Meet Isaac, Matilde, Priscilla, Joel and Aaron -- Houston's newest set of quintuplets, born Saturday at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital. Their mother says she thought she was carrying twins at first.
Veronica Mayorga-Real said, "It was very impressive to see five in the monitor."
Veronica had fertility treatment to help her get pregnant and was almost 30 weeks pregnant when she delivered, making the quintuplets premature. But Dr. Lara Friel says the Mayorga-Real quints got more time in the womb than most.
"Most quintuplets we hope get to 28 and a half weeks. That's the mean, but she got a little further and so the babies are larger," Dr. Friel explained.
The quints arrived all weighing between two and a half to almost four pounds. They'll need more time to develop, especially their eyes and breathing -- and they'll need to learn skills most full-term babies know -- like sucking.
The quints will stay in the hospital until they are healthy enough to go home. Meantime the Mayorga-Real family is scrambling to get ready for the happy invasion of babies, and that includes eight-year-old big brother Fernando.
"Be nice to them, teach them stuff, everything," he said.
Meantime, mom says she is excited to get to know the five babies she carried -- and the first order of business is telling them apart.
"Not yet, not yet," she admitted. "They are very similar."
All of the quintuplets are doing well, although doctors say female preemies are usually stronger than male preemies.
