2 sets of identical twins — at once

TRENTON, N.J. — LeAnn and Stephen Beloyan struggled for more than a decade to start a family. Then just weeks into LeAnn's pregnancy, they discovered they were having not one but two sets of identical twins.

"We were elated and overwhelmed and concerned about how we were going to handle all this," Stephen Beloyan, 39, said Saturday, when two of the babies were expected to go home.

Lauren, Sarah, Benjamin and Samuel each were born a minute apart on June 7 by Caesarean section at Capital Health System's Mercer Campus.

Eight weeks early but otherwise healthy, the newborns weighed from slightly more than 2 pounds to 3 pounds.

"It's been an exciting process and a long process. We're grateful for the attention. We want our kids to know how special and how rare they are," said LeAnn Beloyan, 37, who was put on bed rest 21 weeks into her pregnancy and was admitted to the hospital a few weeks before she gave birth.

Lauren and Benjamin — slightly bigger than their siblings — were expected to go home Saturday. Sarah and Samuel had some minor complications from the premature birth. But doctors say they are growing and are expected to likewise go home soon.

"The prognosis for all the babies is good," said Dr. Naheed Abedin, one of the family's neonatologists.

The Beloyans struggled for 12 years to have children. They turned to in vitro fertilization in May 2004, which increases the odds of multiple births since more than one embryo is often implanted to improve the chances of conceiving.

According to doctors at Capital Health System, the odds of having two sets of identical twins from the same pregnancy are anywhere from 1 in 8 million to 1 in 25 million.