HOUSTON -- An Humble woman gave birth to six babies -- two boys and four girls -- Tuesday night.
The Stansel sextuplets were born more than four months early, and doctors at The Woman's Hospital of Texas say they are "very critical but stable at this time."
The babies weigh between 12.3 ounces and 1 pound, 2 ounces.
Amanda Stansel wasn't due until December, but their goal was to make it to September. Instead, she made it to 22 weeks and six days.
Thomas Stansel posted the following message on their Web site Wednesday:
"The babies made their unexpected arrival last night around 7:30. Although the babies came much earlier than hoped they are all doing remarkably well for their size. We continue to be amazed by their fighting spirits," he said. "We will update as things calm down a bit. Amanda was running a temperature and had an elevated white blood count. She is a trooper we are all impressed by her stamina and strength. We appreciate your prayers in our behalf. We feel them and are blessed to know all of these matters are in God’s hands."
He tweeted this message on their Twitter site Thursday morning:
"Just got back visiting my beautiful children, they are fighters. I know they will be ok."
Amanda was hospitalized earlier this summer and put on total bed rest on August 1 when doctors weren't able to stop her contractions. Thomas tweeted her progress to dozens of Twitter followers.
"Just hanging out in the hospital, my second home. Actually it is my first home right now," he said on July 23.
Amanda underwent fertility treatments after having trouble conceiving because she is diabetic and a thyroid cancer survivor.
Two previous pregnancies ended in miscarriages, but the couple was cautiously hopeful when they learned Amanda was pregnant again in March.
An ultrasound confirmed there were six babies growing in her expanding belly.
“It was definitely a surprise. There were only two eggs that were supposed to mature,” Thomas, 31, told the Houston Chronicle in a June interview. “Nobody plans for six, but we’re here and we’ll make the best of it.”
Amanda was treated by the same specialist who delivered Houston's Chukwa octuplets in 1998. They were the world's first set of eight living babies, but one later died.
The same doctor delivered sextuplets to Chris Collins of Kingwood in 1998. One of those babies also died.
Sextuplets are extremely rare with estimates at less than 200 worldwide.
The most famous sextuplets are the Gosselin children featured on the show "Jon & Kate Plus Eight."
