Have you ever heard of the word ‘sextuplets’? Dictionary.com defines it as ‘six children or offspring born of one pregnancy’. That’s like 3 sets of twins born at once. Not something that crops up in everyday conversation, right? But if it does, you know it’s nothing short of a miracle. Because chances of it happening are one in 4.7 billion.
Thelma Chiaka, a resident of Houston, Texas, experienced this miracle and gave birth to sextuplets on Friday at The Woman’s Hospital of Texas.
Did you know that the odds of having #sextuplets are estimated at one in 4.7 billion? We were honored to welcome Thelma Chiaka's four sons and two daughters early this morning! https://t.co/7RL7V3FOBk pic.twitter.com/x9QCEhpHiO
— TheWomansHospTX (@TheWomansHospTX) March 15, 2019
According to The Independent, Thelma gave birth to 4 boys and 2 girls between 4.50 am and 4.59 am. The doctors that took care of her delivery were Dr. Ziad Haidar (the perinatologist), Dr Sharmeel Khaira and Dr. Israel Simchowit (the neonatologist). They have said that the mother and the babies are healthy and happy. The newborns are still being kept in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for supervision.
The new mom has named her daughters Zina and Zuriel. She is yet to decide on a name for the boys.
Has this ever happened before?
A woman named Janet Walton gave birth to 6 girls back in 1983. Hers was the first all-female sextuplets delivery in the world. Before that, such a case was seen in 1968.
Makes you wonder how strong and powerful female bodies are, doesn’t it?