A Jewish couple, Pamela and Daniel Pisner, of Olney, Maryland, who were childless after eight years of marriage, yesterday became parents of quintuplets at George Washington University Hospital here.
The four boys and one girl were delivered eight weeks early by caesarean section between 4:27 and 4:29 a.m. by a medical team of 32 after the mother went into premature labor. The babies ranged in size from 3 pounds, 4 ounces for the first born boy to 2 pounds, 6 ounces for the girl, born third. The babies and their mother were reported in good condition today by a hospital spokeswoman.
Mrs. Pisner, 28, is a secretary in the office of the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Mr. Pisner is a management consultant who is now unemployed.
Mrs. Pisner knew that she was expecting quintuplets and had been hospitalized since May 17, according to Dr. Allan Weingold, chairman of the hospital’s department of obstetrics and gynecology. The 32-person medical team that assisted in the births had monitored and supervised the prenatal progress of the quintuplets since January.
Weingold revealed in a press conference that there “may have been” a sixth fetus present in the womb during Pisner’s pregnancy that did not survive. Laboratory tests are being conducted to determine that question. Pisner had been treated with Pergonal, a fertility drug which frequently triggers multiple births.
‘LIVES HAVE BEEN ENRICHED’
“This is one of the side effects,” Weingold said of Pergonal. He said that quintuplets have occurred only once in every 20 to 30 million births with only one case in the United States every 10 to 15 years. A spokeswoman at the hospital today could not confirm that this was the only case of Jewish quintuplets
Mr. Pisner, 29, who was present at the birth, thanked the hospital’s medical staff for “making this miracle possible. Our lives have been enriched beyond measure.” In a statement released by the hospital, Pisner said: “For the next few days we want to get to meet our new family members and give Pan a chance to recover from her surgery.”
The Pisner quintuplets continued to be in “stable condition” today according to a report issued by the hospital. “Some are experiencing some respiratory problems but physicians say this degree of illness is common in premature infants. Mrs. Pisner continues to be in satisfactory and stable condition. “The parents today announed the names of their new family in the order of their birth: Devin Matthew, 3.4 1/2 lbs.; Ian Scott, 3 lbs.; Shira Lee, 2.6 lbs.; Michael Evan, 2.13 1/2 lbs.; Elliott Richard, 2.9 lbs. The Pisners have been married since June 8, 1975.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
