A second set of quintuplets is born in Mississippi in less than two years. What are the odds?

When Ashley Meyers received the surprise of a positive pregnancy test, she had no idea just how big a surprise it would become. On July 5, Ashley and her husband Tyler Meyers welcomed quintuplets, two boys and three girls.

The extremely rare birth marks the second delivery of quintuplets at the University of Mississippi Medical Center within two years.

The couple lives in Laurel, but for the past month Ashley has lived in the Jackson hospital as she and a team of professionals at UMMC navigated this rare, high-risk pregnancy.

The odds of spontaneous quintuplets are about one in 60 million.

The five babies were born at 27 weeks, about 13 weeks early. All were delivered by caesarian section. Franklin Walker was born first at 1:23 p.m., weighing one pound, 14.7 ounces. Carter James came second at 1:26 p.m., weighing two pounds, .8 ounces. Then came the three girls. Saylor Kate was born at 1:28 p.m. weighing one pound, 11.9 ounces. Allie Ray was born at 1:30 p.m. weighing one pound, 12.6 ounces. Finally, Nova Mae was born at 1:31 p.m. weighing one pound, 13.6 ounces.

The five newborns make a total of seven children — all under four years old — for Ashley and Tyler. The couple, married for seven years, are also parents to daughters Paisleigh, 3, and Westlynn, 2. Ashley, a phlebotomist, and Tyler, a mechanic, had recently moved into a new home when they got the news.

Ashley said during a UMMC press conference Wednesday afternoon, five days after giving birth, that the entire journey has been a whirlwind. She called the journey an "emotional roller coaster," and said her and Tyler could not have navigated the pregnancy without the UMMC team.

A trip to the dollar store to get cough medicine turned into a surprising discovery. Ashley, recovering from bronchitis, picked up a pregnancy test along with the cough medicine, realizing at that time her period was a day late. The test was positive.

When Ashley went for a confirmation ultrasound, she and her doctor discovered two little dots. She was having twins. But, something was telling her to go back and get another ultrasound. This time, there were four dots. Then, at an ultrasound at eight weeks, the fifth fetus showed up on the monitor.

"It was five. It was five at this point. I'm like, how did we go from two to five? That's a lot of babies," Ashley joked.

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Both Ashley and Tyler said they feel blessed with the five new additions to their family.

"From finding out that there was more than one to now that we see all five babies and they're all doing well...I'm telling you, I couldn't be more blessed with how good they are doing," Ashley said. "They're here, and we're just going to love on them and raise them and do everything we can."

During Wednesday's press conference, Dr. Mobolaji Famuyide, chief of the Division of Newborn Medicine, said all five babies are doing as well as expected for a birth at 27 weeks. Right now, the babies all have feeding tubes as well as pressure added in the nose to assist in breathing and keeping their lungs open.

"The future is bright," Famuyide said.

The team assisting Ashley in her birth included about 30 specialists. Dr. Rachael Morris, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, said during Wednesday's press conference she is humbled to be a part of the team that brought the five newborns into the world.

"Ashley and Tyler came in with bright eyes and tears and fears," Morris said. "And as a provider in such a setting, it is incredibly humbling to be in charge of such a huge team."

The Meyers quintuplets come just over a year and a half after another set of quintuplets was born at UMMC. In early 2023, Purvis residents Haylee and Shawn Ladner welcomed four girls and one boy. The Ladner's birth was the first time since 2014 that UMMC saw the delivery of quintuplets.

Read more on the Ladner quintuplets: Mississippi quintuplets, mom, faring well after exceedingly rare birth at UMMC

Morris also worked with the Ladner family during their pregnancy and birth. In Wednesday's press conference, Morris said she was completely shocked when she got the call about a second set of quintuplets in less than two years.

Morris said with fertility science advancing in recent years, births with multiple babies are increasing, but Ashley's case is even more rare because it was a spontaneous pregnancy.

During Wednesday's conference, Famuyide said she believes a higher power always aligns life events the way they are meant to happen. She said Ashley and Tyler's case is an example of this belief. Famuyide praised her team of nurses.

"They did all the heavy lifting," Famuyide said. "Mine was just to be there, moving the ship here and there, but they did the heavy lifting."

Ashley went into labor on the evening of July 4. In the early morning hours of July 5, a team of nurses and specialists moved eight different babies, ventilators and all, to a different building in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in order to make room for Ashley's babies. Each baby required a team of four — a neonatologist, two nurses and a respiratory therapist — to ensure a safe transport.

The word "miraculous" was used several times during the press conference.

In the years before welcoming her five new babies, Ashley suffered multiple miscarriages. Morris said the day she met the couple, Ashley told her, "Everything happens the way it's supposed to. I had some miscarriages, and now I'm getting my babies back."

Morris praised Ashley for her strength during the entire journey.

"To carry five and not complain and to keep the spirit...that is what got us to 27 weeks," Morris said. "And we are so thankful for her and her ability to just not complain, go with the flow, face every challenge with a smile and a positive attitude and to do whatever it was that we asked of her to try and get to where we could give these babies a great chance at life."

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Quintuplets born at UMMC in Mississippi