A California woman gave birth to octuplets today; an event which has only been repeated once in recorded U.S. history.
The Associated Press reports that, despite being born nine weeks premature, the eight babies were all born healthy and are in stable condition. Originally, doctors expected only seven babies to be delivered via caesarean section today; the octuplets were a surprise for all.
The process of childbirth took only five minutes but in that time the mother and new born octuplets were attended by a team of 46 medical technicians. The event inevitably provoked a storm of activity within the walls of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Centre in Bellflower, California where the family was attended.
The eight babies, six boys and two girls, weighed in between 1 pound, 8 ounces, and 3 pounds, 4 ounces, according to Doctors attending the case. Two of the octuplets were placed on ventilators and a third needed oxygen.
"The babies are all doing well and the mom is also doing well," stated Dr. Harold Henry, chief of maternal and fetal medicine for the hospital. In spite of this fact the octuplets are expected to remain in the hospital for at least two months, as a precautionary measure, until they develop further. The mother is expected to be released within the week.
To respect doctor-patient confidentiality, information was not released as to whether the mother used fertility drugs but doctors did confirm the mother’s intention to breast-feed all the children.
The last known set of surviving octuplets was born to 29 year old Nigerian Nkum Chukwu in Houston, Texas. Unfortunately one of the babies died one week after birth. The remaining brothers and sisters are now in the fourth grade.
Included is a televised interview provided by CBS to Doctor’s who assisted in the childbirth.
By: Alberto Ramos Cordero
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