Laura Perkins always wanted to be a mom, but after an exhausting year of trying to get pregnant, the thought of fertility treatments seemed too daunting. With her husband, she headed to Nicaragua so they could plan their next step. She discussed her fertility issues with her church members and pastor on the trip. The pastor prayed for her, and before heading home, she had a message for Lauren. “She told me she knew God had big plans for me; she didn’t know what, but it would be big,” Lauren wrote on Houston Moms Blog. She thought nothing of the pastor’s words.

After one round of intrauterine insemination, Lauren was sure it hadn’t worked. But it had. During one check-up, the nurse told Lauren that her beta levels were high, and that meant she was having multiples. Lauren and her husband assumed they would have twins or triplets, and that seemed overwhelming.

The biggest surprise came during their first ultrasound. After studying the screen for a while, the doctor announced: “I just counted 5.” Lauren’s immediate thought? That’s not possible! “Hold on,” the doctor said. “I just found a sixth one.” The shocked couple just stared at the screen. They were part of 1% chance of conceiving sextuplet

They now had a monumental decision to make – reduce the babies or keep them all. There was a slim-to-none chance of all the babies surviving. They chose to keep them all, and the doctor promised to do everything they could to get Lauren to 28 weeks.