Doctors in Bellflower, Calif., say that octuplets born to a woman there Monday are doing “very, very well” and breathing on their own. The unidentified mother, who along with the father and her doctors were only expecting seven babies, gave birth to six boys and two girls who weighed between 1 pound, 8 ounces, and 3 pounds, 4 ounces.

Nkem Chukwu and Iyke Louis Udobi, parents of the first live octuplets born in the United States in 1998 (seven survived), told The Associated Press they were happy to hear of this happening to another family. “It’s a blessing, truly a blessing,” Chukwu said. “We’ll keep praying for them.”

The director of the fertility program at the University of Southern California, Dr. Richard Paulson, who did not take part in the delivery, said, “It’s a risky decision to try to have all eight babies. I would not recommend it under any circumstances, but I respect a parent’s decision.”

Dr. Karen Maples, who was one of 46 doctors, nurses, and assistants who helped deliver the babies by Caesarean section, said that when she got home: “I was humbled, I was exhausted, and I took a nap.”