high five!
A Russian woman has given birth to five babies at a hospital in the UK - the first quintuplets born in Britain for more than a decade.
The 29-year-old music teacher is now recovering at The John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
She came to the UK after doctors in Russia urged her to have selective abortions, which she refused on religious grounds.
The mother's relatives had contacted Lawrence Impey, who specialises in caring for mothers with high-risk pregnancies.
Under his team's care, she successfully gave birth by Caesarean section to five girls, 14 weeks early.
Their weights range from 1lb 13oz to 2lb 2oz.
Mr Impey said: "I'm very pleased to be able to help this delightful family and that they asked The John Radcliffe Hospital to look after them.
"Mother is recovering well and the babies are doing well."
Hospital staff volunteered for extra shifts and all medical costs have been met by a group of philanthropists from Russia.
Hospital chief executive Trevor Campbell Davis said: "We are pleased to be able to give the care and support the family needed.
"The Fetal Medicine Unit and the Neonatal Unit are recognised internationally as centres of expertise and excellence for the care of high risk pregnant mothers and their babies.
"We are also grateful to Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London, who are now caring for two of them."
Two consultant paediatricians and a team of 18 other doctors and nurses were present for the delivery and immediate management of the babies, who are in the Intensive Care Nursery.
For the delivery, the clinicians worked in five teams, each taking care of one of the babies.
The babies will be cared for in the UK until they are strong and well enough to return to Russia with their parents, who have not been named.
- Imagine 5, that's hard work
aww thats great that they are all doing well hopefully, id heard about that and apparently doctors in russia had wanted to terminate some of the babies. how could a parent pick which babies to keep and which one not to in a case like that.
5 little miracles - isnt that amazing 😀