Thursday, May 3, 2012

One mother, 35 doctors, six babies: Mom of sextuplets describes 'normal' delivery and reveals all of her 'six-pack' are progressing and gaining strength


With a team of 35 doctors on standby, the birth of her sextuplets was anything but normal.
But with the way Lauren and David Perkins, from Houston, Texas, are calmly talking about the 'smooth' birth of their six children after just 30 weeks you would think it was just your average delivery.
Describing the pregnancy as 'easy', Lauren spoke to MSNBC about their arrival of their three boys and three girls in just four minutes by caesarian section.
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Mother: Lauren Perkins said the four-minute delivery of her six sextuplets was normal and she is slowly but surely on the mend
Mother: Lauren Perkins said the four-minute delivery of her six sextuplets was normal and she is slowly but surely on the mend
The Perkins sextuplets: Andrew, Ben, Levi, Allison, Caroline, and Leah are all tiny but progressing with Leah the only one who still needs a ventilator
The Perkins sextuplets: Andrew, Ben, Levi, Allison, Caroline, and Leah are all tiny but progressing with Leah the only one who still needs a ventilator
Experts: 35 doctors were on board to help deliver the sextuplet at the Texas Children's Hospital, one team for each baby
Experts: 35 doctors were on board to help deliver the sextuplet at the Texas Children's Hospital, one team for each baby
The babies are tiny, but are making big progress and are expected to stay at the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston for several months, until they gain strength and weight, she revealed.
Mom: Lauren Perkins gave birth to sextuplets prematurely at 30 weeks but a statement on the family website said that mother and babies are well
Mom: Lauren Perkins gave birth to sextuplets prematurely at 30 weeks after an 'easy' pregnancy
Speaking about the delivery, where a team of specialists were on hand for each baby, Lauren said: 'They said "baby A is out". I'm like, oh, we're starting. And they came out within four minutes of each other - total four minutes all six were out.'
David said: 'My heart was beating like crazy. And the first thing I noticed when I walked in and saw Lauren was that she was shaking like crazy. I did not know that that was perfectly normal.'
They called their babies Andrew, Ben, Levi, Allison, Caroline, and Leah. The largest was just two pounds 15 ounces. The smallest one pounds ten ounces.
Five of the sextuplets are doing well and breathing on their own but baby Leah is still on a ventilator and has already underwent surgery but is coming through it well.
Her parents are confident she will make it. David said: 'I don't think that we'd be taken this far just to have someone not go home with us. We're very confident in that.'
The Perkins tried for 18 months to get pregnant before turning to fertility treatment IUI. The doctors told them an option was selective reduction - meaning they could abort some of the babies in order to increase the chances of survival for the others.
But for the couple, this was just not an option.
Lauren said: 'Seeing your six babies and seeing their heartbeats and there's no sign of any problems, so you know, how do you choose?'
Proud dad: David Perkins said holding the babies for the first time was amazing and that selective reduction was never an option
Proud dad: David Perkins said holding the babies for the first time was amazing and that selective reduction was never an option
Miracle: Five of the sextuplets are doing well and breathing on their own but baby Leah is still on a ventilator and has already underwent surgery but is coming through it well
Miracle: Five of the sextuplets are doing well and breathing on their own but baby Leah is still on a ventilator and has already underwent surgery but is coming through it well
Care: Lauren helps a nurse put one of her six children in a blanket at the hospital where they will remain for several months
Care: Lauren helps a nurse put one of her six children in a blanket at the hospital where they will remain for several months
Shortly after the birth Lauren posted on her blog: 'What a week! In the NICU, things change hourly so we're constantly getting updates. We're concentrating on their general health and progress.
'Our news has spread faster than expected, but we really appreciate all the prayers and support. Please continue to pray for the babies' health!'
About the delivery she wrote: 'The delivery went very smoothly with approximately 35 people in the operating room.
 
'Each baby was immediately handed over to their own team and once they were cleaned up, the team brought each baby over for Dave and I to see.'
A statement on their site from the beginning of the pregnancy explained how Lauren came to be expecting sextuplets.
Baby bump: All babies weighed between 1lb 10oz and 2lbs 15 oz after being conceived using intra-uterine insemination with ovulatory stimulating drugs
Baby bump: All babies weighed between 1lb 10oz and 2lbs 15 oz after being conceived using intra-uterine insemination with ovulatory stimulating drugs
Her husband wrote: 'That involved two weeks of shots and a couple of turkey bastings.  
'There was a 25 per cent chance the procedure would work at all, and if it worked, a 25 per cent chance of twins.  
'The odds went down from there on multiples, with a one per cent chance of sextuplets.  
'After the two-week wait we found out Lauren was indeed pregnant, but with really high hormone levels, so an ultrasound was recommended to see what was going on.  
'We knew something was up when we saw the doctor's jaw drop... he had seen six babies! Our feelings range from excited, overwhelmed, and scared, all at the same time.  
'We are completely trusting God throughout this adventure and we appreciate all the prayers and support from our family and friends!!'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2138415/Lauren-Perkins-Mom-sextuplets-describes-normal-delivery-reveals-pack-progressing-gaining-strength.html#ixzz1tq0ILEVM