Identical quadruplets born at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix thriving back home

5/1/2025

About two months after welcoming their four identical baby girls to the world, Rachel and Marco Vargas are back home in Cranston, Rhode Island. The couple was eager to return home after a long and complex pregnancy journey in which they sought care from Dr. John Elliott, a renowned multiple birth specialist at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix. Dr. Elliott said the chances of a pregnancy and delivery like Rachel’s was potentially around one in 40 million. Their incredible story was even featured on ABC’s “Good Morning America” in early April.

“We’re so excited to start this new chapter of our lives with little Sofía, Philomena, Veronica and Isabel,” said Rachel, who is also mom to Walter, 3, and Stella, 1. “While it hasn’t been an easy journey, we’re thankful that we came to Banner and Dr. Elliott for care, and we can’t wait to share the milestones that will come with raising our beautiful girls.”

Globally recognized for his decades of experience having delivered hundreds of complex high-order multiples, Dr. Elliott said he has never seen a pregnancy like Rachel’s in his career. The first two babies shared the same amniotic sac and had a velamentous insertion of the umbilical cord, where the umbilical cord inserts into the fetal membranes instead of the placenta, resulting in a 30-40% risk of death to the fetuses. Two of the babies were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, which happens when identical twins sharing a placenta experience an uneven blood flow between them, causing one to give too much blood to the other. If untreated, the syndrome can lead to low amniotic fluid and poor growth for one twin, and too much amniotic fluid and an enlarged heart for the other.

“With all the complications involved in Rachel’s pregnancy, we were very candid about the risks and potential outcomes, but we also underscored the importance of having a positive outlook,” Dr. Elliott said. “I believe that played an important role in her successful case, along with constant top-class medical care throughout their stay in Phoenix.”

Because the quadruplets were born early at 30 weeks gestation, they required meticulous care by a team of skilled neonatologists, nurses and respiratory therapists. They remained in the neonatal intensive care unit until they were healthy enough to leave the hospital in late March.

“It was such a privilege for our team to care for Rachel and her babies,” said Dr. Suma Rao, medical director of the NICU at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix. “These kinds of pregnancies can be quite scary for the parents and family members, so we are thrilled that they are all back home now with their healthy girls.”

The Maternal Fetal Medicine Center at the Banner – University Medicine Women’s Institute is nationally recognized for advanced care for high-order multiples, complex pregnancies, and fetal conditions. Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix is also the state’s first Level IV center for perinatal care certified by Arizona Perinatal Trust and is recognized as a Top Maternity Hospital by Newsweek.

Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix is a large teaching hospital that has provided medical care to Arizona and the Southwest since 1911. As the clinical partner for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, the institution has trained thousands of doctors over decades as a teaching hospital. The hospital, recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation’s best hospitals, specializes in heart care, cancer care, high-risk obstetrics, neurosciences, organ transplants, medical toxicology and emergency care, including a Level I trauma center.

Philanthropic support through the Banner Health Foundation advances exemplary academic medicine for the benefit of patients like the Vargas family, supporting research, medical education, care for complex conditions, and recruitment of top physician talent.