Aja (pronounced Asia) Kennon and her fiancé, Emmanuel Volmar, recently became among the few people in the world to experience such an extraordinary pregnancy earlier this month. Kennon and Volmar were excited to expand their family — which already included an 8-year-old son, EJ — when they unexpectedly found out she was pregnant. She assumed that it might be twins because her belly had grown so large, but she was surprised when she saw three heads on the sonogram.
“I didn’t think it was gonna be four!” Kennon told The Post. “This was unexpected.” But it was a quartet of distinct heads, confirming a rare event with odds ranging from one-in-700,000 to one-in-a-million, doctors said. And the July 1 delivery itself was an extraordinary event, involving more than 20 medical professionals — each baby with their own dedicated medical crew at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey.
“There was a whole football team in there,” Volmar joked. Kennon easily popped out one healthy baby after the other, each about a minute apart, starting at 10:59 a.m. The miracle babies were all brought home right away, safe and sound. The boys — Ean, Evan and Eamon — share the same first initial “E” with their dad, while the girl, Alayha, shares an “A” with her mom.
“I didn’t think it was gonna be four!” Kennon told The Post. “This was unexpected.” With twins running in both her and Volmar’s families, it was meant to be — though, because they learned about the quadruplets on April Fools’ Day, people didn’t believe them at first.
Perhaps even more shocking, Kennon had no complications during her high-risk pregnancy. She even kept working as a USPS mailwoman full-time until seven months into her pregnancy and thinks all the walking helped. “I was surprised myself by how easy a pregnancy it was, honestly,” Kennon admitted, sharing that her first pregnancy was a bit more difficult, as EJ needed to be induced.
Despite the overwhelming nature of raising quadruplets, the couple remains amazingly calm. “Once we found out that we were having quadruplets, we immediately got the ball rolling. From the moment we found out, we were just, like, ‘Okay, let’s get the show on the road,’” Kennon said.
The couple is now facing a whirlwind of joy and uncertainty as they begin to raise the newborns alongside their elementary schooler. The family, who initially planned for just one more child, quickly had to adjust to the reality of four cribs, quadruple the diapers — and an entirely new life. They’ve also decided to delay a wedding until all their children can walk down the aisle and participate.
But, thanks to their pre-planning and support system — Volmar’s mother has fortunately moved in for now — they’ve jumped into parenting five children quite easily. Reality check: Dad does admit that the feeding schedule is especially demanding. “It’s never-ending, and then before you know it, it’s time to feed them again,” Volmar told The Post.
But even EJ has happily stepped up, offering to feed the babies and change their diapers. And while he loves all his siblings equally, he has a special place in his heart for his sister. “He’s very delicate with his sister, like he’ll make sure he kisses her on the head,” Kennon shared.
To help with the financial burden, the family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover medical expenses, transportation and the costs associated with caring for quadruplets. “We are overjoyed, filled with love and gratitude — but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t overwhelmed, too,” Kennon wrote on the page.
The boys share the same first initial “E” with their dad, while the girl shares an “A” with her mom. Their community has rallied around them as the news has spread. New Jersey area mom Facebook groups have flooded the comments of posts sharing the news.
One woman whom Kennon hasn’t spoken to since high school even reached out and asked to coordinate a meal train to help out. Fortunately, thanks to their pre-planning and local support, they’ve settled into parenting five children very well.
According to BECU and the National Diaper Bank Network, they’ll likely spend about $4,000 a year on diapers alone. But luckily, they haven’t even needed to buy diapers or wipes yet: They have a closet filled with supplies — all donated or gifted. “Everybody’s as shocked as we were when we found out,” Kennon said, joking, “We’re pretty much the center of attention.”
