Famous Multiples

Here is a list of some famous multiple births that you may have heard about:

The Mathias Quadruplets
Identical twins are rare, but identical quadruplets are a 1 in 15 million occurrence. The adorable, identical Mathias quadruplets stole American hearts in 2001 on America’s Funniest Home Videos in a video that shows the girls all laughing together as their dad films them. The “laughing quadruplets” were born on February 16, 2000 at 28 weeks gestation and are now 12 years old.

The Dilley Sextuplets
The world’s first set of surviving sextuplets, the Dilley Sextuplets were conceived with the help of fertility medications and born on May 25, 1993. During the pregnancy only 5 babies were seen on ultrasound, and the sixth baby was a delivery room surprise. All six children are good students and graduated from high school with honours.

The Gosselin Sextuplets
The Gosselin Sextuplets made famous on television’s Jon & Kate Plus 8, were born at 30 weeks gestation on May 10, 2004. The six babies required mechanical ventilation at birth, but were home with their family by about 2 months of age. Now 8 years old, the sextuplets are a lively and spirited bunch.

The McCaughey Septuplets
Born on November 19, 1997, the McCaughey septuplets were the world’s first septuplets to survive infancy. The seven babies were conceived with the help of fertility medications and were born at 31 weeks gestation. Two of the children, Alexis and Nathan, have cerebral palsy as a result of their premature birth. The septuplets, now 15 years old, are fast approaching drivers’ licenses and college tuitions, but the parents report that they’ve been promised scholarships to 3 different colleges.

The Suleman Octuplets
Born on January 26, 2009, the Suleman octuplets remains the only surviving set of octuplets. The 8 babies were conceived with the help of IVH and were born weighing between 1 lb 8 oz. and 3 lb 1 oz. The birth caused controversy because 12 embryos were transferred during the IVF procedure, although the norm for a healthy woman Suleman’s age is 2 embryos. The physician who transferred the embryos, Dr. Michael Kamrava, was investigated and eventually his license to practice medicine was revoked.