Mary Hernandez had a few surprises when her son came into the world.

There were six, to be exact: two extra toes on each foot and one extra finger on each hand.

"I couldn’t believe it," said Hernandez, 17, cradling little Vincent Alfonso Monarque at home in Medford. "I thought they were teasing me when they told me."

Hospital staff were surprised, too.

"All his nurses wanted to know if it was OK to bring the other nurses to come and see," the new mom said. "They just loved him at the hospital."

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Born May 13, Vincent has five fingers and a thumb on his left hand, with the thumb and first finger joined by a web of flesh. There are six fingers, but no thumb, on his right hand. Both feet have seven toes, although two toes on the left foot are fully joined.

That makes the little boy a textbook example of polydactyly (extra digits) as well as syndactyly (joined appendages). The two don’t always happen together, but when they do, it’s called polysyndactyly.

Newborns with extra digits are rare, but not unheard of. About two babies in every thousand are born with one or more extra digits, most commonly a small appendage beside the little finger.

The rate can rise as high as 10 in 1,000 for some ethnic groups, such as African-Americans, said Dr. Jon Zonana, a professor of molecular medical genetics at Oregon Health & Science University and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland.

Zonana said physicians don’t keep records on how often infants have a specific number of extra toes or fingers. Seven, however, is "uncommon," he said.

The trait is usually passed along in genes from one parent or the other, said Dr. Heather Young, a pediatrician at Providence Medical Group’s Medford Pediatrics.

"I just had a family where two of the girls were born with extra appendages," she said. "Their uncle had an extra appendage."

Vincent’s maternal grandmother, Helen Castaneda, said she did not know anyone in her family who had extra fingers or toes. Vince Monarque, the baby’s father, also has no one in his family with extra digits, she said.

"I was talking with his grandma," Castaneda said. "She couldn’t remember anyone. So I don’t know where it came from."

Zonana said the extra fingers and toes could be a new genetic mutation. Baby Vincent would likely pass the gene on to any children he might have. If only one parent has the gene, a child would have a 50 percent chance of inheriting it.

Extra infant appendages are often no more than little tags of boneless flesh. Doctors remove them by tying a tight knot around them to restrict the flow of blood. Without a blood supply, they wither and fall off.

Vincent’s extra fingers and toes are more fully developed: X-rays show they have bones. That will make removing them more complicated, Young said, but the surgery can usually be performed during the infant’s first year of life with few problems.

"It’s definitely easier when they’re little," she said.

Polydactyly occurs because of irregularities during fetal development. It can also happen in connection with other diseases and disorders. Physicians are testing Vincent to determine whether he may have any of those conditions.

"So far the tests have come out normal," said Castaneda, his grandmother.

Physicians typically encourage parents to have extra fingers removed to avoid embarrassment.

"Parents have to think of whether the child would be teased a lot," said Young, the pediatrician. "Each child wants to look like every other child."

More fingers aren’t necessarily an advantage, she said. "If you have seven fingers it can be more difficult to use your hand."

Right now, the baby’s parents are lavishing him with the love that newborns inspire.

"I think he’s adorable," his mother said.

Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail bkettler@mailtribune.com