WOMAN GIVES BIRTH TO ONE SEXTUPLET

(Grand Rapids-AP) -- A Hamilton woman pregnant with sextuplets

has given birth to the first of her six babies and doctors say the

other five could come at any time.

John Paul Van Houten weighed one pound, eight ounces when he was

born at 5-22 a-m yesterday at Spectrum Health-Butterworth Campus.

His mother, 26-year-old Amy Van Houten just entered her 24th week

of pregnancy when she bore him.

The newborn was taken to adjacent DeVos Children's Hospital

where he was placed in an incubator and put on a ventilator.

Hospital officials said he was listed in critical condition, which

is normal after a premature birth. The mother was in fair

condition.

Doctor Curtis Cook, the mother's fetal doctor, said the newborn

has a 60 percent to 70 percent chance of survival. He said he hoped

the other babies would remain unborn a little longer to increase

their chance of survival.

It's believed that if all the babies survive, they would be the

first sextuplets born in Michigan.

Ben Van Houten says it's all in God's hands.