WHOA BABY! Houston mom of sextuplets all smiles celebrating first Mother's Day
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Having one baby is tough enough, but imagine six all at once.
Houston mom Thelma Chiaka delivered sextuplets in March at the Woman's Hospital of Texas.
Chiaka is a first-time mom.
"I have always looked forward to getting pregnant, so when it came, I embraced it with all the love I have," Chiaka said.
The odds of having sextuplets are very slim, one in 4.7 billion.
But don't tell that to siblings Zuriel, Zina, Kamsi, Kaeto, Kachi, and Kaobi, who were born with the help of some very dedicated doctors and nurses.
"Miss Thelma, she was a champion because she kept her smile until the last minute. She had her smile all over the pregnancy and it wasn't an easy pregnancy on her, but she did wonderful," said Dr. Ziad Haidar, Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist at Women's Hospital of Texas.
One baby is already home. The others need a bit more time in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit, but will slowly be released over the next few weeks.
Chiaka is looking forward to seeing her half dozen kids all seated around the same dinner table.
"I feel blessed having such beautiful babies. Mother's Day has been an awesome experience for me," said Chiaka.
It was just nine minutes from the time the first baby was born to the last.
Mom and dad say they are getting a lot of support from family and friends.
The three pairs of twins weighed about two pounds each when they were born.
