This Mississippi mom thought she was having twins. It was quintuplets

A couple in Laurel, Mississippi, got the shock of a lifetime when they found out they are expecting quintuplets.

Quintuplets occur in roughly one in 60 million births, according to Dr. Rachael Morris, an associate professor of maternal fetal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Ashley and Tyler Meyers already have two toddlers; soon they will have seven under age 3.

In January, Ashley Meyers was picking up cough syrup when she realized her period was a day late. The mom of daughters Paisleigh, 3, and Westlynn, 2, decided to throw a pregnancy test into her cart just to be safe, because some medications are harmful when taken during pregnancy.

“Not only was the test positive, the line was darker than I’ve ever seen in my life,” Ashley tells TODAY.com.

Ashley, 26, a phlebotomist, and her husband Tyler, 28, a mechanic, had just moved into a new home and were not trying for another child.

Her first look at the babies was a non-diagnostic ultrasound, also known as a "keepsake ultrasound," at a non-medical facility.

Preliminary blood work had indicted they might have twins, so neither were shocked when two sacs appeared on the screen.

“My first thought was ‘OK. We can handle this,’” Ashley says, noting that Paisleigh and Westlynn are just 16 months apart.

Two weeks later, Ashley's OB-GYN introduced a major plot twist. The Meyers weren't having twins — they were having quintuplets, two boys and three girls. Suddenly, "We can handle this" turned to sheer panic.

“I was in complete shock,” Meyers says. “I don’t think my husband and I talked to people for two weeks. We just went silent. Five is a lot of babies."

"I was like, 'How are we going to do this?'" Tyler, 28, tells TODAY.com. "But you just need to leave it up to God. He is not going to put you in a situation that you can't handle."

Quintuplets occur in roughly one in 60 million births, according to Dr. Rachael Morris, an associate professor of maternal fetal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Ashley is now 25 weeks along in her pregnancy and on bed rest at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson until she gives birth. Haylee and Shawn Ladner welcomed quintuplets at the same hospital in 2023. Tyler says the Ladners have been giving them "good pointers on what to expect."

“My doctors are hoping we’ll make it to 34 weeks, because the longer they’re in, the better,” Meyers shares. “I’ve been coloring and watching some TV and catching up on all the stuff I haven’t been able to do because I worked full-time before this.”

Tyler, who is home holding down the fort, says he has a "whole new respect" for his wife.

"Taking care of little kids after a long day at work is harder than I thought it would be!" he says.

The Meyers family, who have a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses and baby essentials, have been inundated with support.

“I love our community,” Ashley says. “Complete strangers have blessed us with kindness. People have to come to help clean and wash dishes and get the rooms ready. When big stuff happens, we rally around each other. When everyone’s got your back it doesn’t feel so scary.”

Ashley also has the support of moms in the higher-order multiples community. Here is some of the advice they shared with TODAY:

• “To Ashley and any mom expecting multiples, my number one advice is to make the best of the experience — especially the NICU journey, which is inevitable and often challenging when you have higher-order multiples. Schedule photoshoots, read them books, allow visitors, hold them as much as possible and make it a point to be as present and involved with their care as possible” Raquel Tolver (mom of 1-year-old quadruplets.)

• “Believe in yourself. There will be days it feels too hard or you doubt if you can do this, but you were made for this” Ashley Crandell (mom of 2-year-old quadruplets.)

• “Soak every second in —the highs and the lows — because while it is so unique and very crazy, it is your journey and it goes by so fast” Hanna Castle (mom of 2-year-old quadruplets)

• “Best advice I can give is, “Don’t lose yourself, so that you can be the best for your babies. The second thing is find a system and organization that works for you and your babies and don’t be ashamed to take all the help you can get." Heather Langley (mom of 3-year-old quintuplets.)

This article was originally published on TODAY.com