For many couples, having a child is one of the greatest and most anticipated joys in life. Maxine and Jake Young’s long-held dream of having a large family was put on hold when they became infertile. In a couple of weeks, they never imagined that their lives would change in ways they could not have imagined.
Eager to start a family, Maxine and Jake were married in Pennsylvania in May 2016. Maxine made the logical decision to adopt since, despite her desire for biological children, she also had strong feelings about giving impoverished children a home and a family.
“Jacob was completely supportive and loved the idea of filling their home with love, laughter, and a little chaos!” said Jacob’s mother, Arlette Young, who started a GoFundMe account to help the family.
Maxine and Jake began their foster care training in February 2017, just a few months after being married. After completing the necessary training and other processes, they were given permission to start their placements in June 2017.
Four siblings required a family.
In July 2017, they received a call about four siblings: three children, aged four, two, and eleven months; and their newborn sister, who was still in the hospital. The couple, ready to greet them, did just that.
The journey wasn’t easy. Every child encountered different challenges, including overcoming trauma, being diagnosed with autism, and other issues that Jacob’s mother also had to deal with.
Despite the difficult journey, Maxine and Jake persisted in their desire to have biological children. Maxine had several miscarriages and chemical pregnancies. They had IVF and IUI treatments.
After much struggle, their son Henry was born in October 2018.
The family thought they were complete.
Shortly after their adoption was approved, Maxine realized something was happening in her body—she was pregnant again!
I never thought I would get pregnant naturally after using IVF and IUI to conceive Henry. Maxine recalls texting her husband, saying, “Oh my God.”
The couple was thrilled and surprised, but they had no idea that a bigger surprise was coming.
When the doctor began the scan, I saw a change in her face. Three almost equal-sized pregnancy sacs with fetal poles and yolk sacs were clearly visible. She looked at me and continued, “Well, it looks like three babies are growing in there.” I laughed clumsily in complete shock. When I asked Maxine on Instagram if everything seemed normal, she replied that they were exactly six weeks along.
Maxine wasn’t just expecting triplets; she was expecting quadruplets.
On July 31, at 32 weeks pregnant, Maxine gave birth to four beautiful babies, weighing three to four pounds apiece. They named them Silas Ledger, Beck Killian, Theo Alexander, and Cecilia Hudson.
Meeting them was an amazing experience. The struggles of the past many months disappeared. The anxiety and agony didn’t matter. At the time, everything we had experienced was worthwhile, Maxine wrote in a Facebook comment.
“They’re all doing fantastic, and we’re really grateful,” Maxine added.
Their love for one another and their nine children is the most important factor that will enable this brave and dedicated mother and her amazing family to overcome any challenge they face.
