Since Tuesday, Ellen Howell is the proud mother of quintuplets. She delivered the babies at a hospital in Arizona, Phoenix, in no more than 3 minutes. According to doctors, as their health concerns, the 3 girls and 2 boys are in good condition. Still, they have to remain in the neonatal intensive care unit for several months.

The Houston couple said they never wanted 5 kids, but now are happy to be the parents of the quintuplets who weight less than 15 pounds all together. "I am a little bit overwhelmed, but happy, ecstatic," said Stephen Howell. "I have no words, which is pretty rare for me." The spouses will rely on their family members and friends. Until they can return home in Houston with their new-born babies, they will rent a house in Phoenix and live there.

Ellen and Stephen were told by the Houston doctors to have only 2 infants but they couldn’t stand the idea. Therefore they traced Dr. John Elliott, a specialist who takes care of women with high-risk pregnancies.

Ellen gave birth to the babies 9 weeks earlier, at 30 weeks and 5 days, this interval not being considered full-term. Besides, she developed a few complications and had to be administered medication.

In the last 4 years, two other series of quintuplets for Texas have been brought to life at the Phoenix hospital. A set of 5 babies was born in September 2004 and another one in July 2007.