Seoul St. Mary's Hospital quintuplets turn two, thriving after intensive neonatal care

Quintuplets born through natural conception at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital — Saehim, Saechan, Saegang, Saebyeol and Saebom — have celebrated their second birthday in good health.

The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital announced Wednesday that the five siblings, born as extremely low-birth-weight premature infants who received intensive care in the neonatal intensive care unit, have grown healthy enough to celebrate their birthday together at a daycare center.

The quintuplets were born at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital on Sept. 20, 2024. Their mother developed preeclampsia during pregnancy, leading to a cesarean delivery at 27 weeks of gestation. All five — three boys and two girls — weighed less than 1 kilogram at birth.

From birth, the infants received intensive care in the neonatal ICU. The youngest underwent surgery for intestinal perforation, and the others required prolonged hospitalization for respiratory treatment and other conditions. The fourth child, the smallest at birth, remained hospitalized for about six months.

Even after discharge, the hospital's medical team has continued to monitor the children's growth and development. Neonatal specialists in the pediatrics department assess their overall health, while the pediatric rehabilitation medicine department conducts comprehensive evaluations of their motor, cognitive and language development.

The quintuplets' mother said the children — once palm-sized infants in incubators — are now socializing with friends at daycare and showing their individual personalities. She also urged parents of premature babies to hold onto hope rather than worry, and to cheer on their children's growth.

Jung Nak-gyun, director of St. Nicholas Children's Hospital, said he was moved when he recently saw the children at the hospital, toddling about and looking so much bigger than before. "I hope society's continued attention and support will help these children, who overcame such a difficult course of treatment, grow up healthy," he said.

The quintuplets were appointed as official ambassadors for Seoul St. Mary's Hospital in January. The hospital operates a regional maternal and infant medical center designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, providing integrated care spanning high-risk pregnancies and deliveries, neonatal intensive care, and post-discharge growth and developmental follow-up.

Premature infants treated at the center can be referred to St. Nicholas Children's Hospital for specialized care tailored to each stage of development, allowing continuous treatment and monitoring within a single medical system from the neonatal period through childhood and adolescence.

Meanwhile, the quintuplets underwent their regular 18-month corrected-age developmental assessment at St. Nicholas Children's Hospital in June. The medical team evaluated their motor, cognitive and language development as well as their walking ability. The children could call each other by name and recite the names of their daycare friends, while the three boys had grown enough to kick and throw a ball.