One Week After Receiving Triplets, A Doctor Handed This Couple Life-Altering News
Just a few years into their happy marriage, Sarah and Andrew Justice realized they needed something else. They desperately wanted a family, knowing deep inside they would make great parents. Soon, the Justices decided to expand their family. However, just one week after receiving the blessing of a set of triplets, the family received a call from their doctor. During the call, he revealed some life-altering news.
Suddenly, the Justices’ journey to start a family got a lot more complicated. Along the way, they faced many hurdles and challenges, each testing their desire to become parents. Read on to discover if, at the end of their journey, all their efforts and perseverance finally paid off…
1. A Happy Marriage
Sarah and Andrew Justice are a picture-perfect couple from Tulsa, Oklahoma. At first, the couple felt as though they had a perfect life. The first few years of marriage went exactly as you’d expect: they fell in love deeper and established a life together. However, eventually, they wanted something more out of life. Like most couples who have been married for years, they felt like it was time to share their love with another human being by expanding the family.
Of course, the Justices’ started by evaluating their life. Were they ready to raise a child? After talking, though, the Justices’ felt prepared to bring a new life into the world. Unfortunately, fate had a very different plan for the couple.
2. Not As Easy As It Sounds
Soon after deciding to bring another life into the world, the Justices began trying to get pregnant. However, they found it impossible. They tried, time and time again, but the tests always came back negative. Another three years passed, and still no luck! The Justices never realized who hard it would be to start a family.
After three years of trying and failing, the couple started to wonder if they needed help. Maybe the cause of the problem, and therefore the solution, hid inside their bodies. Still, they resisted the idea of outside help. Soon, their relationship started to deteriorate little by little…
3. The Couple’s Struggles
So many years of trying for a child began to take its toll on Sarah and Andrew Justice. Every time the test came back negative, the couple felt a bit more stress mount. Furthermore, they had no idea what caused the problem. Soon, they felt their beautiful marriage could be in jeopardy.
Finally, after nearly four years of trying, the Justices began to look for outside help to their problem. To dissolve any tension, and quickly determine a remedy, the couple decided to pay a visit to a fertility doctor. Unfortunately, a significant hurdle stood between the Justices and the care they so desperately needed…
4. Let’s Go On A Road Trip
For the health of their marriage, Sarah and Andrew Justice decided to seek out a fertility doctor. Not only would a doctor determine the problem, but they could also help devise a solution. Afterward, the Justices could finally begin to create the family they always dreamed of having.
Unfortunately, the Justices soon faced yet another problem: they could not find a good fertility specialist in their hometown, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The next best bet they could find was a doctor in St. Louis, Missouri, roughly six hours away. Despite the huge inconvenience the distance created, they decided it a small price to pay for the chance at the greatest gift in life.
5. Anything Would Stay on The Way
Still determined to have a child of their own, the Justices traveled across state lines to Missouri. However, as they got closer to the date of their appointment, they knew they made the right choice. The Justices later said they would have driven any distance for the chance to start a family of their own.
In 2014, the Justices traveled from their home in Tulsa to the big city of St. Louis. While the six-hour, marathon drive left Sarah and Andrew exhausted, they couldn’t help but feel excited. After all, they had finally taken destiny into their own hands! Then, hours of driving, the Justices’ arrived at the fertility specialist’s office. Now, they could finally find a solution to their years-old problem.
6. Fixing The Issue By Themselves
Once they arrived in St. Louis, the Justices’ visit to the fertility doctor started as most do. Both Sarah and Andrew underwent fertility tests; soon, their results were sent to the lab to be analyzed. The Justices felt confident the doctor would determine the source of the issue. However, they didn’t know if there would be a solution to their problems. After all, some fertility problems are unfixable.
The Justices believed everything would turn out for their best interest and soon, they were going to be expecting their first child. Still, the Justices felt in their hearts that everything would turn out for the best, and they’d start a family. Unfortunately, when the results came back, they did not contain the answers Sarah and Andrew wanted.
7. Bad News
The results from the fertility clinic broke Sarah and Andrew Justice’s hearts. They learned that Sarah’s chances of conceiving, were, unfortunately, nearly nonexistent. Sadly, the bad news kept coming: the first round of treatment failed almost immediately. This meant that Sarah could likely never have a child.
Regardless of the devastating news, the Justices did not give up on their dreams to have a family. Sarah and Andrew decided they would not stop trying to have a child until all they exhausted all their options. Thankfully, the fertility doctor had some other options to discuss with the hopeful couple. And they were all ears!
