They spent eight years battling infertility before eventually conceiving – quadruplets.
Now, Ashley and Tyson Gardner have brought home the last of their four daughters from hospital.
In a series of heartwarming photos, the new parents captured the moment they carried baby Indie out of the neonatal intensive care unit in Utah where she has spent the first two months of her life.
In one of the images, Ashley is pictured beaming in a denim jacket and a black-and-white dress as she and Tyson hold a car seat carrying their daughter, who weighs just over 4lbs, on Saturday.
Delighted: Ashley and Tyson Gardner have brought home the last of their four daughters from hospital. Above, the couple are pictured beaming as they hold a car seat carrying tiny Indie Mae, who weighs just over 4lbs
Emotional: The couple – who spent eight years battling infertility before conceiving quadruplets – embrace in the neonatal intensive care unit at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center shortly before taking Indie home
Home at last: The Gardners posted the above pictures to their dedicated Facebook page on Saturday, telling their 420,000 followers: ‘BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES! INDIE MAE IS HOME! Our whole family is home together!’
In others, the Gardners – who welcomed their quadruplets into the world on December 28 following IVF – are seen cuddling each other and posing with nurse Destiny Avery and Dr Stephen Minton.
Once home, the couple posted the pictures to their dedicated Facebook page, telling their 420,000 followers: ‘BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES! INDIE MAE IS HOME! Our whole family is home together!’
They added: ‘The emotional roller coaster has been fun but we are ready to be home together for the next roller coaster ride!!! We feel so blessed that this has turned out so perfectly! We are going to take the rest of this weekend off social media and bond together as a whole family!’
Indie, who was struggling to feed in the NICU less than a week ago, has now joined her identical twin sister, Esme, and twins Scarlett and Evangeline, at the Gardners’ home in Pleasant Grove.
Reunited: Indie (pictured, far left, in a previous Facebook photo) has now joined her identical twin sister, Esme (far right), and twins Scarlett (second right) and Evangeline, at the Gardners’ home in Pleasant Grove, Utah
Thankful: And they uploaded an image with nurse Destiny Avery, who helped look after their four daughters
Ashley and Tyson brought the first of their daughters – Evangeline – home on February 16. At one point during her first night away from hospital, the little girl slept for a full four hours straight.
Four days later, the couple were allowed to take home Scarlett and Esme. The following day, they revealed on the Facebook page that their first night with three babies was ‘tiring, but worth it’.
It is yet to be seen how Ashley and Tyson will cope with all of their four daughters at home, without the round-the-clock care that the babies had at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo.
As they have done throughout their journey, the couple are looking to their faith to stay strong.
In Saturday’s Facebook post, they said: ‘We feel so blessed that this has turned out so perfectly! We know our Father in Heaven is watching over us and has guided us, the babies and the doctors.
First of four: Ashley and Tyson brought the first of their daughters – Evangeline (pictured) – home on February 16. At one point during her first night away from hospital, the little girl slept for a full four hours straight
Parenthood is a breeze! In a post in February, Ashley wrote their daughter had a peaceful first night at home
They added: ‘The doctors are the first to admit that this has been a true miracle in everyone’s eye and they babies statistically should not have done this well! (sic)’
Indeed, the quadruplets birth was a one-in-70 million chance. The Gardners had spent eight years trying to conceive when they underwent their first – successful – round of in vitro fertilization.
The couple hit the headlines last October after Ashley’s priceless reaction to discovering she was pregnant with quadruplets was caught on video and posted online, where it quickly went viral.
Footage showed Ashley gazing open-mouthed at the screen, before placing her hand on her forehead and breathing out. She then started laughing hysterically alongside her husband.
The couple went on to become a national sensation, documenting their pregnancy on social media.
Second and third: On February 20, the couple were allowed to take home Scarlett and Esme (pictured). The following day, they revealed on Facebook that their first night with three babies was ‘tiring, but worth it’
Hitting the headlines: The couple hit the headlines last October after Ashley’s priceless reaction (pictured) to discovering she was pregnant with quadruplets was caught on video and posted online, where it went viral.
Unlikely: Ashley says the chances of her conceiving the four girls – and them surviving – is 70million-to-one
‘People identify with our story. There are hundreds, thousands of people that struggle with infertility,’ Tyson told Deseret News earlier this year, adding: ‘Our story’s a story of hope.’
On December 28, Ashley gave birth to their four daughters via C-section. The girl’s weights at birth were 1lb 13oz (Indie), 2lbs 9oz (Esme), 2lbs 6oz (Scarlett) and 2 lbs 10oz (Evangeline).
The quadruplets’ survival was deemed a ‘miracle’ after emergency surgery was needed to stop contractions when Ashley was around 20 weeks pregnant.
The couple were forced to fly to a specialist center at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, where Ashley was admitted for surgery in late October
Doctors managed to stave off the earlier delivery after an intense operation, which allowed the unborn babies vital extra weeks to bolster their chances of survival.
A few days ago: On Tuesday, Ashley wrote on the social networking site that she wished she could take Indie home soon. ‘Sitting here at the NICU holding my Indie girl! She seems very restless tonight,’ she wrote
Heartbroken: She added: ‘She must know that all her sisters are gone. She settled right down after snuggling in with mommy! It breaks my heart that she is still here at the NICU! I want to bring her home so badly!’
Tyson said doctors told his wife she needed immediate surgery after it appeared her cervix had started to open and she could be going into early labor.
Incredibly, surgeons also managed to cure two of the girls of their twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which could have resulted in developmental problems.
Doctors made the decision to deliver the babies by C-section after Ashley started experiencing contractions a few weeks early in December.
Shortly after the birth, Ashley took to Facebook to express her delight at her four tiny bundles of joy, writing: ‘They are simply perfect! My heart is so full! And to think, I almost gave up before doing IVF.
Getting into the festive spirit: The Gardners posted this picture online before the birth of their girls, writing: ‘Santa let the elves take over for a bit today so he could come visit us in the hospital!! #happy29weeks’
Proud new father: Tyson later posted this image: ‘Moms saying Hello to Esme! Incredible day! God is real’
‘I felt so broken and didn’t feel I could take any more! I gathered the courage to try once again and look! To you I say never give up on your dreams! You never know when they will come true!’
On Tuesday, Ashley wrote on the social networking site that she wished she could take Indie home soon. ‘Sitting here at the NICU holding my Indie girl! She seems very restless tonight,’ she wrote.
‘She must know that all her sisters are gone. She settled right down after snuggling in with mommy! It breaks my heart that she is still here at the NICU! I want to bring her home so badly!’
Thanks to the efforts of Indie’s doctors and nurses, her wish has now come true.