UK alumni Katie and Lucas Schaftlein welcomed five babies into their family on Nov. 11. 

The Schaftleins knew that they wanted to have children, but when Katie had trouble getting pregnant naturally, she began using fertility treatments. The couple said they were ecstatic when they found out the news that they were expecting. Katie had some blood work done to confirm the pregnancy. Her blood work showed high levels of HCG, which typically indicates cases of multiple babies. Because of this, Katie had her first ultrasound when she was only four weeks pregnant.

“When we went in for the first ultrasound there were four that they had seen, and then we went the next week and we found five,” Katie said in a press conference. “I mean we were excited, but we were praying that the next ultrasound we didn’t find six.”

Related: Unlocking FERPA

As soon as the quintuplet pregnancy was confirmed, medical preparations began. The Schaftlein’s met with several specialists at UK HealthCare and neonatologists at Kentucky Children’s Hospital. With the help of friends, family and several doctors, the couple created a plan for what was to happen when Katie got closer to her projected delivery date. Until then, she and Lucas prepared their home for their five children.

Katie was admitted to the hospital in September, when she was 23 weeks pregnant. Once she was admitted, the plans they had made early on in her pregnancy were put into motion. 

Around six weeks after Katie was admitted to the hospital, Sadie, Sofia, Scarlett, Savannah and Lucas were welcomed to the world just before midnight on Friday, Nov. 11 at 29 weeks old. Sadie, the smallest, weighed 1.96 pounds, and Scarlett, the largest, weighed about 2.4 pounds. 

Related: Kentucky wins Big Blue Crush blood drive

Katie began to get emotional when explaining that her four girls and one boy share the same birthday as her.

“Well, I mean, obviously it’s special to have them on my birthday, but I think that the most special part was that they were born healthy,” Katie said in a press conference. “Any day that happened would have been really special.”

In the whirlwind of excitement they’ve had, the Schaftlein’s are just happy that their family is safe and healthy.