was a moment of immense joy and happiness. Little did they know, an even greater surprise awaited them.
Maxine shares on Instagram, “As soon as she (the doctor) started the scan, I could see she had a surprised look on her face. It was very clear when you looked at the screen that there were three pregnancy sacs, all about the same size, you could also see yolk sacs and even fetal poles. She looked at me and said, ‘Welp, it looks like there are three babies growing in there!’”. Maxine was in complete shock and nervous laughter followed. The babies were all measuring on track at 6 weeks, and Maxine had another scan scheduled for the following week.
It turns out that they were having quadruplets! On July 31, at 32 weeks of pregnancy, Maxine gave birth to four beautiful babies: Silas Ledger, Theo Alexander, Beck Killian, and Cecilia Hudson. Meeting the babies was an indescribable moment for Maxine and Jake. All the struggles they had faced in the past months were instantly forgotten. The pain and stress didn’t matter because everything they had been through was worth it, as Maxine expressed on Facebook.
“Luckily, they’re all doing really well, and we’re really grateful,” says a beaming Maxine.
We wish this brave and generous mom and her beautiful family all the best. They may encounter numerous challenges along the way, but they have the most important support system to help them overcome anything – love for each other and their nine children.
