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UPI Archives
Monday, May 28, 1934
Five baby girls born to Canada farmer's wife
NORTH BAY, Ontario, May 28, 1934 (UP) - In a rude farm house five miles from here a country doctor fought tonight to keep the spark of life in five tiny baby girls. The quintuplets were born today to Mrs. Oliva Dionne, 25 years of age, who has six other living children.
Neighbor women, acting as midwives, helped the family physician, Dr. Dafoe, at the accouchement.
The doctor confirmed birth of the quintuplets tonight. He had little hope all of them will live.
"They're poorly, just poorly," said neighbor women who were helping the young father - he is only 28 years of age - care for the other children.
The young mother was doing poorly, too.
She was in poor health prior to the arrival of the five newcomers, Dr. Dafoe said, explaining the six other children in the family range in ages from 17 months to 8 years.
Father Dionne was worried - "the poor man's nearly distracted," neighbor women said - fearing for his wife's health and for the five tiny babies.
Dr. Dafoe lives in Callendar, a near-by village, but he said he will try to stay at the Dionne home through tonight. There was just a chance, he thought, the five little girl babies might "pull through."
Three of the babies were born before the doctor arrived this morning.
Total weight of the quintuplets was thirteen pounds six ounces. The first baby girl born weighed three pounds four ounces. The combined weight of the last two was only two pounds four ounces.
The Dionnes were married Sept. 15, 1925.
Dr. Dafoe said so far as he knows the quintuplets are a Canadian record. He had heard of quadruplets, but never of quintuplets until today.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International.
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