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Lauren Perkins gave birth to sextuplets on April 23 and each of her new babies was released from the hospital one by one. The Today Show reports that one baby, Leah, had a "touch and go" journey for awhile. But finally, Leah was finally reunited with her siblings at home this week and her parents are celebrating having all six babies together.
According to NY Daily News, five babies, Andrew, Benjamin, Levi, Allison and Caroline were thriving though they were born prematurely at 30 weeks. But little Leah required extra care -- she "was born with digestive problems that required two surgeries to help repair part of her bowel."
The couple started a blog in 2011 and kept family and friends up-to-date while they tried to conceive and during Lauren's pregnancy. The sextuplets' dad, Dave Perkins, wrote that they tried to have a baby for a full year and a half, but couldn't. Their infertility was unexplained by doctors, and as many couples do, the Perkins went on to do ovulation induction intrauterine insemination (IUI).
"That involved 2 weeks of shots and a couple turkey bastings. There was a 25% chance the procedure would work at all, and if it worked, a 25% chance of twins. The odds went down from there on multiples, with a 1% chance of sextuplets," Dave wrote on the blog.
And so, when Lauren and Dave found out they were expecting sextuplets, Dave wrote that they were "excited, overwhelmed, and scared -- all at the same time."
Lauren went into labor in April at the Texas Children, Pavilion for Women. There were 35 doctors and nurses in the delivery room, and NY Daily News reports that the babies were born between 1 pound, 10 ounces and 2 pounds, 15 ounces.
This week, the hospital had a send-off party for Leah and her siblings where the babies posed for their first joint photo.
Now that she's had four months of practice, Lauren offers some advice to other new parents. "When they can't sleep and start crying, remember it's just temporary. Focus on the positive and have fun," she told the Houston Chronicle.