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Daud Olatunji
A 40-year-old woman, Mutiat Olateju, who gave birth to quadruplets at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has appealed to the state government and well-meaning Nigerians for support in caring for the newborns.
Olateju made the appeal on Thursday while speaking to journalists at the hospital, a day after delivering the babies via surgery at the tertiary healthcare facility.
PLATFORM TIMES reported that the birth came as a shock to the family, as previous medical scans reportedly did not indicate that the expectant mother was carrying four babies.
The mother, who already has five children, explained that the family initially believed she was expecting just one child.
“I have already given birth to five babies. When we did the first scan, it only showed one baby, and then another scan showed two. We never knew there were four babies,” she said.
Olateju, who seemed overwhelmed by the development, appealed to the Ogun State Government and kind-hearted Nigerians for assistance.
“Please, I need help from the government and good people because I don’t know where to start. I am already 40 years old and I want the government to help us take care of these four children,” she added.
Her husband, Oluwaseun Olateju, who hails from Atan, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, also called for support, saying the responsibility of raising the quadruplets along with their other children would be overwhelming.
According to him, the family already had five children before the latest birth, stressing that taking care of nine children would put a strain on their financial capabilities.
“I am the husband of the woman who delivered quadruplets at FMC. Before now, we have already had five children. I want the government to come to my aid because I cannot do it alone. It is beyond my power,” he said.
He added: “At one point I even thought about running away, but then I changed my mind because I believe that everything will be fine in the end.”
The couple, therefore, appealed to the Ogun State Government, corporate organizations and philanthropic individuals to support them in caring for the children.
Meanwhile, a consultant gynecologist at the hospital, Dr Taofeek Ogunfunmilayo, who oversaw the delivery, revealed that the babies were born at 32 weeks and are currently receiving specialized care.
Ogunfunmilayo explained that the mother was not registered for antenatal care at the hospital and was only referred to the facility while she was already in labour.
“The patient is what we call an unbooked patient. She did not register with us for antenatal care and was referred here when she was already in labour,” he said.
“We initially thought she was pregnant with triplets, but during surgery we found out there were four babies and they were born successfully.”
The consultant noted that the mother is currently stable and responding well to treatment.
He, however, said the quadruplets were born prematurely and were admitted to the hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit for close monitoring.
According to him, while two children are in relatively stable condition, the other two require intensive medical care due to their fragile state.
Ogunfunmilayo added that the medical team is working hard to stabilize the babies, stressing that premature births often require specialized neonatal care.
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