A caterer, Mrs Stella Omokhepen Olayioye, 44, has appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun, corporate bodies and public-spirited individuals for financial support after she gave birth to quadruplets in Abeokuta despite multiple pregnancy tests showing she was expecting triplets.
The mother of one gave birth to two boys and two girls through Caesarean section at Atoke Medical Center, Abeokuta, on November 7, The Guardian writes.
She stated both she and the medical team that operated on her were stunned by the unexpected discovery of the fourth baby.
Throughout the pregnancy, Olayioye told the court, she had had eight to 10 ultrasound scans, and each one had told her she was carrying triplets.
She said the family had to look for help from government and other well intending Nigerians because of the sudden delivery of the fourth baby. Shop Maps
The arrival of the fourth baby was a miracle since the birth brought immeasurable joy to the family but also financial strain, she said.
Olayioye claimed she and her husband waited 11 years after they started their relationship in 2011 to have their first kid, who is now four.
The couple had planned to have another child, but they never expected their family to be blessed with four newborns at once, she added.
I was shocked to learn that there was a fourth youngster, in the theatre room. It was miraculous.
I was startled as at no point in the pregnancy did any of the scans ever show four children. The scans indicated only three children,” she added.
The housewife thanked the doctors for the successful delivery but said she was worried about the large financial load of raising the babies. She appealed to the government, business bodies and well-wishers for financial assistance.
The woman claimed she and her husband were determined to take up their parenting obligations but would require governmental support to provide appropriate feeding, healthcare and other necessities for the babies.
Dr Taofeeq Ogunfunmilayo, the consultant gynaecologist and surgeon in charge, said the woman had started antenatal care at the hospital at about 10 weeks of pregnancy.
He said: ‘At the beginning, I had eight to 10 ultrasound scans during the pregnancy and they all showed three babies, so the doctors had been preparing for triplets.
The choice to deliver the infants at 34 weeks by Caesarean section was due to the woman’s medical history, including two previous surgeries, Ogunfunmilayo stated.
“Everything went as planned in the beginning and the first three babies were born without any problems, but when the medical team was preparing to deliver the placenta, they saw another membrane,” he said.
“Because of the find, the team had to change its procedure immediately,” he said. “That led to the fourth baby showing up unexpectedly.”
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