Hospital officials said the woman came to Kaiser already in her 12th week of pregnancy. They did not say where she received the fertility treatment.
Dr. Harold Henry, a member of the delivery team, said doctors counseled her regarding the options and risks -- among them aborting some of the fetuses.
"Our goal is to provide the best possible care, no matter what the situation or circumstances are," Henry said. "What I do is just explain the facts. I always talk about the risks. The mother weighs those options, and she chooses the option based on spiritual or personal makeup."
Henry said the eight children would "require quite a bit of resources. You need many diapers, bottles, car seats, food -- quite a bit."
Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel had planned for the births for months. They were expecting to deliver seven babies but discovered the eighth during delivery. It took only five minutes to deliver all eight by Caesarean section.
The births marked only the second time that octuplets had been successfully delivered in the United States.
At the news conference, Dr. Karen Maples read a statement from the mother in which she thanked the Kaiser staff for its help and support.
"We understand that you are all curious about the arrival of the octuplets, and we appreciate your respect for our family's privacy. Please know in our own time, we will share additional details about this miraculous experience," the statement said.
"The babies continue to grow strong every day and make good progress. My family and I are ecstatic about their arrival. Needless to say, the eighth was a surprise to us all, but a blessing as well."
"We thank all of you for the positive thoughts, prayers and generosity."
Already, Kaiser officials said, the mother is receiving gift baskets, sealed envelopes and flowers.
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jessica.garrison@latimes.com
andrew.blankstein@latimes.com
jeff.gottlieb@latimes.com
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Times staff writers Esmeralda Bermudez, Janet Lundblad, Sam Quinones, Richard Winton and Alan Zarembo contributed to this report.
