A family miracle times 5

The Canfield quintuplets, each weighing less than 2 pounds, are in stable condition.
By ROSA MERCADO
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Tony and Leslie Hudock went to the Reproductive Center in hopes of finally having a child together.
They received an unexpected surprise.
The Blueberry Hill Drive couple are the new parents of quintuplets, born July 30 at University Hospitals of Cleveland's MacDonald Women's Hospital.
"It's a true miracle," said Tony Hudock.
The couple explained that when they consulted with fertility doctor Robert Collins of the Reproductive Center in Youngstown, they expected three eggs at the most to become fertilized -- with a less than 1 percent chance.
"It was a shock and a surprise," said the new mother of Olivia Nicole, Samantha Rose, Chloe Anne, William Anthony and Andrew David.
The babies are in stable condition at UHC's Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. Tony Hudock said the newborns are on intravenous tubes and breathing apparatuses. "Breathing and infection are the biggest risks right now," he said.
"A normal pregnancy is 40 weeks long," explained Leslie Hudock. "My babies were born 14 weeks early."
'Day by day'
When they learned they were having quints, the Hudocks didn't immediately go out and buy five of every baby necessity.
"We haven't prepared for it because of the riskiness of this kind of birth," he said. "But we're very blessed, and we expect all five to come home."
"If other people can survive it, we can too," she said. "We're taking it day by day."
This isn't the first child for Tony Hudock -- he has a teen-age daughter, who is also Leslie's stepdaughter. "She's excited about it," he said of the quints' new big sister.
Although the preemies are fraternal twins, their distinctness is apparent, their dad said. "They each have their own personalities already -- some are hyper, and some are more still," he said.
Leslie Hudock noticed the tiniest details of the quints, who each weigh less than 2 pounds. "I was amazed at how long their little fingers are," she said. "They look like little piano players."
The couple said they've received great support from family and from doctors in Youngstown and Cleveland. Until the babies come home, their mother will stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland so she can nurse them.
Tony Hudock said his family is excited about the babies. "My great uncle came up with his own names for the quints," he said. "He calls them the 'five little blueberries.'"
rmercado@vindy.com