CONVERSATION TOPICS: Our quads are four times the work... and the fun: Parents of 70million-to-one babies reveal a life of Aldi nappies and milk powder in bulk a year after their birth

It took four rounds of IVF, tens of thousands of pounds and years of anguish to bring them into the world.

And then the really hard work began.

A year after these quadruplets were born at odds of 70million-to-one, their exhausted mother has revealed exactly what goes into caring for four babies – including 18 hours of feeding, five loads of washing and countless nappy changes every single day.

Sharon Turner, 38, told the Mail that becoming a mother of four in one fell swoop was a ‘wonderful, uplifting experience’, but conceded: ‘It has also been more exhausting than I could possibly have imagined.’

Mrs Turner spends up to 18 hours a day feeding her two identical boys, James and Joshua, and two identical girls, Emily and Lauren – one of only four sets of double boy-girl twins in the world.

She and husband Julian, 44, also put on at least five full loads of washing a day to keep on top of the dirty bedding and clothes, and estimate they will have to complete 30,000 nappy changes before the babies are grown up.

The quads came into the world 11 weeks prematurely in March last year, weighing just 2lb each. But once they got home, they grew from strength to strength.

Mrs Turner said: ‘For the first few months, we hardly got any sleep at all. They require constant attention, and just feeding them is a huge task.

‘It takes around three hours to feed all four babies, and they need to be fed every four hours. So once I have finished, I know I have an hour’s break before it all starts again.’

At first, the family bought 80 washable nappies in an attempt to be environmentally friendly – but when the constant washing became too much, they were forced to bulk-buy disposable ones from Aldi instead.

Then the family car had to be replaced with a nine-seater VW transporter large enough to fit their brood and all the necessary supplies, including two double buggies.

And as the children get older, the shopping list is expanding at an alarming rate.

Mrs Turner said: ‘They have just started eating solids and get through 14 bananas and 24 yoghurts a week. But when you think about what they will eat when they get older it is frightening.’

Mr Turner says he feels guilty for returning to his career as a sales director while his wife has to do the ‘real job’ of looking after the children.

But Mrs Turner’s parents Sandra, 66, and Steve, 63, have moved into their home near Hungerford, Berkshire, to help.

And despite the exhaustion, the couple insist they have not ruled out having more children. Mr Turner said: ‘Never say never. They have been a huge blessing in our lives.’

The Turners’ first year of parenthood will be shown on Quads: Our First Year at 8pm tonight on ITV.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2646693/Our-quads-four-times-work-fun-Parents-70million-one-babies-reveal-life-Aldi-nappies-milk-powder-bulk-year-birth.html#ixzz33ZsG0JUK
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