8. In Vitro Fertilization
Sarah and Andrew Justice asked the doctor about their other options. Namely, they wanted to know if they could use in-vitro fertilization as a way to conceive. Their doctor said yes, but with some caveats. First, he explained that in vitro fertilization is a very invasive, and therefore dangerous, process. Sarah would need to undergo months of hormones treatment before doctors could harvest her eggs.
Second, Sarah’s chances of getting pregnant would still remain very low. In fact, the best they could hope for was a ten percent chance of the process working. Unfortunately, all of the odds were against them. And that didn’t even begin to cover the costs of this method…
9. High Costs
For the Justices’ the bad news just kept coming. In addition to in vitro being extremely invasive, it is also incredibly expensive. The process can cost anywhere from $12,000 to $15,000, for just a basic procedure. That’s a huge risk for most people, including the Justices, especially if there is a great chance that it won’t work.
Worse still, their health insurances did not cover this type of procedure. So, the Justices needed to pay at least $15,000 out of their pockets. However, for most couples, it takes multiple IVFs to conceive. Most can expect to spend around $60,000 if they want to conceive a baby through IVF. “We took that as a ‘no,’” Andy told Tulsa World.
The high cost plus the slim chances made the Justice consider one last option…
10. Adoption Becomes A Reality
The Justices knew, deeply, that they would make wonderful parents. After several years of failed attempts, coupled with the horrible news from the fertility doctor, the couple began to consider their next best option: adoption.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the adoption process, it’s likely no surprise that it’s far from simple. It begins with a lengthy application process that includes vetting their personal lives, the living situation, among other things. Then, they need to find the right fit, in terms of a child. It can take years! However, determined to become parents, the Justices began the process. And, after months of home study and more than one nerve-wracking interview, they completed their application process.
11. Parenthood Knocks
After finishing the intense adoption process, the Justices felt drained. Worse still, they didn’t hear anything for months. Then, just when they felt like giving up, the couple finally got some good news. One woman had chosen them to adopt her baby!
Finally, their prayers had been answered! After all this time, they would finally begin to raise the family of their dreams. As always, the Justices remained helpful and positive, supporting the mother-to-be through every step of her pregnancy. However, once again, the Justices would receive bad news…
12. Heartbreaking News
For months, everything went well. However, in the final month of her pregnancy, the mother-to-be delivered some terrible news: she had decided to keep the baby. When they first heard the news, the Justices felt heartbroken. How many times could they try to start a family and fail? Still, the desire to raise a family burned within them, and the fighters did not give up.
The Justices desire to become parents only grew stronger after they picked themselves up. Furthermore, not everything was lost. Sarah and Andrew had tons of experience that they could continue to build upon. So, the couple contacted the adoption agency once again, letting them know they were ready to move on.
13. Moving Forward
Unfortunately, the Justices needed to go through another round of interviews with another birth mother. But they felt like this time was different, something inside them told them that this time would pan out. Then, as if confirming their feelings, the second birth mother picked them to take her child.
All the same feelings of joy and happiness flooded the Justices once again. Looking back, they should have been more careful. During the last month, the second birth mother also decided to keep her baby. For the Justices, it felt like that, for every step forward, they took four back.
14. A Heartless Joke
Just like the first pregnancy, Sarah and Andrew Justice had stayed with the birth mother every step of the way. When she backed out, it hit the couple like a cruel, heartless joke. Of course, the Justices needed to respect the mother’s decision. After all, they could completely understand the desire to keep a child.
However, that didn’t mean they weren’t heartbroken, especially considering the long wait they endured. At this point, the Justices decided to throw the towel. After all this time, it just seemed like they weren’t supposed to have a child. However, soon after the birth mother backed out, they received a surprising phone call. One last chance presented itself…
15. A Life-Changing Phone Call
After the two birth mothers backed out at the last minute, it’s understandable the Justices were discouraged. “It was very hard to get our hopes up like that and then be disappointed and have to start all over,” Sarah said in an interview.
However, not for the last time, the couple received some incredible news from a phone call. The agency called to let them know that another mother-to-be wanted them to take her unborn baby. Of course, the Justices felt afraid. However, not only is the third time the charm, they thought, but the pregnant woman was further along than others. To them, that meant she was more serious about her commitment to adoption.
16. Time To Meet The Baby
After meeting the birth mother, the Justices began their third, and they hoped final, adoption process. The mother even invited the Justices to her first ultrasound. Neither of the other two birth mothers had ever invited them to an ultrasound, so the couples took it as a sign. This time, everything would be different.
