Texas couple give birth to record-setting quintuplets at Banner Good Samaritan

Five babies weigh more than 21 pounds; is record for quintuplet birthweight

This morning between 8:17 a.m. and 8:19 a.m., Rachelle Wilkinson of Cedar Park, Texas, delivered three girls and two boys following a 34-week pregnancy.* The five babies had a total birthweight of 21 pounds, 7.2 ounces, and is the U.S. record for quintuplets, according to Dr. John Elliott, Mrs. Wilkinson’s perinatologist and an expert in the delivery of high-order multiples.

Rachelle and husband Jayson are the new parents of:

BABY GIRL A, Kassidy; 5 lbs, 1.2 oz; 8:17 a.m.
BABY GIRL B, Kaydence; 3 lbs, 6 oz; 8:18 a.m.
BABY BOY C, Rustin; 4 lbs, 15 oz; 8:18 a.m.
BABY GIRL D, Kyndall; 4 lbs, 2 oz; 8:19 a.m.
BABY BOY E, Ryder; 3 lbs, 15 oz; 8:19 a.m.

The Wilkinson’s have two older children, Riley, 7, and Kaiya, 4.

The previous record birth weight for quintuplets was held by Rebecca Wilson of Cresco, Pa., who gave birth on July 23, 2003, at Banner Good Samaritan to four boys and one girl weighing 21 pounds, 1.2 ounces, following a 34-week, 3-day pregnancy (a record gestation). The average pregnancy for quintuplets at Banner Good Samaritan is 33 weeks, at least four weeks beyond the national average of 29 weeks.

“This is your new baby brother.” Jayson Wilkinson watches as daughter Kaiya, 4, of Cedar Park meets her new baby brother, Rustin. Photo credit: Dave Cruz for Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center

After choosing to deliver at Banner Good Samaritan, Rachelle arrived in Arizona in April to be near her physicians and stay with her aunt and uncle in nearby Gilbert. She was asked to eat 5,000 calories a day in order to provide for the tremendous nutritional needs of her growing babies. Unlike most multiple moms, Rachelle was able to remain with her family until the 30th week of pregnancy because her condition remained stable as determined by daily contraction readings monitored by her physicians.

Dr. Elliott, his colleagues at Phoenix Perinatal Associates and the nursing staffs at Banner Good Samaritan and Phoenix Children’s Hospital, have developed an international reputation for their care and management of women delivering high-order multiples (triplets or more). Banner Good Samaritan has delivered about 74 sets of quadruplets, six sets of quintuplets and two sets of sextuplets – including the Masche sextuplets born in June 2007.

Most of the quadruplets and quintuplets delivered at Banner Good Samaritan – including the Bryant quintuplets from Plano, Texas, born in September 2004 – have come to Phoenix from another part of the country. This is thought to be more sets of high-order multiples than has been delivered at any other hospital in the U.S., and perhaps the world. Banner Good Samaritan is also a national referral center for many other kinds of high-risk obstetrical cases.

“These nationwide referrals say a lot for the reputation of perinatal and neonatal care provided by Banner Good Samaritan and Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and the physicians at Phoenix Perinatal Associates,” said Dr. Elliott. “We feel we have been very privileged to care for a number of mothers expecting quintuplets and other high-order multiples.”

Individuals wishing to send congratulations, prayers, e-mails and letters of support can contact the Wilkinsons through their website at www.wilkinsonquints.com.

Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center has been providing medical care to Arizona and the Southwest since 1911. Banner Good Samaritan is owned and operated by Phoenix-based Banner Health, a not-for-profit organization, and is a flagship hospital within the system. The hospital was recently named to U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” list for Gynecology, Heart and Heart Surgery, Kidney Disease and Urology. Banner Good Samaritan has been recognized as a Magnet facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest honor a hospital can earn for its nursing care and practices.

* Thirty-eight to 40 weeks is considered full-term in a singleton pregnancy.

Contact:
Banner Good Samaritan Public Relations
(602) 239-4411