A woman gave birth to sextuplets Monday May 10, 2004, and both the mother and babies were doing well, hospital officials said.
Kate Gosselin, 29 delivered her three sons and three daughters in her 30th week of pregnancy. The babies were delivered by Caesarean section just before 8 a.m. at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, hospital officials said.
"I'd just like to thank the Lord," said Jonathan Gosselin, 27, the babies' father. "It was truly an amazing thing."
Mr. Gosselin joined doctors and nurses at a late afternoon news conference, where they said the mother was in good condition and the babies in satisfactory condition. All but one of the infants were still on ventilators late Monday afternoon.
"Their excellent condition is a testament to Kate Gosselin's resolve, and the expert care of our obstetrical staff," said Dr. Dennis Mujsce, medical director of the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.
Sextuplets are rare. Hospital officials said that as of March 15, only 138 documented sets had been born worldwide.
Gosselin and her husband live in Wyomissing, a suburb of Reading, and are also the parents of 3-year-old twins. Kate Gosselin was admitted to the hospital in early March.
Jonathan Gosselin said his wife is tired but seems to be doing well.
"We met with Joe Paterno today, so she was uplifted by that," he said.
More than 50 doctors, nurses and other specialists were involved in the delivery, including color-coded teams that took each baby as it was delivered and cared for it.
"The delivery room was quite busy," Mujsce said.
The sextuplets were delivered in a span of about three minutes. Alexis Faith, weighing 2 pounds, 11.5 ounces, was born first at 7:51 a.m. She was followed by Hannah Joy, 2 pounds, 11 ounces; Aaden Jonathan, 2 pounds 7.5 ounces; Collin Thomas, 3 pounds 0.5 ounces; Leah Hope, 2 pounds 14.8 ounces, and Joel Kevin, 2 pounds 9.7 ounces.
Mr. Gosselin, who wore six hospital wristbands to the news conference, said the family's church, Calvary Bible Fellowship Church, in Sinking Spring, had offered to pay to expand the family's home. Various corporations have also made donations, he said.
"Our church is behind us 100 percent. We have everything material taken care of," said Gosselin, an information technologies director for a petroleum equipment company, near Reading.
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