On their way to meet their baby for the first time, the Justices couldn’t feel anything but happiness. They arrived at the doctor’s appointment, and everything started normally. However, the doctor soon picked up something strange on the ultrasound. It seemed as though this birth mother did have something up her sleeve, after all…
17. Not Just One: Triplets!
While the doctor scanned the birth mother’s womb, he noticed something out of the ordinary. At first, the doctor looked for a heartbeat, as usual. Except he didn’t find one heartbeat, he found three! As it turns out, the birth mother was expecting triplets!
“[It was] everything we wanted,” Sara later told Tulsa World. After years of trying and failing, the Justices’ hopes and dreams finally came true. Not only that, but they’d be jump-starting their family with triplets, not just a single child! So, they began getting ready for the big day. And there was a lot to prepare!
18. Three Babies In One Go
The Justices could not believe that they would receive not just one child, but triplets! Regardless of the challenges facing them, the Justices felt that they had finally received the blessing they so desperately needed. Sure, they needed to endure the wait and a lifetime of being tired awaited them. However, this all paled in comparison to becoming parents!
After finding out about the triplets, Sarah and Andrew Justice got hard to work. They bought more cribs and triple the supplies they originally had. Afterward, all the could do was wait. Then, before they knew it, the day arrived…
19. Labor Came Early
You may not know, but mothers carrying multiple babies tend to deliver sooner than those carrying just one child. So, it didn’t surprise the Justices much that their mother-to-be went into labor a few weeks early. As soon as they heard, they rushed to the hospital. There, they anxiously waited to meet their bundles of joy.
At the end of a long and hard labor, the triplets, each weighing roughly three pounds, came into the world. Soon, the Justices gave their new children each a name: Hannah, Joel, and Elizabeth. However, since the babies were still premature, they could not take them home immediately. They’d need to wait just a little bit longer…
20. Triplets’ Special Care
Like most premature newborns, the triplets needed to stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a few weeks until they grew big enough to tolerate the real-world environment. While this alarmed the parents, the doctors assured them that everything would turn out fine.
Meanwhile, the triplets went through rapid development, growing bigger and stronger every day. The Justices went to visit their children at the hospital each day, patiently waiting until they could bring the triplets home. Then, one morning, Sarah started to feel very nauseous. However, she assumed it was tiredness from everything they had gone through the past few days. Still, to be safe, Sarah took a visit to the doctor.
21. A Visit To The Doctor
Just a week after the triplets’ birth, Sarah started to feel constant nausea. Worried about her, Andrew Justice suggested they went on a doctor’s appointment to check on Sarah’s wellbeing. Not only did they want to make sure that Sarah remained healthy, but they also wanted to keep their home disease-free for the newborn triplets. So, Sarah made an appointment with her regular doctor.
At the doctor’s office, Sarah went through an extensive examination to find out if she was healthy. However, when the doctor came back with the results, the Justices could hardly believe what their family doctor told them…
22. Unexpected Surprises
After conducting a few tests, the doctor came in with the answer as to why Sarah had felt so sick recently. He told the Justices that Sarah didn’t have a bug. Instead, she was experiencing symptoms of pregnancy. Yes, that’s right! Sarah was expecting a baby!
At first, the Justices simply could not believe what they heard. After all, the fertility doctor had told them the chances of Sarah becoming pregnant essentially did not exist. Plus, they had tried for years without any results. Perhaps strangest of all, they had literally just adopted triplets less than a week ago! Despite the challenge of raising three babies while pregnant, the Justices faced the task head on. However, the blessings did not end there…
23. It’s Twins!
After years of unsuccessful fertility treatments, the Justices had given up on the idea of conceiving naturally a long time ago. So, as you can imagine, the news about Sarah’s pregnancy left everyone speechless. However, another surprise hid right around the corner…
During the same appointment, the doctor also revealed that Sarah would have twins. Once again, multiple babies appeared instead of one! “I was shocked, and a bit overwhelmed because I got to thinking, added it up and I’m like, wow, if they go to term, we’re about [to have] five babies in eight months,” Sarah said after receiving the news.
24. Family is Growing Quickly
Many couples might feel stress just thinking about raising five babies under the age of one at the same time. However, the Justices’ simply felt excited! Sarah said: “it was something [they’ve] been dreaming of and longing for years.”
