New Jersey Couple Welcomes Quadruplets Without Fertility Treatment in One-in-700,000 Pregnancy

Aja Kennon and Emmanuel Volmar had quadruplets on July 1, 2024, at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. No fertility drugs were used. The birth was a one-in-700,000 event, according to Dr. Claudine Sylvester, who runs the hospital’s women’s health clinic.

Kennon learned she carried four babies during several ultrasounds. Her first scan showed two heads on the monitor. Then came a follow-up at the medical center. It revealed a fourth baby — a girl with three boys.

“It got to the point where it was like, ‘Don’t find anything else!’” said Kennon to NJ Monthly.

Sylvester has worked at the hospital for almost 30 years. She can’t think of another case where quadruplets happened on their own during that time. The hospital gathered teams from maternal-fetal medicine, the operating room, anesthesiology, women’s health and the neonatal intensive care unit to get ready. This was a high-risk delivery.

Doctors wanted delivery at 34 weeks if Kennon’s body could manage it. She hit that mark. Sylvester called it “a huge success.” Full term runs from 37 to 40 weeks.

Kennon worked as a city carrier assistant at the U.S. Postal Service and delivered mail until one month before the cesarean section. Volmar drives trucks. He was mid-jog when his fiancée called with news of the fourth baby.

“My heart was already racing, adrenaline rushing,” he said to NJ Monthly. “It was just a whole lot at one time. But it’s a blessing.”

The operation involved at least two nurses per baby, plus extra staff for Kennon. The anesthesia department got ready for possible problems. Doctors and technicians practiced the procedure beforehand.

The C-section went well. Kennon received spinal anesthesia and stayed awake during the entire operation. All four babies came out in three minutes.

Ean arrived first. His identical twin Evan came next. Alayha followed, then Eamon.

“They all came out crying, and breathing on their own, which is wonderful,” said Dr. Joanne Bishara, who directs the hospital’s neonatology department. Four separate teams attended to each newborn — a respiratory therapist, a nurse, a mid-level provider, and a neonatologist on each team.

The infants needed some extra oxygen but none required intubation or ventilatory support. Each spent time in the NICU before going home. Eamon left after eight days. Ean left after 11. Evan left after 14, and Alayha after 18.

The couple’s older son, EJ, is 9. He has taken on his job as big brother. He checks on the quadruplets when they cry and helps with bottles and diaper changes.

The family of seven now lives together. People in the community have pitched in with diapers, wipes and money. A GoFundMe account was set up at gofundme.com/VolmarQuadSquad.

Kennon and Volmar got engaged in November 2023. They plan to wait until the quadruplets can walk down the aisle before setting a wedding date.

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