Wang Fengjuan, 24, a woman from the countryside in central China's Henan Province, delivered five baby boys and one baby girl Thursday afternoon at the Beijing Hospital of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the Beijing Times reported Friday.
The third baby boy was believed to have died before delivery but the mother and other five babies remained in good condition, doctors said.
The heaviest baby boy weighed in at 1,950 grams while the lightest was 1,730 grams, they said.
The mother was hospitalized in March and the surgeons decided to perform the Cesarean section ahead of schedule after she showed signs of being ready to give birth, said Zhai Guirong, surgeon in charge of the 20-minute operation.
Zhai said the mother had been pregnant for less than 34 weeks when she underwent the Cesarean birth.
"However, we were well-prepared for the surgery and everything went very smoothly despite the premature delivery," Zhai said.
Doctors said the mother can be discharged from hospital within days while the babies need to be kept for further medical observation and examination.
Wang's husband, 25-year-old Wang Yuedong, said his wife conceived naturally and his family never had delivered multiple babies before.
The new father said he may have difficulty afterwards in raising five kids at the same time, given his economic situation.
The surgery cost more than 100,000 yuan (US$12,048) but the couple have so far been only able to pay 36,000 yuan (US$4,337) to the hospital.
(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2003)
