Sextuplets thriving after delivery at Va. hospital

by The Associated Press

Wed, May 24th 2017, 9:02 PM UTC

The Taiwo sextuplets were born on May 11, 2017 at VCU Medical Center. The three boys and three girls are in good condition in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. (Photos by Allen Jones, University Marketing)

(L to R) Adeboye and Ajibola Taiwo held two of their sextuplets on May 23, 2017. The couple practiced kangaroo care, also known as skin-to-skin. During kangaroo care, the baby is held against the bare chest of a parent. The act of placing the infant skin-to-skin with mom or dad has been shown to maintain skin temperature regulation of the newborn, increase initiation of successful breastfeeding, and ease the transition to life outside the womb. (Photo: Allen Jones)

The comfort of kangaroo care and skin-to-skin-contact, provided as soon as safely possible for a newborn and as often as possible for an infant in the NICU, supports attachment and bonding for both the infant and parent and provides a calm, soothing environment closer to what the baby experienced before birth (Photo: Allen Jones)

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The Taiwo sextuplets were born on May 11, 2017 at VCU Medical Center. The three boys and three girls are in good condition in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. (Photos by Allen Jones, University Marketing)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- A Virginia hospital says its staff successfully delivered sextuplets and the three boys and three girls are thriving.

VCU Medical Center in Richmond announced the births in a statement Wednesday, saying they were the first sextuplet delivery performed at the hospital. The babies were born May 11 to parents who had tried to conceive for 17 years.

The statement says a 40-person team was involved, and the delivery required hours of planning, including pre-delivery drills and resuscitation exercises. The babies ranged from 1 pound, 10 ounces, to 2 pounds, 15 ounces.

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Sextuplets are quite rare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2015 there were nearly 4 million live births in the U.S., only 24 of which were quintuplets or other higher-order births.

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