- Title: USA: DOCTORS HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER BIRTHS OF SEPTUPLETS.
- Date: 14th July 2001
- Summary: WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES (JULY 13, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV: DOCTORS ARRIVING AT PRESS CONFERENCE 0.16 2. CU: SOUNDBITE (English) HELEAIN LANDY, MD, DELIVERING OBSTETRICIAN, SAYING: "The patient got to twenty-eight and a half weeks and yes, ideally, it would have been wonderful for her to get further on. She had been taking some medicine over the past weeks to try to quell some of the contractions. Um, we were expecting something to happy anyday." 0.37 3. MV: DOCTORS AT PRESS CONFERENCE 0.43 4. CU: SOUNDBITE (English) CRAIG WINKEL, MD, CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY SAYING: "The father was in the delivery room through out the procedure. To be honest, he was most concerned with his wife until all the babies were out. He actually didn't wait to go to NICU until he knew his wife was ok and out of the delivery room, at which point, he spent probably the next several hours in the NICU." 1.15 5. GV/PAN: AUDIENCE TO DOCTORS AT PRESS CONFERENCE 1/25 6. CU: SOUNDBITE (English) SIVA SUBRAMANIAN, MD, CHIEF OF NEONATOLOGY, SAYING: "What we are basically doing is keeping them in an incubator and providing nutrition and taking care of the needs of these babies allowing for the development of these babies no outside the uterus at a pace that will continue as much as possible close to the discharge." 1.47 7. GV:WIDE OF PRESSER 1.54 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 29th July 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVAAI30S6G16MVASLFC872MPEGPO
- Story Text: A beaming and proud team of doctors announced the
births of septuplets at Georgetown University Hospital in
Washington, DC on Friday (July 13).
The five boys and two girls were born late Thursday
(July 12). It took three minutes to deliver the septuplets by
caesarean section.
A team of more than 25 medical professionals rehearsed for
the big moment and when the time came, doctors say, everything
went smoothly. "The patient got to twenty-eight and a half
weeks and yes, ideally, it would have been wonderful for her
to get further on. She had been taking some medicine over the
past weeks to try to quell some of the contractions. Um, we
were expecting something to happy anyday," said Helain Landy,
MD, the delivering physician.
The family has requested their identity not be revealed.
It is known, however, that they are Muslim. Doctors report
that the mother, who had been in the hospital since June, is
resting comfortably. She is expected to be released in four
to five days. The father, although stunned, is also doing
fine. "The father was in the delivery room through out the
procedure. To be honest, he was most concerned with his wife
until all the babies were out. He actually didn't wait to go
to NICU until he knew his wife was ok and out of the delivery
room, at which point, he spent probably the next several hours
in the NICU," said
Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Craig
Winkel, MD.
The babies are in the Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care
Unit (NICU). The weight of each of the babies ranged from 910
grams to 1110 grams, just under two pounds each. Almost all
of them are on ventilators. One never needed assistance with
breathing at all. Doctors will closely watch the newborns.
The next several days and weeks are critical in determining
survival and long term prognosis. Dr. Siva Subramanian, Chief
of Neonatology explains, "What we are basically doing is
keeping them in an incubator and providing nutrition and
taking care of the needs of these babies allowing for the
development of these babies no outside the uterus at a pace
that will continue as much as possible close to the
discharge."
Each baby has been assigned a "medical swat team" and,
providing they continue to progress, should be able to go home
in seven to nine weeks.
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