Mom Rejected Doctor’s Warning To Gave Birth Quintuplets, Surprise After 7 Years
It is a story of faith, courage and determination in the face of immense pressure. Dimitri and Varvara Artamkin, who have known each other since childhood, were delighted to discover that Varvara was pregnant in 2007 following a course of fertility treatment.
But when they learned they were expecting five children, doctors in Russia told them aborting some of the babies was the only option to ensure the sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ of any of them – and of Varvara herself. But they refused, deciding instead to place their trust in the expertise of the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. A doctor advised them that they should travel to Britain.
Although not poor by Russian standards, Dimitri, a mathematics professor, and Varvara, 36, who has worked as a music teacher, are by no means well-off. Their trip and treatment were funded by a generous local businessman.
Live births of such a large number of babies are extremely rare and the risks to the mother are high. In the majority of cases, they either ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀʏ or the babies are born too prematurely to sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ.
Dr Lawrence Impey, the consultant obstetrician who oversaw their births, remembers the day well. He said: ‘It was planned like a military operation, and the stakes were high. Statistically, it didn’t look as though all five would make it – I had to talk to Varvara and Dimitri about the risks. So it’s wonderful to see all the girls so healthy and happy.’Every detail of their delivery by ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀn on November 10, 2007 had to be planned with precision, with a team of 18 doctors and nurses on standby to provide the finest care available. The quintuplets were delivered safely, despite being 14 weeks early and ranging in weight from just 1lb 13oz to 2lb 2oz. Each baby had one doctor and two nurses assigned to her, and within days they were all breathing by themselves. The babies were whisked into intensive care, and the day after their birth they were separated because so much specialist equipment was needed to care for them.
Dimitri said at the time: ‘They are so small, but very strong. They are little Fɪɢʜᴛᴇʀs.’ After four months of treatment here, the family returned home to the outskirts of Moscow in March 2008 to begin their new life together.It was a gamble that paid off in spectacular style – and a story that captured British hearts. Not only did the medical team defy all expectations by delivering the five girls safely, the quintuplets went on to thrive under its dedicated care.
Just over seven years since their remarkable birth, the girls – Elizaveta, Alexandra, Nadezhda, Tatiana and Varvara Artamkin – have returned to Britain from their home in Moscow to pay a touching tribute to the doctors and nurses who pulled off the modern miracle.
