Quadruplets turn one, celebrate by returning to see NICU doctors

On May 15, parents of quadruplets celebrated their first birthday by bringing their special family back to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where their children were cared for after their premature birth.

Key Takeaways:

• In 2025, Alexia Williams and her husband, Michael, discovered they had naturally conceived quadruplets.

• No local hospital was equipped to handle the birth of quadruplets, so she turned to WellSpan Health in York, Pennsylvania.

• She gave birth at 25 weeks of gestation, with all four of the babies weighing approximately one pound.

• One year later, the babies are home and healthy, and they were recently reunited with the NICU staff who cared for them.

The Backstory:

WTAJ reported that Michael and Alexia Williams were already parents to a two-year-old boy when they decided to grow their family again. “She wanted to add an addition onto her family,” her mother, Brendalynn Diehl, said. “She wanted to have another baby.”

Alexia soon found out she was pregnant, but she wasn't having just one baby — instead, she was having four. Making the situation even more rare is that, according to a WellSpan Health press release, the quadruplets were conceived naturally.

However, living in rural Bedford County, Pennsylvania, posed a problem; there were no local hospitals with NICUs equipped to handle caring for quadruplets, who would likely be born prematurely. While at first she thought she would need to commute three hours to Philadelphia, she was able to turn instead to WellSpan York Hospital, which was slightly closer.

On May 15th, 2025, the quadruplets were born. Alexia was 25 weeks pregnant, making the babies extremely premature; they each weighed just one pound. The smallest of the babies, Dean, weighed just 14 ounces and had to remain in the NICU for 250 days before he was able to go home.

The Details:

On the babies' first birthday, Michael and Alexia brought them back to the hospital for a reunion with the team that had cared for them.

Today, all of the quadruplets weigh 16 pounds, are rolling over, and are otherwise thriving.

"Being farther away, we relied on the doctors to call us every day to share updates on the kids as they were progressing. Dr. Goodstein, especially, was very helpful in providing regular updates when we were back home because of my husband’s job," Alexia said. "I’m thankful for the care provided by the team at WellSpan. There were so many people involved every step of the way."

Dr. Michael Goodstein, division chief of neonatal medicine for WellSpan and the medical director of the WellSpan York Hospital Level III NICU, said the credit belonged to everyone on the care team.

"Caring for babies born this prematurely takes highly coordinated work from neonatologists, nurses, respiratory therapists, advanced practice providers, rehabilitation specialists, social workers, support staff and many others who show up every day for families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives,” he said.

“To see these four children back with us one year later, thriving and celebrating their first birthday, is incredibly meaningful for everyone involved.”

After reuniting with staff in the NICU, the Williams family had a special birthday celebration at WellSpan Park, home of the York Revolution, a minor league baseball team. The quadruplets got to wear matching jerseys, and the crowd sang happy birthday to the now-toddlers.

“In neonatal care, no one person carries a story like this alone. It takes an entire hospital team working in partnership with a family over many months to help create the best possible outcome,” Dr. Goodstein said. “We are grateful to have been part of this family’s journey, and it is a joy to see Samuel, Dean, April and Hailey doing so well one year later.”

The Bottom Line:

Every life is valuable and deserves the best care available to help him or her grow and thrive. The Williams babies' success is proof of how preemies can thrive with proper medical help and support, and families of multiples can thrive with the support of their community.