Making improvements daily

Sextuplet update: Mom & five babies "cruising along," tiniest one faces "greaterchallenges"

Lauren Perkins gave birth to sextuplets last Monday. "I couldn't believe theyall fit inside my belly," we wrote on her blog
Perkins Pack blog
The new mom wrote that the Texas Children's Hospital Pavilion for Women had 35people in the operating room.
Photo by Allen S. Kramer/Texas Children's Pavilion for Women

Texas Children's Hospital Pavilion for Women has seen significant activity since its opening just a month ago. The most recent big news? Sextuplets.

Lauren Perkins gave birth to six babies (after difficulty conceiving, she and her husband, David, found luck — a lot of luck — using intrauterine insemination with ovulation-stimulating drugs) on Monday, eight weeks before the anticipated due date.

The family, who has kept up a detailed website throughout Lauren's pregnancy, asked for privacy immediately following the birth last week. But Lauren has kept those who are interested up to date with the latest news on her blog.

"The delivery went very smoothly with approximately 35 people in the operating room," the 28-year-old mother wrote. "I officially met them on Tuesday and got to touch them! I couldn't believe they all fit inside my belly."

Texas Children's released a statement on the health of the sextuplets:

Dr. Stephen Welty, chief of neonatology at the Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, has been monitoring the babies closely with his team of physicians and can say that these babies have passed the critical first 72 hours and all are consistently improving. Five out of six babies are doing as well as would be expected for babies born at 30 weeks and are all off mechanical ventilation. The smallest baby girl is facing greater challenges than the other five infants and has required significant treatment to support her lungs and circulation. However, she is making incremental improvements daily."

Earlier on her blog, Lauren said the couple plans to name the babies Allison Kate, Leah Michelle, Caroline Grace, Andrew Noah, Benjamin Luke, and Levi Thomas. The couple hopes to appear at a press conference next week.

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Editor's note:It's time to recap the top stories on CultureMap from this past week. The top Houston news includes a family-friendly Memorial City development, a Montrose pizzeria closure, and a stylish new lounge for Upper Kirby. Get the details below, and find fun stuff do in town this weekend here.

1. New development with 1-acre green space coming to Memorial City area. The rapidly growing area will soon be home to Greenside, boasting a mix of restaurant, retail, and other family-friendly businesses, designed by the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture.

2. Creative Montrose pizzeria will shutter after only a year-and-a-half. ElRo Pizza & Crudo will close at the end of the year, due to a steady decline in business.

3. Stylish new lounge shakes up Houston with art-inspired drinks and caviar. Cheers to this new nightlife spot, which is now open in Upper Kirby.

Sante cocktail lounge Sante's Garden Room is decorated with two olive trees. Photo by Chris Furia

4. These are the 6 most affordable ZIP codes for Houston renters. One of these ZIPs is also among the 10 most affordable in the U.S.

5. 15 Houston restaurants crafting nostalgic and decadent ice cream sundaes. The classic ice cream sundae is having a moment, and these restaurants are serving up decadent versions.