For weeks, nkem chukwu and the babies in her belly had defied gravity. In her Houston hospital bed, the 27-year-old lay tilted head down, feet in the air, as doctors tried desperately to withhold from the world—and medical history —amajor delivery. The later the date, the better the babies' odds. Though one, a girl, had already pushed her way out of Chukwu's womb, seven were still inside. Four-teen arms, 14 legs, 7 umbilical cords, all jammed one against the other. But five days before Christmas, Chukwu went into labor—13 weeks early—delivering five more girls and two boys the world's first live octuplets.
展开▼
