The birth of quadruplets has become a source of nightmare to a couple who welcome the bundles of joy of October 1, at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
Mr Kehinde Tijani and his wife, Grace, who already have three children are now in a fix on how to nurture new born babies, one boy, three girls who have been named AbdulGaniyu Akanni, Alimotu Aduke, Bilkisu Abike and Latifat Abebi.
The 44-year-old father, who hails from Akitan in Oyo State, and his family live in a one-room apartment at Ajangbadi, on the outskirts of Lagos, barely surviving on the meager salary of N35,000 which he earns as a driver.
His wife, who is still at the maternity ward of LUTH, said: “When I first learnt that I was carrying four babies, I became sad but my husband said we can’t question God.”
She said people thought she had an In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) – artificial insemination, adding: “I didn’t even know what IVF was until I got to the hospital. It was God who made it happen. I conceived like the normal ones I had in the past. I never thought I had more than one baby. In fact, when I had a scan at Ajangbadi (a Lagos suburb), doctors said I had fibroid. This was before the doctor said I had five babies; one was aborted. This scared me, but my husband was supportive.”
Grace, 37, who hails from Delta State, recounting her pregnancy experience, said: “I also suffered from anaemia, dizziness and sleeplessness, especially at night. It was tough keeping the pregnancy, especially with the chest pain, heavy breathing and loss of appetite that I had to contend with. This was why my husband brought me to LUTH . I was admitted in July and I have been here for three and a half months.”
“We can’t celebrate their birth properly because we are yet to pay the hospital bill,” the mother added.
The parents, who live at 22, Dabatapa Street, Ajangbadi Jakande, Badagry, Lagos, are pleading with well-meaning people, companies and governments to support them to be able to nurse their babies.