44-YEAR-OLD CATERER GIVES BIRTH TO QUADRUPLETS IN OGUN STATE AFTER ULTRASOUND SCANS SHOWED TRIPLETS
A 44-year-old caterer, Mrs Stella Omokhepen Olayioye, has appealed for financial assistance after delivering quadruplets at Atoke Medical Centre, Abeokuta, on November 7, despite 8–10 scans showing triplets. She delivered two boys and two girls through Caesarean section.
Speaking with PLATFORM TIMES, she said the fourth baby’s discovery shocked her.
“In the theatre room, when I heard there was a fourth child, it was a shock. It was a miracle. I was shocked because throughout the pregnancy, the scans never showed four children. The scans only showed three children,” she said.
Olayioye said she and her husband waited 11 years for their first child, now four. On raising four newborns, she said:
“Everybody is happy, but only a few might think about the other side, how we will raise these children. After the merriment and everything, the reality comes. How do we raise these children?”
She appealed to the Ogun State Government, organisations and Nigerians for support.
Consultant gynaecologist Dr Taofeeq Ogunfunmilayo said scans consistently showed triplets. The babies were delivered at 34 weeks because of Olayioye’s medical history, after two previous surgeries.
He said the first three babies were delivered before another membrane was noticed as the team prepared to deliver the placenta.
“At the Caesarean section, we prepared for three because the scans had consistently shown three babies there. We delivered the first one, the second one, the third one.
“As we were about to deliver the placenta, we just saw another membrane.
Immediately, we had to rupture the membrane, and the head of the baby just popped out. So, that was how we ended up with four babies at a time,” he explained.
The doctor said the mother and babies were doing well. He appealed for assistance with the costs of formula, diapers, clothing, healthcare and education.
