Babes in (American) arms

Karen Jepp thought everything was all ready for her at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary. After all, it's not like no one knew she was about to give birth to quadruplets.

But when her labour started she and her family were surprised to learn they'd be airlifted to a US hospital for the birth because Foothills didn't have enough beds for all four babies, reported the Globe and Mail. Nor did any other NICU in Canada.

The miraculous identical quads (a one-in-13-million chance, reported the BBC) - named Autumn, Brooke, Calissa and Dahlia (pictured above, with their dad J P) - were all born healthy in a hospital in Montana. The babies were conceived without the aid of fertility treatments.

"We've had an awful couple of weeks. They've been really tough," Ms Jepps told the Globe and Mail. "We're in another country. We're just trying to get through the next few days. We need to get back home." The couple also has a two-year-old son, Simon.

Sending high-risk deliveries to the US has become increasingly common in Canadian hospitals.

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