The unnamed mother is still recovering in hospital after the arrival of the six boys and two girls on Monday.
All eight are doing well and breathing on their own at the Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower Medical Center in southern California, despite being born nine weeks premature.
As four of the babies started bottle feeding, speculation grew over whether the multi-birth was natural.
Two people claiming to be grandparents of the octuplets rang a radio station and disclosed that the mother had six other children.
Medical experts said questions would be asked if it emerged that a woman with six children received fertility treatment.
Michael Tucker, a researcher on fertility treatment in America, told reporters: "If a medical practitioner had anything to do with it there's some degree in inappropriate medical therapy there.
"When we see something like this in the general fertility world, it gives us the heebie jeebies."
Forty eight hours after their birth, the mother had still not been able to hold any of the babies, who were born weighing between one pound, eight ounces and three pounds, four ounces.
In lieu of names, the babies have been given letters ranging from A to H, in the order of their birth.
The babies' incubators were being kept near one another in the same room for bonding, according to Miriam Khoury, clinical director of inpatient obstetrical nursing at the hospital.
America's first live-birth octuplets were born three months premature in Houston in 1998.
The smallest baby, who was born at 10.3 ounces, died of heart and lung failure a week after being born but the others survived.
Mother Nkem Chukwu and father Iyke Louis Udobi had used fertility drugs in the pregnancy.
It is also being reported that the new mom is Hispanic. Once again congrats to her!
UPDATE: Her name is Nadya Suleman, a 33 year old divorcee and a single mom.
Source: Telegraph.co.uk
- Octuplet mom now has 14 kids (The Sun U.K)
- Calif Octuplets doing very well (AP)
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