I gave birth to identical QUADRUPLETS – they shared the same placenta but luckily I have a method for telling them apart

A MUM who gave birth to identical quadruplets has revealed that “sleep deprivation really begins now”.

Mercedes Sandhu was already mum to two little boys when she found out she was pregnant for the third time… with her third, fourth, fifth AND sixth children. 

Texas Children's Hospital

Mercedes is now a mum-of-six after welcoming quadruplets[/caption]

Texas Children's Hospital

All of the Sandhu children are under the age of four, including Mercedes’ two sons[/caption]

The 34-year-old carried all four of her identical girls in the same placenta – an uber rare phenomenon that makes them statistical marvels.

The odds of having identical quadruplets are about one in 15 million, and there are roughly 72 documented cases of naturally conceived identical quadruplets in medical history. 

Naturally conceived quadruplets are extremely rare without them being identical, with docs estimating the odds at about one in 700,000 births.

And yet, Mercedes beat all the odds to welcome her little girls.

She is officially a mum-of-six with ALL of her children under the age of four.

“Oh man, I was crying and laughing at the same time because I thought there’s no way that this is happening,” the mum-of-six told PEOPLE about the moment she found out she was pregnant with quadruplets.

“I felt all these different emotions, but it was a shock, that’s for sure.”

Mercedes gave birth to her four little girls on May 1, who she shares with her husband Jonathan, 37.

The tots are named Hannah Grace, Lucy Marie, Rebecca Claire and Petra Anne. 

They were born at 29 weeks and cared for by Texas Children’s Hospital. 

All four babies have been discharged from hospital and are now at Houston home with their elder brothers – Luke, three and Aaron, two.

The team at Texas Children’s Hospital said on Instagram: “Four. Identical. Miracles.

“Hannah, Lucy, Petra and Rebecca were born at just 29 weeks on May 1, at our Pavilion for Women to mum Mercedes and dad Jonathan.

“With the girls sharing one placenta throughout their development, anything that affected one of the four could affect all of them. 

“Thankfully, the team at Texas Children’s was with the Sandhu family every step of the way.”

Texas Children’s Hospital added that Mercedes and Jonathan are able to tell two of the babies apart because they were born with hemangiomas.

Hemangiomas are a benign growth of extra blood cells in the skin that is one of the most common skin conditions among infants.

Jonathan has set up an Instagram page to share updates on how his family-of-eight are settling into their new life. 

You can follow his and Mercedes’ journey as quadruplet parents at @shesandhucrew.