The day after Mother's Day, the Gosselin sextuplets arrive

Second set of sextuplets in Pennsylvania delivered at Penn State Hershey Medical Center

Hershey, Pa. -- Just before 8 this morning (May 10), Kate Gosselin, 29, gave birth to what is believed to be only the second set of sextuplets born in Pennsylvania. At 7:51 a.m., Gosselin delivered the first of her six babies at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Alexis Faith was born first weighing 2 pounds, 11.5 ounces, measuring 15 inches long, followed by Hannah Joy weighing 2 pounds, 11 ounces, measuring 13.8 inches long. The first boy, Aaden Jonathan, was born weighing 2 pounds, 7.5 ounces, measuring 13 inches long, followed by Collin Thomas weighing 3 pounds, .5 ounces, measuring 15 inches long. The third girl, Leah Hope, was born weighing 2 pounds, 14.8 ounces, measuring 15.4 inches long. The last of the Gosselin sextuplets, Joel Kevin, weighing 2 pounds, 9.7 ounces, measuring 15.4 inches long, was born at 7:54 a.m.

The care team of Penn State Women's Health obstetricians, Penn State Children's Hospital neonatologists and Penn State nursing welcomed the first set of sextuplets in the Medical Center's 34-year history. The team of more than 75, included six color-coded, letter-coded resuscitation teams, one for each baby, delivered the babies.

"The delivery of the babies was handled as planned," stated John Joseph Botti, Gosselin's obstetrician and chief of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

"The entire family is doing very well, at this time," stated John T. Repke, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "It was gratifying for the care team to see all of the time spent planning resulted in such a safely orchestrated process, allowing for the Gosselin sextuplets to get off to a tremendous start, and for Kate to come through her cesarean section in excellent condition."

"All six babies are off to the best possible start and appear stable in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)," stated Dennis Mujsce, medical director of the NICU at Penn State Children's Hospital. "Their excellent condition is a testament to Kate Gosselin's resolve and the expert care of our obstetrical staff. It is now the job of the NICU staff to continue the babies' progress."

High-order multiple pregnancies, like Gosselin's, come with risks. In addition to more calories, more rest and more intensive prenatal care needed by the mother, the risk of extremely premature delivery is of great concern. All high-order multiples on record have been born before 37 weeks of gestation. An infant is only considered full term at 37 weeks. No case of sextuplets' births in the United States has gone past 31 weeks of gestation. Gosselin was in her 30th week when she delivered.

There have been more than 29,000 deliveries at Penn State Hershey Medical Center since October 1970. Approximately 1,300 babies are delivered per year at the medical center. In 2003, 28 sets of twins and six sets of triplets were delivered. The Women's Health unit houses five labor, delivery and recovery (LDR) rooms, one procedure room, one cesarean room and 25 postpartum rooms.

The NICU at Penn State Children's Hospital is a Level III NICU. It houses 30 licensed beds, and admits more than 500 sick neonates each year. There are six board-certified, fellowship-trained neonatologists, five nurse practitioners and a team of neonatal nurses and specialists treating the tiniest of babies in the NICU. The Penn State Children's Hospital NICU serves as a referral center for nurseries and other NICU's throughout central Pennsylvania.

Kate Gosselin, a Hershey native, also was born at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in 1975. She and her husband Jonathan Gosselin, 27, of Wyomissing, Pa., are also the parents of 3-year-old twins. Gosselin is a registered nurse in labor and delivery at The Reading Hospital and Medical Center, where she completed nursing school.

For updated information, please visit Penn State Hershey Live at http://live.psu.edu/wire/41

For pictures, visit http://live.psu.edu/still_life/2004_05_10_hershey/index.html