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PROVO — When Ashley Gardner was diagnosed with twin to twin transfusion syndrome, she didn't want anybody to know.
One of her two sets of identical twins wasn't properly sharing nutrients, so her doctor instructed her to have surgery as soon as possible. The next morning, she flew to California for surgery by one of the five doctors in the United States who perform it.
She was 20 weeks into her pregnancy with quadruplets, and there were 33,000 people following their journey on Facebook. If the surgery didn't go well, she could lose all four.
"I remember my sister said, 'you know, when you want 33,000 people praying for you and the babies, let me know, and I'll update your page, and I thought, 'well, you know it can't hurt.'"
It has been one year since the California doctor performed a successful surgery for TTTS on Gardner, and 10 months since her quadruplets arrived safely.
The last year has been a "complete whirlwind," Gardner said.
From their birth and their time in the neonatal intensive care unit, the babies have become healthy, big and beautiful, according to their mom.
They haven't started crawling yet, something Gardner doesn't mind.
- Twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a disease of the placenta (or afterbirth) that affects identical twin pregnancies.
- TTTS affects identical twins (or higher multiple gestations), who share a common monochorionic placenta.
- The shared placenta contains abnormal blood vessels, which connect the umbilical cords and circulations of the twins.
- The common placenta may also be shared unequally by the twins, and one twin may have a share too small to provide the necessary nutrients to grow normally or even survive.
"...I feel like we're lucky … these are our first children, so we never knew what it was like just to have one," Gardner said.
Gardner and her husband, Tyson, are extremely efficient in everything they do, she said.
Since they have to multiply everything they do by four, they team up. As soon as Ashley finishes feeding one, she will put her in the bath, where Tyson is ready to bathe and dress her.
Tyson Gardner works from home, so he's there to help out his wife.
He said they didn't realize how much time and work it would be, and it's taken them a long time to adjust.
"...But it's been an overwhelming joy to experience it and learn everything that we've learned, and I wouldn't trade one day for anything in the world," Tyson Gardner said.
The couple run an Etsy clothing shop, where they sell mainly baby products.
Tyson said it was sad to say goodbye to his office job, but "it's been so incredible to be here in the house and not miss anything that the girls are doing. … I don't know how other dads go to work every day, because I couldn't imagine missing everything that I would have to be there."
They are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Ashley said without God, they wouldn't be where they're at today.
Ashley said after her sister updated her Facebook page when she was diagnosed with TTTS, she had never felt prayer in that magnitude before.
People from a variety of faiths were praying for her family, and one woman said she hadn't prayed in 15 years until then.
Ashley said it was incredible, because her babies "were little missionaries before they were even born," and she feels the TTTS happened partially so others could come back to a religious belief.
Indie, Esme, Scarlett and Evangeline Gardner will turn 1 on Dec. 28.
In January, 2016, followers will be able to see the documentation of their first year on TLC's, "Baby Changes Everything," Tyson Gardner said.
"It's been exhausting," Ashley Gardner said. "I've never been this tired in all of my life, but it is so worth it, they make everything so worth it."
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