The Justice found the humor in the situation and took on the challenge with no reservations. “It was more than a little ironic,” said Andrew in an interview. They had no questions about keeping the triplets, however. “Having a number of children is a dream come true. When you wait for something, you appreciate it that much more when you get it,” Sarah later said. Without them knowing, there was one more surprise fate had prepared for them.
25. Welcome Andrew Justice Jr. and Abigail Justice
Before the Justices knew it, the time came for Sarah to give birth! Just nine months after the triplets came into their lives, the Justices were set to welcome two more children into their family. Thankfully, the triplets had turned the parents into newborn experts. So, when they went to the hospital, all they worried about was the labor…
However, the labor went smoothly, even if it did take some. And, in the end, Sarah gave birth to two beautiful children. The coupled welcomed Abigail and Andrew to their growing family. Despite the tremendous adjustment five babies living under the same roof meant for the couple, they couldn’t feel happier and full of joy. Luckily for them, there were lots of helping hands willing to step in and help.
26. Tulsa Steps Up
As happy as they were to have triplets and twins at the same time, the Justices barely had time to do anything else. Sure, the parenting went smoothly, and Sarah and Andrew slowly began adjusting to their new life as parents. However, the couple couldn’t get a bit of shut-eye. “We don’t sit down much either,” Andy confessed to the Tulsa World.
Thankfully, the Justices never felt alone. A huge community came up and helped Sarah and Andrew when they felt like they just couldn’t do it all alone. The Tulsa community frequently stepped in to offer help and support to the new parents. From Cooked meals to baby formula, the new family of seven received many donations from the Tulsa’s Eastland Baptist Church.
27. Friends And Family Come To The Rescue
Friends and family also came to the rescue when the Justice family needed it. They helped by taking babysitting shifts so Sarah and Andrew could get some rest and go to work. The Justices truly appreciated everyone’s effort to help out with the five babies. However, the help didn’t stop there. In fact, it just kept coming, especially after Tulsa World got their story out.
Many more donations poured in from all over Oklahoma, which was great news for the Justices who were going through at least 80 bottles and over 300 diapers within just a week. Moreover, when you have five babies in the household, some things have to change. The Justices started to work in their home, which helped out a lot. Along the way, they started discovering more solutions to make their lives easier…
28. Finding Working Solutions
Before they realized it, the babies got bigger, and it became difficult to travel with so many children. “I had no idea just how difficult it would be to go anywhere,” Andy said. So, the couple decided to invest in a bigger van. Thanks to all the donations, they could afford a new van! Looking at it, we also imagine that their friends regularly ask for rides to the airport.
Another thing the Justices struggled with was how to tell the triplets and twins apart. Plus, they needed to design an easy eating and changing schedule for each baby. They found that painting each child’s toes a different color worked wonders! They also used headbands, placed at different angles to distinguish the children. This also helped them better determine who had been fed, washed, and so on.
29. The Justices’ Remarkable Story
As soon as the Justices’ remarkable story hit the internet, it went viral pretty quickly. People simply could not believe the couple’s story. Furthermore, they wanted to see how they did with five, new, small children running around. It seems like everyone is interested in finding out about this remarkable family!
“We’re not the only family with multiple sets of multiples,” Sarah said. “I don’t know if we’re interesting. We’re busy, I can tell you that,” she continued. The Justices’ Facebook page’s followers grew exponentially within a short period of time as people wanted to take a look at the triplets and twins. However, things were about to get even more interesting for the family of seven…
30. One More On The Way!
The Justices went from not being able to have babies at all to having their hands filled with them – and not in a figurative way! In 2015, they received yet another wonderful surprise: Sarah was pregnant once again! And again, they saw the humor in it, thinking another child wouldn’t make a difference if they already had five children in one year.
Thankfully, this time, Sarah only carried one child. Having another baby would be, of course, a great challenge to meet once again. At least now, the triplets and twins had grown into toddlers. Now, at least, it would be a little bit easier. “It was something we’ve wanted so badly, that we love it. We just really love having these children,” they later said.
31. “God Is Good”
In February 2016, the Justices welcomed another blessing into their lives! This time, they received a beautiful baby boy. For their first single-birth baby, they landed on the name Caleb. They were so thrilled they wrote “God is Good” on their Facebook page when replying to all the well-wishes for their newborn children.
By the time Caleb was born, the triplets were three years old and the twins two-and-a-half. However, the Justices didn’t see any trouble with the reality of having 6 kids under the age of three in their care. For them, this only meant things were about to get busier and more exciting!
