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.”
