A mom of three thought she was done having children, then got the biggest shock of her life.
After welcoming two boys—Carter, now 6, and Eli, 4— Haley and Will Spannagel were overjoyed to meet their daughter Emery in 2023.
“It truly felt like our family was complete,” Haley told Newsweek. “Life was busy, but full in the best way, and we both agreed we were ready to close the baby chapter.”
Will’s vasectomy was subsequently scheduled for August 8 and the parents felt at peace with their decision.
But two days later, Haley took a pregnancy test and it was positive. “[I] immediately thought it had to be wrong,” the 26-year-old said.
At her obstetrician appointment on August 12, Haley’s doctor noted her HCG levels were higher than expected.
“[I] thought I must be further along than we expected,” she said. But on August 16, the ultrasound told a very different story: not just one surprise baby, but two.
“I cried. Then I laughed. Then I cried again. It truly felt like a real-life version of the TikTok trend—just total disbelief,” Haley told Newsweek.
As the couple tried to process the twin bombshell, the unimaginable was around the corner. On September 27, Hurricane Helene struck their region—and their home was among the thousands lost.
“It was devastating,” Haley said. “Processing a surprise twin pregnancy while navigating the chaos of displacement added an entirely new level of shock. We were in survival mode emotionally and mentally.”
The following year in March, Will and Haley welcomed twins Asher and Adeline. “Life has truly been a blur since,” Haley told Newsweek. There is zero silence or sleep—but also so much love and laughter.”
The mom of five posted their story in a clip on TikTok, which has been viewed 1.8 million times.
Over a thousand other users commented on the clip, many of whom congratulated the new parents.
“Not your plans but God’s plans,” one user wrote.
“I’m going to avoid my husband like the plague when he gets snipped, before and after,” a second user joked.
A third user shared how they got their “surprise” at age 39.
With five children under the age of seven, Haley described heir home as “beautifully chaotic.” Carter, Eli, and Emery dote on their new siblings, and Katie and Will are learning to navigate life as a team of seven. “It’s not easy, but it’s ours, and we feel so grateful, even on the hard days,” she said.
The post Mom Thinks Her Family Is Complete, Then Gets Biggest Shock appeared first on Newsweek.
