Mrs Amaka Emmanuel, a 44-year-old woman, who gave birth to seven babies at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, on Tuesday, has appealed for assistance from the Federal Government and other Nigerians.
Emmanuel, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Gwagwalada, said that the septuplets came 10 years after her first child.
“The delivery was a miracle and I thank God Almighty. I want the Federal Government to assist me in cash and kinds to enable me bring up the kids,” he said.
Prof. Bissallah Ekele, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, who also spoke with NAN, said that two of the babies died after delivery.
“The remaining five are doing fine in the incubator.
“They are doing well and healthy enough in the incubators, but a lot more is needed to keep them alive. Management has been doing its best to ensure both the mother and the babies stay healthy,” he said.
The professor said that the seven babies were the highest delivery ever recorded in the hospital, and commended the hospital’s gynecologists and pediatricians for making it possible.
Dr Gga Vandi Kwaghe, a chief consultant gynecologist, said the delivery, through a Caesarean session, was successful “following careful handling by competent hands”.
“The babies were also premature; we had to delay the delivery to see how they can be matured before we deliver them, to avoid complications.
“We had to weigh the condition of the mother because the effect of the seven babies in her womb was quite overwhelming,” he said.
He advised pregnant women with high blood pressure to always go for regular checks to ensure safe delivery.