A heartbroken woman who lost four children is now mom to rare identical quadruplets that she conceived naturally.
Karissa Vancamp-Smith, 34, and her husband, Dillon, 32, discovered they were expecting in December 2021.
They were shocked when the sonographer revealed they were having quads at a private six-week scan after a miscarriage, a stillbirth, and two infant deaths.
It wasn’t until Karissa gave birth at 29 weeks and three days that they learned the quads were identical.
The babies, Zackariah Dever, 2 pounds 15 ounces; Lincoln Jesse, 2 pounds 6 ounces; Ian Shane, 2 pounds 6 ounces; and Daniel Robert, 2 pounds, were born via a C-section on June 17, 2022, and were all home seven weeks later.
“I had a wonderful pregnancy, but after developing preeclampsia, medics decided to deliver them early,” said Karissa, a pediatric nurse from Phelps, New York.
“After my previous miscarriages, I knew I wouldn’t cope if I lost another.
“Finding out we were having quads was a huge shock, but it almost felt like fate.”
Karissa and Dillon, a mechanic, were “hesitant” to try to have another baby after a miscarriage, a stillbirth, and two infant deaths over eight years.
The mom of six lost her first set of twins, Lucas and Ryan, in July 2014, after going into preterm labor at 20 weeks.
“Lucas was stillborn, and Ryan lived for seven minutes — it hit us hard,” Karissa said.
“We held a private funeral and planted memorial trees for them in our garden.
“Dillon and I always wanted children, but we gave ourselves time to grieve before trying again.”
Heartbroken but desperate for a baby, the couple of 10 years, tried again four months later — and Karissa got pregnant straight away.
She gave birth to Tyler, who weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces, at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo on May 30, 2015.
“When Tyler came along, healthy and happy, we were overjoyed,” she said of her son, now 8.
In June 2017, Karissa got pregnant with twins again, but at 23 weeks and three days, she had silent preterm labor on November 7, 2017, leading to the birth of Elijah and Colton via C-section.
Elijah died 12 days later from necrotizing pneumonia (NP) — a rare but severe lung condition.
“I didn’t have any signs I was going into labor, but I knew something wasn’t right,” Karissa said.
“Colton was up to his hips in my birth canal and I had to deliver them right away.
“Three days after they were born, we found out Colton had a grade four bleed on his brain and he had a 10% chance of survival, but we chose to fight for him.
“By day 12, Elijah had caught an infection, but it was too late to save him — my heart shattered.”
Colton, now 6, spent 132 days in the hospital and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in November 2019.
“The first year of Colton’s life, we were in and out of the hospital because his immune system was nonexistent,” Karissa said.
“It took a while for us to adjust to life with a special needs child, but he’s our little fighter — we’re proud of him.
“It was during this time that I found out I had an incompetent cervix, so I had surgery to avoid preterm labor again.
Two years after the birth of Colton, in August 2019, Karissa got pregnant again with Willa Grace but lost her at 14 weeks after her heart stopped beating.
“We were completely broken,” she said.
“At this point, I had lost four babies and I couldn’t go through this pain again.”
In October 2021, Karissa felt ready to try again and was pregnant two months later — an early scan revealed she was having quads.
“Immediately two babies popped up on the screen, and then a third baby came, and then a fourth,” she said.
“We were speechless.”
Karissa managed to carry the quadruplets until 29 weeks and three days, until preeclampsia forced medics to deliver them on June 17, 2022, at Strong Memorial Hospital.
“Given my history, I made sure every pain or ache I had was checked by a doctor,” she said.
“I was dehydrated and my blood pressure was through the roof so I stayed in hospital for 10 days before the boys had to come out.
“I was terrified, but I tried to stay calm for my babies.
“We had no idea they were identical until a doctor noticed their similarity and the single placenta.
“They were healthy but stayed in the hospital due to prematurity.”
Seven weeks later, Karrisa and Dillon took their quads home, and now they are looking forward to celebrating their second birthday.
“A lot had to change — I had to give up full-time work, and nights have been sleepless,” the mom said.
“My house is very noisy as each of my boys has a mind of their own, and I’m up to my eyeballs in laundry.
“They are almost two now and have grown into individual personalities despite being similar in many ways.
“Tyler and Colton love being big brothers — they’re obsessed with them.
“We have memorial trees for Lucas, Ryan, Elijah, and Willa Grace, and we’ll keep their memories alive.
“Although it’s tough to accept I’ve lost four babies, I’m thankful to have six beautiful boys.”
