The Vancouver hospital room that's home to Canada's first sextuplets will be filled with activity as doctors, nurses and machines monitor their tiny bodies, a neonatal expert said Tuesday.

"I would imagine it's pretty busy," laughed Shelly McHugh, a nurse at Halifax's IWK Health Centre.

'Think of their head at the top of your fingertips and their buttocks at the heel of your hand.'-Neonatal nurse Shelly McHugh

The four boys and two girls were born on the weekend at BC Women's Hospital, but the family has requested privacy. The hospital will only say the children are in "fair condition" with normal vital signs.

McHugh isn't involved in the babies' care, but commenting as a neonatal expert, she said survival is the biggest concern for the sextuplets this week.

They're hooked up to equipment that monitors their hearts, lungs and blood pressure, and vitamin, protein and sugar levels, she said. The babies would also be immediately placed on antibiotics to fight off any infections.

"They're not able to tolerate mothers' milk or formula. They need to get their nutrition from an IV," McHugh said.

Babies born at 25 weeks are at a higher risk for brain bleeding and other developmental concerns, she said. The risk is greater in multiple births.

The first week is a "roller-coaster ride" for the babies, who reportedly weigh about two pounds each.

"Think of their head at the top of your fingertips and their buttocks at the heel of your hand," McHugh said about the size of the newborns.

Quints' mother offers support

Yvonne Gilmour said while the media spotlight was difficult to get used to, it helped draw attention to the family's situation.
(CBC)

Yvonne Gilmour, the mother of Canadian quintuplets born eight years ago in Saskatoon, said she knows what the family is going through.

"I just want to wish them the best. My heart goes out to them right now," said Gilmour, her voice breaking.

Gilmour and her husband Rob's three girls and two boys are the first quintuplets born in Western Canada. They arrived 11 weeks early, in November 1999.

Yvonne Gilmour said while the media spotlight was difficult to get used to, it helped draw attention to the family's situation. About 60 volunteers offered help, providing 24-hour care for the children, she said.

"There was a mother of six-year-old twins, grandmothers, a retired nurse who was a triplet herself," she said. "Our sister lived with us for a year. That helped a lot."