File photo only used for illustrative purpose
An Nnewi-based commercial tricyclist (Keke NAPEP rider), Mr Abuchi
Odoh and his wife, Ndidi, a trainee seamstress had an overdose of
blessing as the woman gave birth to quintuplets on Thursday.
Mrs Odoh, 30, was delivered of the quintuplets, four males and one
female, through caesarean surgey at God’s Mercy Maternity Home, Obiuno
Otolo, Nnewi, Anambra State. She said she was actually suspecting that
it would not be a single birth because of how heavy she felt during the
pregnancy.
Prior to the birth of the quintuplets, she had had three girls delivered
in single births and a set of triplets, all boys, though two of the
boys later died, one year and three months after they were delivered.
Commenting on the outcome of the latest pregnancy, the husband, Mr Odoh,
said he never bargained for quintuplets as he was still battling to
feed his family, given his meagre income.
When he was told that his wife had given birth to five babies,
40-year-old Odoh, a native of Okparigbovoko Nsukka in Enugu State said
that he wanted to run away from the responsibility of taking care of the
five babies not because he did not appreciate the blessing but because
he did not know where to start from to raise money to handle the crisis.
On his feelings about the mixed blessings, he said: “I’m a Keke
NAPEP rider. The keke is my own but it is very old. I never expected
that my wife would deliver quintuplets. In fact, I was expecting one
baby and that was my prayer. I don’t have means to take care of one in
addition to the number we have already let alone additional five babies
at a go. I’m shocked. This is over blessing. I wanted to run away
yesterday but people held me back not because I am not happy for the
gift of the babies but because
I have nothing to take care of them.”
Odoh appealed to Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Anambra State
governor, Dr Willie Obiano, his Deputy, Dr Nkem Okeke, organizations and
all public-spirited individuals to come to his rescue, saying, “because
I’m now totally confused.”
The nurse who delivered the woman of the babies at the maternity, Mrs
Blessing Odoemena, said when the woman went for the first scanning
during the pregnancy the result showed twins, then the second scan
showed triplets “but I never believed the results because I knew she was
harbouring more than that.” She said she had in the past delivered the
woman of all her babies and was able to know her system to some extent.
Odoemena said when the woman had three girls initially, she was troubled
for not having a male child and said she continued to advise her to be
patient.