32. Uncountable Blessings
Raising such a big family can be incredibly trying sometimes. However, this doesn’t compare to the fact of how blessed the Justices have felt ever since they held their triplets for the first time. Though they are raising enough kids to almost make up a soccer team, they are grateful and continually remind themselves: it’s what they wanted, a large family!
Finally, all those years of heartache and distress turned into not one, but six blessings! They are a real-life example that perseverance pays off at the end of the day. But how do the Justice manage to handle the six babies on a daily bases? Through many interviews, Sarah’s shared all of her great parenting tips! Maybe you’ll also find them helpful!
33. Potty Training
Sarah truly enjoys the gift of motherhood and doesn’t mind being busy all the time or that she has very little “her time.” In fact, the mother of six is grateful to have the blessing of so many kids. Sarah said in an interview that by the time Caleb was born, most of the other five children were out of diapers, which made her life a whole lot easier.
However, those of you who have children know how difficult potty training can be, even if you have just one child. Now, imagine you have to teach five children all at the same life stage! The Justices dedicated a huge chunk of their day to toilet breaks and training. Sarah is, for sure, a superhero! However, potty training wasn’t the only challenge for her…
34. Even More Challenges
One of the biggest challenges the Justices had to meet was changing the way the children slept while transitioning them from the cribs to toddler beds. All this happened, by the way, while Caleb was just a newborn. However, they were ready to endure any challenge that came along.
“Having five in toddler beds is an adventure. But we are getting there,” Sarah said. While the children adjusted to the new sleeping arrangement, Sarah and Andrew kept very patient until they managed to get all five children to sleep in toddler beds. Surely, the Justices deserve a round of applause for that!
35. Organization Is Key
The Justices have a pretty tight schedule to keep everything in order for their children. They said that with time they have come to learn the importance of organization at all times, especially when you have that many children. They have figured out an efficient system to accomplish their goal.
The family of eight starts off the day with a morning stroll and breakfast. Then, they have play dates with family and friends. Sarah makes sure all of the children keep up with their household chores at all times and that everything is kept in place every day. The most important thing for the Justices is to teach their children valuable life lessons.
36. Caleb’s Fan Club
By the time Caleb was born, the Justice had already figured out ways to make their lives easier. Furthermore, from the moment his five siblings met him, they absolutely fell in love with Caleb. “He has the best fan club ever, and we cannot imagine life without the sweetest, most loved little guy in the world,” Sarah commented on an interview.
The children love to show Caleb their affection by hugging, kissing, playing, and squeezing him. They could spend all they long adoring their little bother, which makes it easy on Sarah and Andrew as they don’t have to worry about him feeling left out.
37. A Great Team
One of the benefits of having so many children under the same roof is that no one is left out. “We never lack playmates and work to promote love and care between the siblings,” Sarah said to Babyology. They feel extremely lucky and delighted that all of the siblings get along perfectly.
Sarah is confident none of her children will ever lack friends. Furthermore, they will always have someone to rely on at school, whether it’s to find someone to sit with during lunchtime or in class. “Our children will always have a friend and will never need to feel lonely,” Sarah said. Together, they form a great team.
38. A Special Fourth Of July
Every Fourth of July is special for the Justices. The siblings are dressed with matching outfits, looking cuter than ever, hugging one another. You can see how much love and care they have for each other and they have a great time, even when it’s not a special occasion.
The family loves to portrait every single moment such as Christmas and Holidays. However, every day is fun to them no matter what. If you take a look at their Facebook page, you can find loads of adorable pictures of the children forcing memories together. What a lovely family they’re raising!
39. Going Out For Sweets
As any parent can attest, taking the kids out for sweets can often be a real challenge. They can get messy, loud, or just bored. Now, think about trying to take six kids out for ice cream or candy! And that doesn’t even begin to scratch how expensive it is to take six, eight if you count Sarah and Andrew, kids out for donuts. Still, the Justices’ make sure their kids get to experience everything other children do.
Plus, when they all go out, the Justices’ always have a great time, like above! Sure, there are costs and difficulties in raising six children at one. However, Sarah and Andrew Justice wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world…
40. Love Is The Secret
It’s not hard to see why the story of Sarah and Andrew Justice brings a tear to so many eyes. Especially when you consider where they started! At first, it seemed like the Justices would never have any children. Then, they adopted the triplets. After that, the children just coming. In the end, their perseverance truly paid off.
From adopting three beautiful children to having three biological children of their own, their dream became a reality. Though Sarah and Andrew Justice would have been happy with just one child, they are blessed with six of them. The Justices said it best: “They bring a great deal of joy to our lives, and we enjoy watching them love life.”
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