Daud Olatunji
A 40-year-old woman, Mutiat Olateju, who gave birth to a set of quadruplets at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has appealed to the state government and well-meaning Nigerians for support to care for the newborns.
Olateju made the appeal on Thursday while speaking with journalists at the hospital, a day after she delivered the babies through surgery at the tertiary health facility.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the delivery came as a shock to the family, as earlier 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 only one baby.
“I have given birth to five children before. When we did the first scan, it showed just one baby, and later another scan indicated two. We never knew there were four babies,” she said.
Olateju, who appeared 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 do not know where to start from. 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 in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, also pleaded for support, saying the responsibility of raising the quadruplets alongside their other children would be overwhelming.
According to him, the family already had five children before the latest delivery, stressing that caring for nine children would stretch their financial capacity.
“I am the husband of the woman who delivered the quadruplets at FMC. Before now, we already had five children. I want the government to please 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 of running away, but I later changed my mind because I believe everything will eventually be fine.”
The couple, therefore, appealed to the Ogun State Government, corporate organisations, and philanthropic individuals to support them in caring for the babies.
Meanwhile, a Consultant Gynaecologist at the hospital, Dr. Taofeek Ogunfunmilayo, who supervised the delivery, disclosed that the babies were delivered at 32 weeks and are currently receiving specialised care.
Ogunfunmilayo explained that the mother was not registered for antenatal care at the hospital and was only referred to the facility while 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.
“Initially, we thought she was carrying triplets, but during surgery we discovered there were four babies and they were successfully delivered.”
The consultant noted that the mother is currently stable and responding well to treatment.
He, however, said the quadruplets were born prematurely and have been admitted to the hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit for close monitoring.
According to him, while two of the babies are in relatively stable condition, the remaining two require intensive medical attention due to their fragile state.
Ogunfunmilayo added that the medical team is making efforts to stabilise the babies, noting that premature births often require specialised neonatal care.
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