Married in 2007, Mr and Mrs Ololade Samson Olusola never knew that they would wait for eight years before having children from their loins. The fruit of the womb in many climes remarkably is the high point of any marital union. While some are wont to adopt children, a good number of couples prefer to have their own children. Both in pristine and modern African settings, barrenness is frowned at. The stigma, the frustration and the societal victimization are in themselves worrying for those who are yet to have children.

It is therefore against this backdrop that one can appreciate the repeated dissatisfaction that attended the union of the Olusolas. The children were not forthcoming. Yet, for them, they had no other choice but to trust entirely in God.

In an interaction with Nigerian Tribune, the father of the newborns stated that “We got married on March 10, 2007. I am a civil servant and so also is my wife. We never expected that we would wait this long to have children. We tried all we could both medically and spiritually. It is disturbing that here in Africa, a marriage that does not produce children is seen as unsuccessful.
“After the first few years without any child, people said all kinds of things. But my wife was very resolute that God would take charge of our situation. We kept taking the different medications that we were given. The year 2015 became significant because that was the year that my wife got pregnant. When we went for the scan and were told that she was carrying four babies, I was shocked. But there was nothing that I could do but to pray that my wife and children are fine after the delivery. I was advised that considering the number of babies to be expected, it would be safe to register for ante-natal treatment at OSUTH. We were told by the doctors that it was possible that just two or three could survive. But we prayed that none of them would die.


“When the babies came in November last year, we knew that the implication of their birth would be financial. Whatever we buy must be in fourfold. I can’t query God for this. But we need all the financial support that we can get in raising the children.”
Speaking on the various forms of assistance that the family had gotten since the birth of the babies, he stated that “Friends, family members have been tremendous in assisting us. We understand that things are difficult but we are very grateful for what people have been giving us. We do realize that the entire world is going through economic recession but people have been wonderful to us. We are grateful to the Methodist Church in Nigeria. We are grateful to Winners Church. They have assisted us in no great measure. We are also grateful to Obafemi Owode Local Government Area in Ogun State for helping us. The health sector there also sent us money. Even the health sector in Ikenne Local Government Area also assisted us in no small measure.”
He also added that the reason that they did not initially call for help was because the mother of the children was still undergoing treatment at the hospital. “We couldn’t go public at the initial stage when the children were born because my wife was re-admitted at the hospital for about a month because she needed to get well properly. But she is well now which is why we decided to make the birth of the children public and ask for help. They were born on November 6, 2015. We want people to come and assist us in the area of the children’s education and in their upkeep. The firstborn is Ifeoluwa, the second is Oluwapemisire, the third is Anuoluwa and the fourth is Temiotan. They were all born on the same day through a C-section. They are two boys and two girls. The first is a girl; the second a boy; the third is a girl and the last is a boy,” he said.
Looking quite exhausted when she spoke with the Nigerian Tribune, the mother of the babies, Mrs Samson Olusola stated that while she didn’t expect the number of the children to be four, she was however grateful to God for the safe delivery, noting that the challenge before them was how to raise the four of them.

According to her, “When we got married and we could not have babies, people said all kinds of things but my husband and family stood by me. I was introduced to all kinds of drugs and even prayers. Eight years can be described as long when waiting to get pregnant and give birth to a baby. They are four of them. We thank God. I am grateful to God for the delivery. All we are saying is seeking the help of good Nigerians in taking care of the children. I know that God gave them to us and he will send help in taking care of them.”

The elder sister to the father of the children, Mrs Akinwale Omotola who was with the family when Nigerian Tribune visited, appealed for support for the family, just as she added that for those who are yet to have children in their marriages, there is a big possibility that the miraculous could still happen.
“I am the elder sister to the father of the quadruplets. It is wonderful what God did for the family. But the challenge is to take care of the children. I am yet to have a child after marriage but I am using this medium to tell everyone who is expecting that God can still do the impossible. We need all the help in taking care of the children,” she said.
In an interaction with a medical expert on the likelihood of such multiple births and the reasons,
Dr Stephen Ayodele Adewole, senior lecturer at the Ondo State University of Medical Science stated that the use of fertility drugs could be a pre-disposing factor.
According to him, “Well, the use of fertility drugs is a possible pre-disposing factor but it is by no means a reason why such women give birth to more than one after a long wait. Age is the most determining factor here; the older the woman, the more likely the occurrence of such.”
For Dr Moses Rotimi, a fellow of the West African College of Surgeon, consultant of Obstetrics and gynaecology and the Medical Director of Delight Hospital and Fertility Centre, Challenge, Ibadan, “If they’ve been using drugs, that is to say they’ve gone for IVF. Some eggs are selected for fertilisation and in most cases, it could be an average of three. But sometimes, the patient could say the number she wishes to have. If eventually all the eggs are fertilised, it becomes what you see, which could be the woman having two or more babies at once. Again, because of the age in consideration, when a woman that has waited for 10 or more years after marriage eventually conceive, age may not be on her side to get more children and the moment they successfully conceive about three at a time, then, it’s once and for all.”
 
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